Fundamentalist Diversity

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions on the BB about the Fundamentalist movement by both its opponents and its adherents. I'd like to make this an informative thread, showing how many different kinds of Fundamentalist fellowships and associations there are, including non-Baptist groups.

Please, no one make this a Fundamentalist bashing thread. Start your own if you want to disagree with Fundamentalist doctrine or practice, which is by no means always easy to pin down. Debate about the characteristics of different groups is, of course, welcome.

Here is the pattern I am looking for, as illustrated by our fellowship here in Hokkaido.

Name: Hokkaido Fundamental Pastors Fellowship, or HFPF, nickname "Huffpuff," which is what our preachers do in the pulpit!

Constituents: all IFB, but from various groups: BWM, BBF, Japanese independents, non-board IFB, etc. Anyone is welcome who calls himself a Fundamentalist.

School: Asahikawa Bible Research Institute, or ABRI

Numbers: 6-10 missionaries and Japanese pastors come to the meetings. Others would like to come, but can't make the trip.

Stand on versions: We have no unified stand on the versions issue. Most of us use the "Shinkaiyaku" translation (similar to the NASV), but there are a couple of die-hard "Classical Japanese Bible" advocates. There are no "KJV-type" Bibles in print in Japan.

Stand on separation: We have no unified stand on separation, but all are separationists to one degree or another.

 

We'll see where this goes, 4His_glory. For the record, I think it's a good idea, too.

Anyone out there want to define the IFCA? The GARB? BBF? SBF? FBF?

 

I might get it wrong, too, Mexdeaf. You hear things out here on the fields of the world, but it is hard to pin it down. Anybody want to characterize where the BBF is nowadays?

 

Well gentlemen, thanks to all of us for our great input on the BBF!

In the mean time, as we wait for someone who is in the know, maybe I'll do a post on its predecessor, the World Baptist Fellowship (WBF).

Name: The WBF was founded by J. Frank Norris (the "bad boy" of the early IFB movement) and others in 1933 after Norris had been blackballed by the Texas Baptist Convention for exposing the evolution being taught at Baylor U. It was first called the Premillennial Missionary Baptist Fellowship, then the World Fundamental Baptist Missionary Fellowship, and finally the WBF in 1950, when the BBF started by a split from the WBF.

Constituents: typical Southern style IFB churches, based mostly in Texas, but with others in Ohio, Florida and a few other states. We were once supported by a strong WBF church in the Detroit area. They have a solid mission board, working mostly in Latin America but with a presence around the world.

Numbers: around a 1000 churches.

Stand on versions: The statement of faith of Arlington Baptist College stands for inspiration "as originally written," and does not have a statement on preservation.

Stand on separation: pretty scrappy, in the tradition of old J. Frank Norris.

 

Good call, Mexdeaf. After all, the roots are the same. My caveat here would be that I've heard of KJVO controversy in the BBF but not in the WBF. That is, unless the WBF split in 1984 that produced that Independent Baptist Fellowship International was about Bible versions. Does anyone know?

 

Chances are it wasn't, knowing the history of the WBF. Those guys really love J. Frank Norris--who loved a good scrap!

 

Name: Midwestern Baptist Fellowship.

Constituents: Graduates of Midwestern Baptist College, in Pontiac, Michigan, founded by Dr. Tom Malone. Since Dr. Malone is from the South, this group probably has more in common with Southern Fundamentalists rather than Northerners. They are usually good pulpiteers in the mold of Dr. Malone, who was called by John R. Rice the best preacher in fundamentalism. I remember a story about a young graduate who called Dr. Malone and said, "Dr. Malone, I preached your outline on such-and-such a passage, and it took me two hours to finish!" Dr. Malone said, "Son, I took three Sundays to preach that one!"

School: Midwestern Baptist College, founded in 1953. The college has gone downhill in numbers in recent decades, but they are making a valiant effort to recover.

Numbers: Several hundred pastors, though probably only 30-50 come to the monthly meetings held in churches in Michigan. The largest number of graduates are still in Michigan, but some went off to do church planting in New England, and I even know one down in Texas.

Stand on versions: Various levels of KJVO or KJV preferred, but they get along with each other.

Stand on separation: All are strong separationists.

By the way, for anyone who knows the Malones, Mrs. Malone is currently in the hospital ICU recovering from serious surgery--that is all we know right now.

 

Brother Tharp was a wonderful pastor who supported our work for many years.

Too bad about your bad experiences with some MBC grads. Bad apples in every bunch, eh?