The Annual Meeting of the Indiana Fundamental Baptist Fellowship (IFBF) was recently held at the Thompson Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis. The IFBF elected, as its new president, Dr. Rick Arrowood, who is the Pastor of the Crosspointe Baptist Church. The IFBF also voted on a special resolution articulating it position on separation in the wake of certain men in fundamental circles attempting to redefine separatism.
Forasmuch as the Indiana Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of Churches has from its inception adhered to Jude’s admonition to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints,” and
Whereas, every generation faces its own unique and specific challenges to steadfastness and fidelity to the Scriptures which are able to make one wise unto salvation; and,
Whereas there have in this generation arisen movements which have called for a merging of professing Christendom to gather under a Gospel banner, rallying ‘round a mantra of holding to and setting forth the gospel message, i.e. that Christ died for our sins and was buried and rose again the third day, as the only test of faith for fellowship and the standard for legitimacy in New Testament Christianity in this 21st century; and,
Whereas the IFBF has always been and remains to this present hour committed to the biblical principles of both personal and ecclesiastical separation, believing that the whole counsel of God’s Word is our imperative and that erring brethren ought to be loved, yet admonished and even separated from when persisting in error;
Therefore, be it resolved at this IFBF annual meeting in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 12th day of April, 2011, that our constituency goes on record as affirming our commitment to these separatist principles and further
Be it resolved that we as a fellowship of Independent Baptists reject the compromise of the present Together 4 the Gospel movement, and similar current theological philosophies, associations, publications and trends impacting churches, colleges and seminaries which for the desired end of togetherness, cooperation and oneness in our understanding minimize doctrine and sacrifice faithfulness to our historic separatist, Biblicist stand, i.e. that of separation from Christian individuals or organizations that affiliate with those who deny the faith or are content to walk together with those who compromise the doctrine and practice of Scripture;
Be it further resolved that the IFBF affirms today that it stands as a separatist body where it stood at its inception when, rejecting the new evangelicalism of the 50’s, the IFBF was born and came into existence because of a need for a strong fundamental, separatist, Independent and Baptistic Fellowship to which men of conviction and churches of like faith could adhere; we stand now where we stood then, and we shall continue to steadfastly stand for and upon the once delivered faith, so help us God.
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Pastor Marc Monte: Preserving the Separatist Impulse, 2 Thess. 3:6-15
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