On-topic: It’s so true! Plenty of so-called Christians love God. But only a saved, born-again Christian (i.e., fundy) can claim to be a part of God’s family and have God’s favor.
But lots of people are ‘saved, born again’ and NOT fundy – that just means they’ve said the prayer (or maybe even actually have their faith in Jesus Christ).
Fundy means being attached to a local fundy church, allowing the pastor to be your authority, and follow your church’s rules etc., to the detriment of your own personality.
Jesus loves me. Not the fake me I was trying to be in the IFB.
‘T’isn’t just “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” It’s also “Jesus Knows Me, This I Love” — “warts and all,” as Oliver Cromwell once said.
Now THAT’S the Gospel!
We are in real trouble if the only reason we know Jesus loves me is “’cause the Bible tells me so.”
Oops. Yeah. I mean saved, born-again, AND attending an independent, fundamental, soul-winning, KJV-Bible believing Baptist church!!
I have heard my former fundy pastor say (paraphrased):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
People come to church Sunday mornings because they like the church programs.
People come to church Sunday nights because they like the pastor.
But the people who also come Wednesday nights come because they love Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Such a twisted way of thinking…
Yeah I’ve heard stuff like this before, and it’s stupid. And there’s that stupid illustration about the midweek service being like propping up a clothesline that’s sagging in the middle between two trees (which represent Sundays). Why do they say stuff like this? 😕
Or, Wednesday night services reveal who the REAL pillars of the church are. Seriously, who turned Wendnesday night into “the hour of power” and attending that service the defining characteristic of “sold out for God” mature Christian? Ugh, yet oddly enough it’s never even hinted at in the all important KJV.
I am far from loving Jesus, and I don’t need any made-up standard to prove it. All I need is Jesus’s statement: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Oh, how far am I from loving Jesus. However, my salvation is not based on how much I love any person of the Trinity, but on Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. However, what if your church doesn’t have evening services?
Then they can’t be a bible-believing church, of course 🙄
4th!
LOL SOOO TRUE!
The major thing lacking from all of funamentalism is a true grasp of grace. Its that whole idea of grace at salvation then you have to work your way through the rest of your life.
I couldn’t agree more.
There is truth in this what Aaron says, but God’s grace is not supposed to be an occasion to serve the flesh. The grace of God (if we truly have it) teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live righteously, godly, and soberly.
Those who claim that our works give us favor in God’s sight ARE wrong and HAVE forgotten grace, but let us not over-correct and use grace as an excuse to condone what God has forbidden.
But it is the fundies who accuse mainstream Christians of using grace as an excuse to sin – but then the fundies define sin much, much more broadly (wearing pants, going to movies, CCM, etc).
I am so thankful I have been saved from “living by the fundy list”.
Fundies fail to acknowledge the doctrine of Christian Liberty (that is, a Christian has liberty in matters that the Bible doesn’t command or prohibit). For instance, I, as a 21-year-old Christian, have the liberty to drink a beer. (I know people would have a cow about this, but the Biblical prohibition is against drunkenness, and not merely drinking. However, I would be careful in this example to only mention it to people who are of age, because the Bible does command that we obey the government, and all state governments in the U.S. has a law stating that you must be 21 or older to drink alcohol.)
The idea seems to be that while others may be saved and going to heaven, they don’t meet with God’s approval as much as the fundy who is supposedly actually living out God’s will for their life. Other Christians go to church but the Fundy is there every time the doors are open, they serve God through all these ministries, they give til it hurts, they go soul winning 3 times a week, they abstain from sin better than other so-called Christians, they’re just better, so God loves them more. And because we have this special dispensation of God’s favor, we can look down our noses at others! Fundies are the new Pharisees! 👿
I think a lot of fundies think the way the workers in Jesus’ parable did, the ones who were hired at the beginning of the day but were paid no more than the workers who only worked one hour. They look at other people, feel that they themselves are doing more for God, and thus expect more reward. The master’s answer? “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt. 20:15)
The secret to the parable is identifying yourself not with the workers who worked all day but with the ones hired at the last hour, the ones who had a day’s wages in order to feed their family. Then God’s grace is appreciated instead of being begrudged.
Amen!
The error here is the statement “[we’re] just better, so God loves [us] more” – the truth of Scripture is that all our righteousness is as filthy rags — and this is true as much AFTER salvation as BEFORE.
(I heard this from a friend recently, and loved the thought).
Ouch. Spot on.
