No honest historian, especially church historian, will declare that the New Testament churches were part of a denominational structure. Each church was totally independent of others although there was much cooperation among them because they believed and practiced the same thing and there was genuine love for each other. As the Roman Empire started to crumble, the independent churches began to look to the Church in Rome for leadership, leadership that eventually became authoritarian.

The Roman Church did not blossom until hundreds of years after the death of Christ. To those who find that shocking, even untrue, I refer them to Edward Gibbon, Will Durant, Kenneth Latourette, and other famous historians. Most of the independent churches looked to Rome for leadership but there were thousands of independent churches all over the Empire and many held to Baptist principles–others were weird and some were heretical–as today.

I would be delighted (not disappointed or discouraged) if every liberal church voluntarily closed their doors permanently tomorrow because error is dangerous and is to be eschewed; however, I would defend those churches if the government tried to close them. As to the few denominations that teach Bible truth, it goes without saying that they are reaching some people for Christ, teaching morality, and opposing the avalanche of evil. However, denominations do not have a biblical mandate for their existence. Would I want Bible-preaching but denominational churches to close their doors? Of course not.

I recently wrote a column about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI) and was somewhat critical of them–even the “independent” BBFI. I have been loosely associated with the BBFI since 1960 and owe them much. Three of my children, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter were educated at their Springfield, Missouri college. Three of my grown children know the pastor of High Street Baptist who recently took his Independent Baptist Church into the SBC. One of my daughters was a classmate of that pastor. So, I did not rush into this issue without thinking and praying about it. I tried to write the column carefully showing love, sensitivity, and respect for both groups. I expected to be shot at by both sides and my expectation became a reality.

The professed independent BBFI has developed the accouterments of a denomination with their unusual growth, influence, and money. Anytime a “fellowship” has official colleges, mission boards, retirement programs, a publishing house, etc., it slowly morphs into a denomination. One big difference in a fellowship and a denomination is there is no vote required to be part of a fellowship. A church has to legally cut ties with a denomination to be free.

I pointed out that we have close relatives who are SBC members, and some of our oldest friends belong to SBC churches. The first Christians I ever met were an uncle and aunt who were SBC members. Moreover, the SBC has made an incredible impact upon America and the world. The SBC has produced some of the greatest preachers who ever opened a Bible. I would not want to see them close their doors, but I would like for them to disavow, disassociate, and depart from the denominational structure. Of course, that won’t happen on a large scale.

I stirred up a bunch of people beginning with pastors who receive my columns that are published on many Internet sites. As expected, I had mixed reactions from email and social media: “Right on,” “Amen,” “Well said, my friend,” “Excellent,” but others wanted to be removed from my master list. Others thought I had mischaracterized the SBC. It is interesting that no critic spoke to the absence of denominations in the Bible; the impersonal missions program; women preachers; the Reformed Theology; the corruption of their colleges; etc.

One of my readers said that the SBC does not own the corrupt Baptist colleges but then, I didn’t say they did. Although the colleges associated with their six seminaries are SBC connected, the many other SBC colleges are authorized, financed, and run by the various state associations. Whether they are owned by the state SBC or the national SBC, the college corruption is a reflection on all SBC churches. To their credit, many informed SBC leaders have adamantly opposed corrupt colleges for decades. No informed honest person defends the theological corruption that has been going on for decades at Baylor, Mercer, Wake Forest, etc. These schools no longer are connected with the SBC.

The SBC has received national and international praise for their disaster relief ministry, a group of 70,000 volunteers who provide food, water, child care, laundry, rebuilding, and repairs to damaged homes, removing debris, and showing Christian kindness to hurting people–without charge. It is the third largest disaster relief agency in the nation. When I see the yellow-shirted volunteers, often the first to reach a disaster, joyously helping discouraged, distressed, and often destitute people, I am delighted to know my brother-in-law is one of them. This kind of work is something that Independent Baptists can’t do on a large scale because there is no hierarchy or authority to implement a plan. Some would say that that is a weakness of Independent Baptists.

So, the SBC deserves many kudos for their disaster relief program, but if we receive roses for good deeds, then it is reasonable to receive rocks when we do wrong.

Just this week, I heard a fantastic message by a local (Chattanooga) SBC pastor. It was scriptural, interesting, well developed, and maybe overall better than those of many pastors from Independent Baptist Churches. SBC preaching, scholarship, godly living, dedication, ability, and motives are not an issue. The issue is denominationalism with its accruing problems.

