Independent Baptist

{{short description|Christian protestant denomination}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
[[File:PCC Crowne Center Exterior.jpg|thumb|right|The Crowne Center at [[Pensacola Christian College]] in [[Pensacola, Florida]], an Independent Baptist institution]]
'''Independent Baptist churches''' (also called '''Independent Fundamental Baptist''' or '''IFB''') are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]]) [[Baptist beliefs]]. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist denominations, various Independent Baptist Church denominations have been founded.

==History==
{{further|Baptists}}

[[File:Tewkesbury Independent Baptist Church - geograph.org.uk - 3227558.jpg|thumb|Tewkesbury Independent Baptist Church in [[Tewkesbury]], UK]]

The modern Independent Baptist tradition began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among local denominational Baptist congregations whose members were concerned about the advancement of [[modernism]] and [[theological liberalism]] into national Baptist denominations and conventions in the United States and the United Kingdom.<ref name="Marsden 1980, pp. 55–62, 118-23">Marsden (1980), pp. 55–62, 118–23.</ref><ref>W. Glenn Jonas Jr., ''The Baptist River'', Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 96</ref>

In response to the concerns, some local Baptist churches separated from their former denominations and conventions and reestablished the congregations as Independent Baptist churches.  In other cases, the more conservative members of existing churches withdrew from their local congregations and set about establishing new Independent Baptist churches.<ref>{{cite book|title=In Pursuit of Purity: American Fundamentalism Since 1850| author=Beale, David O. |publisher= [[BJU Press]] |year=1986 | isbn=9780890843505}}{{Page needed|date=November 2010}}</ref>

Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist denominations, various Independent Baptist Church denominations have been founded.<ref>William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 297</ref> There is the [[World Baptist Fellowship]] founded in 1933 at [[Fort Worth, Texas]] by [[J. Frank Norris]].<ref>William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 623</ref> Doctrinal differences in the latter led to the founding of the [[Baptist Bible Fellowship International]] in 1950 and the [[Independent Baptist Fellowship International]] in 1984.<ref>Robert E. Johnson, ''A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches'', Cambridge University Press, UK, 2010, p. 357</ref> Various independent Baptist Bible colleges were also founded.<ref>William H. Brackney, ''Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education'', Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 376</ref>

== Beliefs ==
[[File:Worship service at Iloilo Baptist Church.jpg|thumb|Service at Iloilo Baptist Church, [[Iloilo City]], Philippines.]]
The beliefs are mainly [[Baptist]] and [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]].<ref>Bill J. Leonard, Jill Y. Crainshaw, ''Encyclopedia of Religious Controversies in the United States, Volume 1'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 387</ref> They refuse any form of ecclesial authority other than that of the local church. Great emphasis is placed on the [[literal interpretation]] of the Bible as the primary method of Bible study as well as the [[biblical inerrancy]] and the [[Infallibility of the Church|infallibility]] of their [[Biblical hermeneutics| interpretation]].<ref> W. Glenn Jonas Jr., ''The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition'', Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 125: "Independents assert that the Bible is a unified document containing consistent propositional truths. They accept the supernatural elements of the Bible, affirm that it is infallible in every area of reality, and contend that it is to be interpreted literally in the vast majority of cases. Ultimately, they hold not merely to the inerrancy of Scripture, but to the infallibility of their interpretation of Scripture. The doctrine of premillennialism serves as a case in point. Early on in the movement, Independents embraced premillennialism as the only acceptable eschatological view. The BBU made the doctrine a test of fellowship. When Norris formed his Premillennial Missionary Baptist Fellowship (1933), he made premillennialism a requirement for membership. He held this doctrine to be the only acceptable biblical position, charging conventionism with being postmillennial in orientation."</ref> [[Dispensationalism]] is common among Independent Baptists. They are opposed to any [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] movement with denominations that do not have the same beliefs.<ref>Bill J. Leonard, ''Baptists in America'', Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 115</ref> Many IFB churches adhere to only using the [[King James Version]], a position known as [[King James Onlyism]].<ref> Bill J. Leonard, ''Baptists in America'', Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 141</ref>

==Demographics==
Members of Independent Baptist churches comprised 2.5% of the United States adult population, according to a 2014 survey by the [[Pew Research Center]].<ref name=numbers>{{cite book|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] | title=U.S. Religious Landscape Study|chapter=Religious Composition of the U.S.| access-date=2016-11-02 |url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/}}</ref>

== Sexual abuse ==
In 2018, an investigation by the ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]'' identified 412 abuse allegations in 187 independent fundamental Baptist (IFB) churches and institutions across in United States and Canada, with some cases reaching as far back as the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kuruvilla |first1=Carol |title=Investigation Unearths Hundreds Of Abuse Allegations In Independent Baptist Churches |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/independent-fundamental-baptist-churches-sexual-abuse_n_5c117f67e4b0835fe326602e |publisher=Huffpost | date= December 13, 2018|access-date=27 November 2023}}</ref><ref> Rick Pidcock, [https://baptistnews.com/article/the-horror-of-let-us-prey-may-not-be-as-far-from-home-as-you-think/ The horror of Let Us Prey may not be as far from home as you think], baptistnews.com, USA, November 30, 2023 </ref>

In November 2023, [[Investigation Discovery]] released ''[[Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals]]'', a 4 part documentary, highlighting sexual abuse and cover up within the Independent Baptist movement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=John |title=‘Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals’ Review: A System of Abuse |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/let-us-prey-a-ministry-of-scandals-investigation-discovery-max-documentary-19c3100c |access-date=27 November 2023 |publisher=Wall Street Journal |date=November 23, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[American Baptist Association]]
* [[Association of Independent Methodists]]
* [[Baptist International Missions, Inc.]]
* [[Baptist Missionary Association of America]]
* [[IFCA International]]
* [[Landmarkism]]
* [[List of Independent Baptist higher education institutions]]
* [[New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist]]
* [[Southwide Baptist Fellowship]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*Timothy Gloege, ''Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism'' (2015).
*Barry Hankins, ''God's Rascal: J. Frank Norris & the Beginnings of Southern Fundamentalism'' (1996).
*Andrew Himes, ''The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family'' (2011).
*George M. Marsden, ''Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism, 1870–1925'' (1980).
*Robert F. Martin, ''Hero of the Heartland: Billy Sunday and the Transformation of American Society, 1862–1935'' (2002).
*Daniel K. Williams, ''God's Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right'' (2010).

==External links==
*{{curlie|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Baptist/Baptist_Groups/Independent_Baptists|Independent Baptists}}
*[https://www.kjvchurches.com Directory of independent Baptist churches in the United States and worldwide]

{{US baptist denominations}}
{{Evangelical Protestantism in the United States}}

[[Category:Baptist movements]]
[[Category:Independent Baptist]]


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