It’s the old irony that SOOOOOO characterizes fundamentalism. Fundies talk about being saved by grace, and then they (unwittingly, I think) turn around and make grace into a work: I’ve been saved by grace, but now I have to show myself worthy to have received it — which opens the door to spiritual pride par excellence.
The further irony is that they chide and berate Catholics for doing exactly the same thing that they’re doing. 🙄
If one Tylenol is good than the whole bottle will be double plus good! If going to church once a week is good than basically living at church must be amazingly good!! Only lukewarm compromisers would settle for second best. My logic is impenetrable!!!
Oh. My. Gosh. Do I EVER love your screen name!!! ROCK ON!
Uh, Joe Boyd, I mean, though as you already KNOW, Dr. of Proctology, I adore yours, too.
and if you’ve been saved and baptized over and over and over and over – Jesus loves you even more.
I belonged to a group “historical” baptist. ie landmark or baptist bride. “Trail of Blood” types that could trace your roots to John the Baptist! Fundamentalist was not exclusive enough. You had to belong to the correct local only bapist church or you were merely a [art of the Kingdom of God, not part of the “Bride of Christ” The “Bride” is only those whose robes were white and were members of baptist churches that had “authority” passed on to them from church to church back to John & Jesus. This little doctrine was the start of my exit. No matter how many books I read I couldn’t find one that could explain away Rev 21:9 & Rev 21:27. Who is the Bride? Those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. (Saved) It began to unravel after that. Fundamentalist was just the 1st degree of separation. The sad part is most folks inside don’t realize what a lie they are being taught.
That’s the way it often is in successful cults. The members can’t see any truth that is not their truth…
Thing is, with all the rules we’re expected to follow and all the worldly things we aren’t allowed to have, IMNSHO the “Bride of Christ” is in a rather disfuntional, abusive relationship.
“Christian” is such an inclusive term son. Why even Catholics claim to be Christian. The Term has been hijacked by liberals and other wicked sinners. Only those who live by our standards, are in the will of God. Everyone else will have to answer for the worldly way in which they live. I would hate to stand before God and answer for the way some of those folks who call themselves “Christian” live.
Sanctimonious Judgementalism: the true calling of all fundamentalists. God loves us more better because we do.
To the person that Don is responding to: Yes, I must confess that I am a wicked sinner who bears the name of Christian. However, Christ died for my sins.
I was just making up some more conversation that the Stick figures might have said. I have heard the same sentiment most all my church going life. We follow God’s rules better than anyone else so that means God loves us more better.
On the one hand there is the inferred, “I am saved” therefore I am more better than them sinners “out there” in the world, or in any other church that doesn’t believe just like we do. And the other that we cannot interact with “sinners” because we will become polluted if we do, and if we must interact with them then it can only be to give them a tract or evangelize them. All interaction with “sinners” must be for the ulterior motive of getting them saved.
They ultimately deny salvation by faith alone.
“Sinners” are not people, they are only potential converts.
If you are a friend of sinners it displeases Jesus. 🙄
And being Baptist means that our mansions will be closer to the Throne. 🙂
Jesus loves all the fundies
All the fundies in the world
Red and yellow, black but mostly white
They are righteous in their own sight
Jesus loves all the fundies in the world
This post is on the nose. We are supposed to clean ourselves up and make ourselves more loveable for Jesus. If we keep to myriads of rules maybe God will like us more.
It is part of the manipulation to make the followers believe that somehow the more “different” they are the more “Special” that makes them. We are *better* somehow because we have a special grasp of what the Bible tells us. Those *other* Christians aren’t like us so they are probably not even saved. I am embarassed to admit how often I thought other Christians probably weren’t.
If those so-called Christians really loved Jesus, they would not be doing those obviously wrong things that we fundamentalists know so clearly are wrong. I’m not sure they are even saved when they can’t tell the difference between right and wrong. Well, they are either ignorant of the Bible or downright rebellious. If they are even saved at all, there will be no crowns for them in heaven. Wouldn’t that be shameful? To get no crowns in heaven. With everyone watching.
Will it be broadcast on the Celestial Big Screen or can we get it piped in directly to our mansions on Heavenly TV? 😕 Hope it doesn’t preempt “Touched by and Angel,” or “Highway to Heaven.”