My critics will say that the SBC has no authority over individual churches and that is supposed to be right; however, it is not so. While hundreds of SBC churches go their merry way without any contact with the SBC other than giving at least $600 dollars per year to them, each local church must take some responsibility for the actions, aims, and associations of the mother group. Just as the church in Rome was a help and influence to struggling churches around the Empire, it eventually became an authoritative head. In the SBC, there is an influence that borders on authority. We’ve seen that movie before and it didn’t end well.

Realistically, few SBC pastors are going to leave their denomination, so Independent Baptists must love, respect, and honor them even while we believe the Bible pattern is local, independent, autonomous churches.

Let the SBC pastors do their job seeking to honor Christ while Independent Baptists do the same thing. For sure, we do not need to fuss, falsify, or fight. However, while we recognize the good job that most of the SBC pastors are doing, we will not join them in their denominationalism and will maintain our independence as many churches have done historically.

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published recently by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.

A few years ago, some high profile Independent Baptist Churches rejoined the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) after decades of being independent such as First Baptist in Fort Worth, Highland Park Baptist in Chattanooga and others. While a dog returning to devour its vomit is too strong a metaphor in this situation, some of us who paid the price to leave liberal denominations can see a similarity.

I was shocked to read a few months ago that the 81-year-old High Street Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri where I have preached over the years had joined the Missouri and national (SBC)! High Street Baptist is the flagship church of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI), and has long been a stout voice for Fundamentalism, strong Bible teaching, sending missionaries worldwide, and starting Baptist churches. The BBFI is the largest group of independent Baptists in the world.

I have also been shocked by the absence of angry Fundamentalists in the streets of Springfield carrying pitchforks, torches, and tar and feathers. Me thinks the likes of J. Frank Norris, Bill Dowell, Noel Smith, Beauchamp Vick, John Rawlings and others are looking over the parapets of Heaven asking, “What on earth is going on?” What’s going on is the capitulation of Independent Baptists to denominationalism and a repudiation of the great exodus of the mid-1900s from compromising churches. Maybe there will even be a national apology tour by some of the BBFI leaders for being so “divisive.”

The SBC is the largest “protestant” denomination in America and has had a reputation for strong Bible teaching for 170 years! While one does not consider the other an enemy, each group has gone its own way, often overlapping. I have preached in a few SBC churches, but I never entertained the idea of joining an SBC church. And now the leading church in the BBFI has joined the SBC! Maybe the infamous location in the netherworld has not frozen over but surely pigs have learned to fly!

High Street Baptist is pastored by Eddie Lyons who has served there 15 years. He described the BBFI as a “very loose network of independent Baptist churches” of which he is the international president. Speaking of the SBC, the pastor told the media “We have the same heart, the same calling.” He added, “When the Southern Baptist Convention overall took their conservative move, it was very clear that there was no difference between us,” he said. “Fundamentally, the Southern Baptist Convention articulates and represents a very strong position with regard to our core theologies.” The good pastor is wrong for there is a vast difference.

Of course, while any Independent Baptist Church can do whatever it wants and does not answer to anyone outside its membership, the pastor was not exactly candid. A few years ago, the SBC shocked everyone when it was able to take back the convention from liberals. They were successful in taking back their main seminaries but they hardly made an impact on their colleges that are still controlled by theological leftists.

In 2000, 1900 churches left the SBC and formed their own liberal Cooperative Baptist Fellowship with the help of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The SBC also departed from the very liberal Baptist World Alliance in 2004 which was very commendable. But the denomination still had major problems.

Independent Baptist Charles Spurgeon was first concerned about the false teaching in the Baptist Union (in England) in the 1870s. When no one seemed to listen to him (and he was pastor of the largest and most influential church) and the error continued, he resigned from the group in 1887. He wrote, “As soon as I saw, or thought I saw, that error had become firmly established, I did not deliberate, but quitted the body at once.” He said in 1888 “Since [my own resignation] my one counsel has been ‘Come out from among them.’”

When he was told that he would lose income by leaving, he replied, “I can afford to be poor, but I cannot afford to injure my conscience.”  Spurgeon “came out” and modern-day Independent Baptists are “going back” into denominationalism!

