Southwide Baptist Fellowship
Encyclopedia
The Southwide Baptist Fellowship is made up of about a thousand churches. It is a member of the International Baptist Network
.
" association of Baptist churches, the Southwide Baptist Fellowship is not as staunchly devoted as other Baptist Fundamentalist Fellowships to the concept of absolute autonomy (local church independence) or the essential requirement of the King James Version (KJV). Certainly, most member churches of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship are Independent Baptist and remain "KJV-only
".
When it originated, the Southwide Baptist Fellowship was almost identical in teaching and outlook as the core of Independent Baptist Fundamentalism. It was heavily influenced by Lee Roberson
and John R. Rice
. Its hallmark code of behaviors (short hair on men, dresses on women, no mixed bathing
, no movies, no contemporary music) and its theology
of Dispensationalism
were standard for Baptist
Fundamentalism
. Many of its members were openly antagonistic towards the Southern Baptist Convention
and were outposken critics of SBC policies which, two decades ago, permitted a certain degree of liberal theology
.
The Southwide Baptist Fellowship has become cautiously open with some Southern Baptist churches, and it has reined in its censure of churches that use contemporary music. Prominent Independent Fundamental Baptist David Cloud has openly criticized Southwide Baptist Fellowship for its new leniency regarding external "standards" (hair length, dress code, movie attendance, music choices, etc.) and lack of ecclesiastical separation, and he has rebuked the Southwide Baptist Fellowship for shallow theology.
Others have rightly assessed that the Southwide Baptist Fellowship is in flux, forced by change to modify itself but lacking a sufficiently theological constitution to map out its path of change. Currently, it remains a loose federation of Baptist churches that stand for conservatism, both religious and political, including political action, and overall it remains Dispensational in theology. It embraces but does not require strict Independence. While some bemoan its lack of "standards," others recognize that it has failed to live up to the moral necessity of policing itself, enforcing Biblical rules of demanding purity in pulpits, and it has allowed scandals to occur without investigation or rebuke.
International Baptist Network
The International Baptist Network began with a formal meeting September 27, 2004. The IBN was discussed in the Baptist Bible Tribune in 2003. All members hold to the Georgia Baptist Confession of 2004...
.
Organisation
The organizational structure of government and by-laws within the Southwide Baptist Fellowship are not available for public viewing, but the organization includes a moderator and one of its main purposes is to convene regularly for conferences.Beliefs
Considered a conservative and "FundamentalistFundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
" association of Baptist churches, the Southwide Baptist Fellowship is not as staunchly devoted as other Baptist Fundamentalist Fellowships to the concept of absolute autonomy (local church independence) or the essential requirement of the King James Version (KJV). Certainly, most member churches of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship are Independent Baptist and remain "KJV-only
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
".
When it originated, the Southwide Baptist Fellowship was almost identical in teaching and outlook as the core of Independent Baptist Fundamentalism. It was heavily influenced by Lee Roberson
Lee Roberson
Lee Edward Roberson , was the founder of Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Camp Joy, in Harrison, Tennessee....
and John R. Rice
John R. Rice
John Richard Rice was a Baptist evangelist and pastor and the founding editor of The Sword of the Lord, an influential fundamentalist newspaper.-Childhood and Education:...
. Its hallmark code of behaviors (short hair on men, dresses on women, no mixed bathing
Mixed bathing
Mixed bathing is a term that refers to members of the opposite gender swimming together in the same pool. In ancient Rome, mixed bathing was never the rule in public installations, although it did occur in private facilities. Today, in Japan, the practice is not common...
, no movies, no contemporary music) and its theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
of Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
were standard for Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalist Christianity
Christian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
. Many of its members were openly antagonistic towards the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
and were outposken critics of SBC policies which, two decades ago, permitted a certain degree of liberal theology
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
.
Increasing openness
Over time, particularly since the 1990s, the Southwide Baptist Fellowship has loosened some of its more strict requirements of dress and behavior. One reason for current change is that Baptist Fundamentalism itself has been rocked by scandals of the most scarlet nature: adultery from some of its top leaders, child molesting in its churches, reports of domestic abuse, other scandals, and a series of alarmist "fads" (hysteria over alleged demonic reversed lyrics in some modern music, an over saturation of fear regarding the Y2K threat) that have diminished the credibility of Baptist Fundamentalism. Furthermore, the "Young Fundamentalist" movement has raised questions and criticisms about shallow theology, glib assurances of salvation without repentance, and too much emphasis on mere externals.The Southwide Baptist Fellowship has become cautiously open with some Southern Baptist churches, and it has reined in its censure of churches that use contemporary music. Prominent Independent Fundamental Baptist David Cloud has openly criticized Southwide Baptist Fellowship for its new leniency regarding external "standards" (hair length, dress code, movie attendance, music choices, etc.) and lack of ecclesiastical separation, and he has rebuked the Southwide Baptist Fellowship for shallow theology.
Others have rightly assessed that the Southwide Baptist Fellowship is in flux, forced by change to modify itself but lacking a sufficiently theological constitution to map out its path of change. Currently, it remains a loose federation of Baptist churches that stand for conservatism, both religious and political, including political action, and overall it remains Dispensational in theology. It embraces but does not require strict Independence. While some bemoan its lack of "standards," others recognize that it has failed to live up to the moral necessity of policing itself, enforcing Biblical rules of demanding purity in pulpits, and it has allowed scandals to occur without investigation or rebuke.