The IFB Litmus Test

[GraceThruFaith]

I think I have found the paramount indicator IFB's use to classify someone favorably or unfavorably:

Consistent Church Attendance

Of course, I have only experienced West Coast IFB churches, and consistent attendance to church is the primary factor to judge someone.

It's almost every week at my IFB church where the pastor personally praises a member for staying in church for X amount of years.

He'll praise young adults who didn't go to Bible college but have at least stayed in church.

He'll praise new converts who haven't missed a Sunday service for the last two years.

But what makes this just jaw-dropping to me is that every IFB pastor will agree with this: "Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car." Sure.

But it doesn't end there. IFB pastors (that I know of) will then bash athletes because they don't attend Sunday School or a Sunday service because they have sports games to attend instead. Sure, they could be like Tim Tebow, but he's too busy throwing a ball instead of holding a Bible at 11 o'clock on a Sunday.

Consistent Church Membership: you can get drunk, party, and fornicate on Saturday night without any church member knowing, but if you show up to church every single Sunday, you will be called a good Christian. You can give your entire Saturday to acts of love that Christ desires us to do, but if you miss Sunday morning service the next day, you need to get right with God.

[Papa Bear]

I remember my surprise when, at my current church, I learned that, "We were tired, and decided to sleep in" was an acceptable excuse for missing church, and didn't cause people to doubt your salvation.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

(04-30-2012 11:50 AM)GraceThruFaith Wrote:  I think I have found the indicator IFB's use to classify someone favorably or unfavorably:

Consistent Church Attendance

Of course, I have only experienced West Coast IFB churches, and consistent attendance to church is the primary factor to judge someone.

It's almost every week at my IFB church where the pastor personally praises a member for staying in church for X amount of years.

He'll praise young adults who didn't go to Bible college but have at least stayed in church.

He'll praise new converts who haven't missed a Sunday service for the last two years.

But what makes this just jaw-dropping to me is that every IFB pastor will agree with this: "Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car." Sure.

But it doesn't end there. IFB pastors (that I know of) will then bash athletes because they don't attend Sunday School or a Sunday service because they have sports games to attend instead. Sure, they could be like Tim Tebow, but he's too busy throwing a ball instead of holding a Bible at 11 o'clock on a Sunday.

Consistent Church Membership: you can get drunk, party, and fornicate on Saturday night without any church member knowing, but if you show up to church every single Sunday, you will be called a good Christian. You can give your entire Saturday to acts of love that Christ desires us to do, but if you miss Sunday morning service the next day, you need to get right with God.

I think being KJVO is primary. Tithing secondary. Attendance a close third.

[redhot]

(04-30-2012 01:37 PM)Away-From-The-Umbrella Wrote:  I think being KJVO is primary. Tithing secondary. Attendance a close third.

These three in this order, then abstaining from movies, drinking, smoking, ungodly dress, mixed swimming...

[GraceThruFaith]

(04-30-2012 01:57 PM)redhot Wrote:  

(04-30-2012 01:37 PM)Away-From-The-Umbrella Wrote:  I think being KJVO is primary. Tithing secondary. Attendance a close third.

These three in this order, then abstaining from movies, drinking, smoking, ungodly dress, mixed swimming...

If a litmus test can be reduced to an individual indicator for IFB's, I personally thing that consistent church attendance takes precedence over every other indicator.

You don't hear pastors praising members for standing for KJVOnlyism or for tithing (that's a very personal thing that no pastor should public praise a person for), you always hear them praise people because they've continued to attend church.

[Away-From-The-Umbrella]

(04-30-2012 04:07 PM)GraceThruFaith Wrote:  

(04-30-2012 01:57 PM)redhot Wrote:  These three in this order, then abstaining from movies, drinking, smoking, ungodly dress, mixed swimming...

If a litmus test can be reduced to an individual indicator for IFB's, I personally thing that consistent church attendance takes precedence over every other indicator.

You don't hear pastors praising members for standing for KJVOnlyism or for tithing (that's a very personal thing that no pastor should public praise a person for), you always hear them praise people because they've continued to attend church.

If you stop being KJVO, no amount of attendance will make you acceptable in their eyes.

I have seen really rich people give a lot of money to the church and not follow all the precious standards (attendance, dress, music, etc.) and still be spoken of VERY WELL. Very well.

Come to think of it, perhaps "generous" tithing should be #1. It seems to cover all other sins. But that only works for rich folks. For the rest of us, I still think KJVO trumps attendance.

[pastor's wife]

My husband inherited deacons when he came to our present church. A couple guys were later voted in from the congregation, but eventually, looking back at it, my husband started wondering what made most of these men even faintly qualified. The conclusion he reached? They were faithful attenders!!!

These men would often hang around in the hallway instead of going in to Sunday School class. They were quick to talk about sports but rarely talked about the Bible. When they did, it was discussions about external standards like music or facial hair NOT grace or the Gospel. They bought new chairs and then whined that PEOPLE WERE SITTING ON THEM! They rarely smiled (of course, that could have been a generational thing.) And, yes, when one got mad enough at my husband to leave, he cursed him out over the phone!

It wasn't JUST attendance though. The attendance had to be combined with a modicum of Bible knowledge and "high standards" which did include KJV-onlyism.

(04-30-2012 11:50 AM)GraceThruFaith Wrote:  But it doesn't end there. IFB pastors (that I know of) will then bash athletes because they don't attend Sunday School or a Sunday service because they have sports games to attend instead. Sure, they could be like Tim Tebow, but he's too busy throwing a ball instead of holding a Bible at 11 o'clock on a Sunday.

Despite the fact that the NT indicates that some believers regard all days as the same and that they have Christian liberty to do so!