On love, compassion, the favor of God, sanctification, and grace: I don’t agree with everything Matthew Henry says, but all Christians and “better Christians” 🙄 should read and recognize our equality in Christ: http://www.studylight.org/com/mhc-com/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=103
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A silly blog dedicated to Independent Fundamental Baptists, their standards, their beliefs, and their craziness.
first. yeah, that’s how we roll, yo. word!
On-topic: It’s so true! Plenty of so-called Christians love God. But only a saved, born-again Christian (i.e., fundy) can claim to be a part of God’s family and have God’s favor.
But lots of people are ‘saved, born again’ and NOT fundy – that just means they’ve said the prayer (or maybe even actually have their faith in Jesus Christ).
Fundy means being attached to a local fundy church, allowing the pastor to be your authority, and follow your church’s rules etc., to the detriment of your own personality.
Jesus loves me. Not the fake me I was trying to be in the IFB.
‘T’isn’t just “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” It’s also “Jesus Knows Me, This I Love” — “warts and all,” as Oliver Cromwell once said.
Now THAT’S the Gospel!
We are in real trouble if the only reason we know Jesus loves me is “’cause the Bible tells me so.”
Oops. Yeah. I mean saved, born-again, AND attending an independent, fundamental, soul-winning, KJV-Bible believing Baptist church!!
I have heard my former fundy pastor say (paraphrased):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
People come to church Sunday mornings because they like the church programs.
People come to church Sunday nights because they like the pastor.
But the people who also come Wednesday nights come because they love Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Such a twisted way of thinking…
Yeah I’ve heard stuff like this before, and it’s stupid. And there’s that stupid illustration about the midweek service being like propping up a clothesline that’s sagging in the middle between two trees (which represent Sundays). Why do they say stuff like this? 😕
Or, Wednesday night services reveal who the REAL pillars of the church are. Seriously, who turned Wendnesday night into “the hour of power” and attending that service the defining characteristic of “sold out for God” mature Christian? Ugh, yet oddly enough it’s never even hinted at in the all important KJV.
I am far from loving Jesus, and I don’t need any made-up standard to prove it. All I need is Jesus’s statement: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Oh, how far am I from loving Jesus. However, my salvation is not based on how much I love any person of the Trinity, but on Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. However, what if your church doesn’t have evening services?
Then they can’t be a bible-believing church, of course 🙄
4th!
LOL SOOO TRUE!
The major thing lacking from all of funamentalism is a true grasp of grace. Its that whole idea of grace at salvation then you have to work your way through the rest of your life.
I couldn’t agree more.
There is truth in this what Aaron says, but God’s grace is not supposed to be an occasion to serve the flesh. The grace of God (if we truly have it) teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live righteously, godly, and soberly.
Those who claim that our works give us favor in God’s sight ARE wrong and HAVE forgotten grace, but let us not over-correct and use grace as an excuse to condone what God has forbidden.
But it is the fundies who accuse mainstream Christians of using grace as an excuse to sin – but then the fundies define sin much, much more broadly (wearing pants, going to movies, CCM, etc).
I am so thankful I have been saved from “living by the fundy list”.
Fundies fail to acknowledge the doctrine of Christian Liberty (that is, a Christian has liberty in matters that the Bible doesn’t command or prohibit). For instance, I, as a 21-year-old Christian, have the liberty to drink a beer. (I know people would have a cow about this, but the Biblical prohibition is against drunkenness, and not merely drinking. However, I would be careful in this example to only mention it to people who are of age, because the Bible does command that we obey the government, and all state governments in the U.S. has a law stating that you must be 21 or older to drink alcohol.)
The idea seems to be that while others may be saved and going to heaven, they don’t meet with God’s approval as much as the fundy who is supposedly actually living out God’s will for their life. Other Christians go to church but the Fundy is there every time the doors are open, they serve God through all these ministries, they give til it hurts, they go soul winning 3 times a week, they abstain from sin better than other so-called Christians, they’re just better, so God loves them more. And because we have this special dispensation of God’s favor, we can look down our noses at others! Fundies are the new Pharisees! 👿
I think a lot of fundies think the way the workers in Jesus’ parable did, the ones who were hired at the beginning of the day but were paid no more than the workers who only worked one hour. They look at other people, feel that they themselves are doing more for God, and thus expect more reward. The master’s answer? “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt. 20:15)
The secret to the parable is identifying yourself not with the workers who worked all day but with the ones hired at the last hour, the ones who had a day’s wages in order to feed their family. Then God’s grace is appreciated instead of being begrudged.
Amen!
