Blog on the Lillypad
Monday, October 25, 2004
IFBx Preachers in the Mist
When Dian Fossey was carrying out her now-famous study of the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, she kept careful notes of the behaviors of the group. Her insights into their interactions made gorillas much less fearsome to human beings and provided readers with a basic understanding of the gorilla "culture" and mind.
The primate mind depends on certain rituals: accepted behaviors that either communicate specific needs that are well known to the members of the group, or else create a sense of unity in the group to keep it together. Not having minds as sophisticated as human beings (but being one of the most clever creatures of the animal kingdom) the gorillas use group ritual as a behavior that replaces more sophisticated communication such as we would use in a group. It's a step-down replacement, suitable for a more limited mind, yet it achieves about the same thing in the end: group unity and cohesiveness. Granted, there are limits in that the ritualized behavior is learned and conditioned and not based on any intelligent articulation, but as gorillas themselves have limits, the ritualized behaviors work very well for them and assist them in their survival.
I have been amazed, in my continuing interactions with Independent Fundamental Baptists of the X persuasion (IFBx), to also note certain distinct group rituals. And really, upon reflection, I think it has many similarities to Fossey's gorillas. Lacking intelligence regarding the Scripture that they claim to know and believe, IFBx groups, usually led by the dominant male in the group, engage in certain observable, repeatable rituals.
The first of the rituals I have noticed is the affirmation of the secondary male ritual. I first noted it almost 30 years ago, at Pastors School in Hammond Indiana. Jack Hyles would call up preachers of smaller churches and then launch into a eulogy for them in front of the crowd (which included their native group of church members). He would get quite emotional in recounting the secondary male's exploits and sufferings. And of course, the secondary male in question would become quite tearful as he realized that, yes, he was indeed a brave soldier of the cross, and at last everybody knew it. Normally, tears in Fundamentalist male groups are banned, except when a dominant male evokes them. Then tears are considered quite manly, and all the males do their best to shed them.
The affirmation of the secondary male ritual has been carried around to smaller groups, and the gorillas---I mean the IFBx preachers---have introduced it into the smaller groups where they are the dominant males. It's a handy replacement of genuine Christian fellowship, as is engaged in by real Christians, and it also replaces the Biblical process of confrontation, repentance, and restoration. It was used most recently by Chris Farris, when he rebuked the FFF for thinking that Guy Beaumont (BAPTIST) is a failure because he disobeys every single mandate of Scripture about the bearing and dignity of the pastor:
And to this, Guy Beaumont of course gave the ritualized response:
Remember, in the ritualized social practices of the IFBx males, tears are obligatory at this point, and so Guy shed them, virtually, of course. It's a classic conciliatory gesture in which the secondary male submits and yet is given his dignity by the primary male (Male ascendancy is usually ascribed according to the size of a male's church.)
Of course there has been no change at all in Guy's behavior. Gorillas---sorry, I mean IFBx preachers---are incapable of the higher sensibilities reserved for those who practice a genuine faith. They can only mimics and engage in ritual. But it was a perfect opportunity to document one of the primary rituals that has held IFBx churches together for so long.
There are other ritual behaviors in the culture of the IFBx group, but as time is short this morning, I will have to document them later.
When Dian Fossey was carrying out her now-famous study of the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, she kept careful notes of the behaviors of the group. Her insights into their interactions made gorillas much less fearsome to human beings and provided readers with a basic understanding of the gorilla "culture" and mind.
The primate mind depends on certain rituals: accepted behaviors that either communicate specific needs that are well known to the members of the group, or else create a sense of unity in the group to keep it together. Not having minds as sophisticated as human beings (but being one of the most clever creatures of the animal kingdom) the gorillas use group ritual as a behavior that replaces more sophisticated communication such as we would use in a group. It's a step-down replacement, suitable for a more limited mind, yet it achieves about the same thing in the end: group unity and cohesiveness. Granted, there are limits in that the ritualized behavior is learned and conditioned and not based on any intelligent articulation, but as gorillas themselves have limits, the ritualized behaviors work very well for them and assist them in their survival.
I have been amazed, in my continuing interactions with Independent Fundamental Baptists of the X persuasion (IFBx), to also note certain distinct group rituals. And really, upon reflection, I think it has many similarities to Fossey's gorillas. Lacking intelligence regarding the Scripture that they claim to know and believe, IFBx groups, usually led by the dominant male in the group, engage in certain observable, repeatable rituals.
The first of the rituals I have noticed is the affirmation of the secondary male ritual. I first noted it almost 30 years ago, at Pastors School in Hammond Indiana. Jack Hyles would call up preachers of smaller churches and then launch into a eulogy for them in front of the crowd (which included their native group of church members). He would get quite emotional in recounting the secondary male's exploits and sufferings. And of course, the secondary male in question would become quite tearful as he realized that, yes, he was indeed a brave soldier of the cross, and at last everybody knew it. Normally, tears in Fundamentalist male groups are banned, except when a dominant male evokes them. Then tears are considered quite manly, and all the males do their best to shed them.
The affirmation of the secondary male ritual has been carried around to smaller groups, and the gorillas---I mean the IFBx preachers---have introduced it into the smaller groups where they are the dominant males. It's a handy replacement of genuine Christian fellowship, as is engaged in by real Christians, and it also replaces the Biblical process of confrontation, repentance, and restoration. It was used most recently by Chris Farris, when he rebuked the FFF for thinking that Guy Beaumont (BAPTIST) is a failure because he disobeys every single mandate of Scripture about the bearing and dignity of the pastor:
"Did we ever stop to think that behind that key board is a man who is doing his best to please his God by pastoring a church there in Pennsylvania? A man who gets lonely and scared. A man who gets tired and discouraged. A man who sometimes wonders if he will ever make it....Now, I know what some of you are going to say, 'BAPTIST acts like a jerk on here' and to that I say, 'He is without sin, let him cast the first stone!'
And to this, Guy Beaumont of course gave the ritualized response:
Tears filled my eyes as I read your post. Yes, I am guilty as charged. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I find it easy to get along with a real person such as yourself. But God tells us to love the unlovely and how we ought to treat those that hate us. With that, my work is cut out for me.
Remember, in the ritualized social practices of the IFBx males, tears are obligatory at this point, and so Guy shed them, virtually, of course. It's a classic conciliatory gesture in which the secondary male submits and yet is given his dignity by the primary male (Male ascendancy is usually ascribed according to the size of a male's church.)
Of course there has been no change at all in Guy's behavior. Gorillas---sorry, I mean IFBx preachers---are incapable of the higher sensibilities reserved for those who practice a genuine faith. They can only mimics and engage in ritual. But it was a perfect opportunity to document one of the primary rituals that has held IFBx churches together for so long.
There are other ritual behaviors in the culture of the IFBx group, but as time is short this morning, I will have to document them later.