The issue of ethics arises in this matter. When a pastor accepts a call to a church, he knows what he is getting into and the members know what they are getting. Whenever that is not true then someone is a fool. When a pastor changes his mind about important biblical issues that are totally opposite what he has been teaching the church and what the church has always believed, then he must take a principled stand for what he has come to believe–and resign.

If a pastor comes to believe in Roman Catholicism or Greek Orthodoxy or liberalism and refuses to inform his church of his “conversion,” he becomes an unprincipled scoundrel when he accepts a salary from his church. Furthermore, if he insists on staying as pastor and continues to teach what the church considers a grievous error, he is also an unprincipled scoundrel. And the membership that hired him should take another step and fire him.

Many times a Baptist pastor has become convinced that speaking in tongues has not ceased as I Cor. 13:8 informs us– “whether there be tongues, they shall cease.” The Baptist pastor slowly (and sometimes quickly) turns the traditional Baptist Church into a Pentecostal Church. He does what he honestly thinks is right but he becomes a poster child for dishonesty and poor ethics.

“Ah,” one says, “but what if a Pentecostal pastor becomes convinced that Baptist doctrine is the correct interruption of Scripture and turns the Pentecostal Church into a Baptist Church? That pastor is now right in his doctrine but has a wrong address. He should resign.

So, all these Independent Baptist pastors who feel an irresistible urge toward Nashville should confess their compromise and resign their churches.

I must not be misunderstood. I do not consider SBC pastors (or laymen) my enemies. Some of my oldest friends and family members are SBC pastors and laymen. Some have been more faithful to Christ than I have been. Some have been more effective. Some have served Christ longer than I have. Each person must answer for himself why he is in the SBC or any denomination.

I must hasten to add that only God knows what keeps people in a particular church or denomination. It could be family, money, status, jobs, friends, etc. Furthermore, only God knows how some are wrestling with that decision at this moment. When I first heard as a teen about the corruption in the American Baptist Convention, it took me a few months to decide to leave the very good church of which I was a member. I lost all my close friends except one. It was devastating to me so I can empathize and sympathize with those struggling in denominational churches. Moreover, some are not struggling, being completely satisfied. I could not be satisfied with any denominational membership for many reasons.

I would never join a denominational church because New Testament churches were not connected to a denomination. All churches, true to the Bible, must be totally independent of all others and totally dependent upon God. That does not mean church leaders cannot fellowship or even cooperate in some meetings such as youth rallies, church camps, etc. In fact, independent churches have always been a financial help in starting other independent churches.

I would not be a member of a SBC church because, while they have made some progress in recent years, their schools are still corrupt. Their much-touted missions program is incredibly impersonal with most SBC members knowing the name of one foreign missionary—Lottie Moon, a very committed, brilliant lady who died in 1912!

My former church in Chattanooga, (a huge flagship church of many Independent Baptists in the south) joined the SBC. Also in Chattanooga is Abba’s House (formerly, Central Baptist Church) whose members speak in tongues, a problem rampant throughout SBC churches across the nation. A major problem in the SBC is the hundreds of women preachers and another big problem is the exploding growth of reformed theology among the clergy and seminary professors. I choose not to be linked, even loosely, to unbelief or compromise.

One of the most outrageous positions taken by the SBC is their support of a Muslim mosque in New Jersey that was denied permission to build by a local planning board. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC has partnered with about twenty other “civil rights” groups in supporting the building of the mosque based on religious freedom. (More about that issue in a later column.)

The SBC has been dying as the liberal denominations have for decades. The trend is empty pews and empty offering plates and that can’t continue before some changes must be made. Rather than lament their loss of members and fewer baptisms at their annual convention, they decided to act.

Note the timeline: on April 7, 2015, Baptist Press headlined, “Floyd: Recruit churches to SBC’s ‘exciting work’” and the next month, Ronnie Floyd, (President of the SBC) preached at BBFI in Springfield! Then, in February, 2017, Lyons led High Street into the SBC. Others will follow like sheep.

The SBC decided to “evangelize” the Independent Baptist groups! It worked with the BBFI and others such as Grace Ministries network, Harvest Bible Fellowship network, now announcing as being “now SBC” also.

Some would say that all’s fair in love and war and now church building; however, while SBC churches are not specializing in winning sheep, they are stealing sheep–by the sheepfold!

Me? Well, I’ll stay where I am–as independent as a hog on ice!

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published recently by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.