The error here is the statement “[we’re] just better, so God loves [us] more” – the truth of Scripture is that all our righteousness is as filthy rags — and this is true as much AFTER salvation as BEFORE.
(I heard this from a friend recently, and loved the thought).
Ouch. Spot on.
It’s the old irony that SOOOOOO characterizes fundamentalism. Fundies talk about being saved by grace, and then they (unwittingly, I think) turn around and make grace into a work: I’ve been saved by grace, but now I have to show myself worthy to have received it — which opens the door to spiritual pride par excellence.
The further irony is that they chide and berate Catholics for doing exactly the same thing that they’re doing. 🙄
If one Tylenol is good than the whole bottle will be double plus good! If going to church once a week is good than basically living at church must be amazingly good!! Only lukewarm compromisers would settle for second best. My logic is impenetrable!!!
Oh. My. Gosh. Do I EVER love your screen name!!! ROCK ON!
Uh, Joe Boyd, I mean, though as you already KNOW, Dr. of Proctology, I adore yours, too.
and if you’ve been saved and baptized over and over and over and over – Jesus loves you even more.
I belonged to a group “historical” baptist. ie landmark or baptist bride. “Trail of Blood” types that could trace your roots to John the Baptist! Fundamentalist was not exclusive enough. You had to belong to the correct local only bapist church or you were merely a [art of the Kingdom of God, not part of the “Bride of Christ” The “Bride” is only those whose robes were white and were members of baptist churches that had “authority” passed on to them from church to church back to John & Jesus. This little doctrine was the start of my exit. No matter how many books I read I couldn’t find one that could explain away Rev 21:9 & Rev 21:27. Who is the Bride? Those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. (Saved) It began to unravel after that. Fundamentalist was just the 1st degree of separation. The sad part is most folks inside don’t realize what a lie they are being taught.
That’s the way it often is in successful cults. The members can’t see any truth that is not their truth…
Thing is, with all the rules we’re expected to follow and all the worldly things we aren’t allowed to have, IMNSHO the “Bride of Christ” is in a rather disfuntional, abusive relationship.
Sanctimonious Judgementalism: the true calling of all fundamentalists. God loves us more better because we do.
To the person that Don is responding to: Yes, I must confess that I am a wicked sinner who bears the name of Christian. However, Christ died for my sins.
I was just making up some more conversation that the Stick figures might have said. I have heard the same sentiment most all my church going life. We follow God’s rules better than anyone else so that means God loves us more better.
On the one hand there is the inferred, “I am saved” therefore I am more better than them sinners “out there” in the world, or in any other church that doesn’t believe just like we do. And the other that we cannot interact with “sinners” because we will become polluted if we do, and if we must interact with them then it can only be to give them a tract or evangelize them. All interaction with “sinners” must be for the ulterior motive of getting them saved.
They ultimately deny salvation by faith alone.
“Sinners” are not people, they are only potential converts.
If you are a friend of sinners it displeases Jesus. 🙄
And being Baptist means that our mansions will be closer to the Throne. 🙂
Jesus loves all the fundies
All the fundies in the world
Red and yellow, black but mostly white
They are righteous in their own sight
Jesus loves all the fundies in the world
This post is on the nose. We are supposed to clean ourselves up and make ourselves more loveable for Jesus. If we keep to myriads of rules maybe God will like us more.
It is part of the manipulation to make the followers believe that somehow the more “different” they are the more “Special” that makes them. We are *better* somehow because we have a special grasp of what the Bible tells us. Those *other* Christians aren’t like us so they are probably not even saved. I am embarassed to admit how often I thought other Christians probably weren’t.
If those so-called Christians really loved Jesus, they would not be doing those obviously wrong things that we fundamentalists know so clearly are wrong. I’m not sure they are even saved when they can’t tell the difference between right and wrong. Well, they are either ignorant of the Bible or downright rebellious. If they are even saved at all, there will be no crowns for them in heaven. Wouldn’t that be shameful? To get no crowns in heaven. With everyone watching.
Will it be broadcast on the Celestial Big Screen or can we get it piped in directly to our mansions on Heavenly TV? 😕 Hope it doesn’t preempt “Touched by and Angel,” or “Highway to Heaven.”
On love, compassion, the favor of God, sanctification, and grace: I don’t agree with everything Matthew Henry says, but all Christians and “better Christians” 🙄 should read and recognize our equality in Christ: http://www.studylight.org/com/mhc-com/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=103