Occasionally I hear someone say that I have unfairly slandered all IFB churches and painted them all with the broad brush of criticism. When I hear that, I know that they have probably not read “Profaned Pulpit,” for there I make it clear that this is not my view. However, it is in all honesty probably not that far from what I personally believe. Here is why:
All I.F.B. are structurally flawed. They are based upon an unbiblical and corrupt understanding of pastoral authority. You can see my video on this subject on YouTube (link below) and the corresponding article on my blog, JERRYKAIFETZ.COM.
There have been in the history of shipbuilding and maritime engineering flawed models of shipbuilding. Many of these ships before the advent of steel hulls went to the bottom because they ignored the principle of torsional flexing. The larger the wooden ship, the more it would twist and bow, and the more water it would take on, eventually overcoming the ability of the ship to remain afloat.
It would be possible, I suppose, to build a ship that violated the rules of torsional movement and install in that ship some massive pumps that could pump out most any volume of water. One should not, however, point to such a ship on the water as an example of a viable craft structured under sound principles of maritime engineering and architecture.
Today’s IFB churches remain afloat very often because of the apathy, ignorance, and misguided biblical expectations of their parishioners. They twist, creak, buckle and bend, taking on constant water, but they have the capacity to pump that water out and so stay afloat. I have often put this another way: the church is front and center on the altar, not Jesus Christ and His impeccable standards for morality, personal holiness, and proper pastoral authority built on trust and respecting the Priesthood of the Believer. In these churches, scandal after scandal is swept under the rug. So much so in fact that I have often quipped, those auditoriums would make great skateboard parks.
It is the IFB M-O-D-EL that is flawed and corrupt. The proof that it is not can never be found in the number of buses the church runs, the number of baptisms the previous year, the number of missionaries the church supports, and certainly not the old unspoken adage of this fraternity: “If You Say It Loud Enough, It Must Be So.”
Video:
Pastoral Authority
