Critiques of the IFB

I have been blogsurfing. Dangerous, I know. I have read some good stuff and some I find insulting. Me thinks one should be careful when making sweeping statements about IFBers, because as IFBes we are Independent. As is "not all the same". I was sad to realize that some of the criticism was valid for some IBFers.

We are often faced with paradoxes. For example, we tell our children they need to be disciplined and read the Bible everyday. Often the discipline of something precedes the feelings.
New Christians do not always feel like reading the Bible everyday, so we encourage them to establish a habit, with the hopes that they will learn to glean from the Scriptures and enjoy their time alone with God. The Bible says that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. That is why we encourage "rules" and "convictions". Not because of legalism. The flesh must be fought, daily. We give the little ones and the new ones tools and we help them. But we are criticized, told that we are following and promoting legalistic rules that have not real spiritual value.

God wants us to spend time with Him. It may take a while to get into the habit. Don't you need a reminder for things, even important things that you really want to do? Thats not legalism.

In short, you can read the Bible, and not be a good Christian, but you cannot be good Christian without reading the Bible. Often, regularly. Period.


R