Have you ever heard of the "New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist"(NIFB) movement? We hadn't until we read this chilling article by Ruth Graham in Slate. The
It's quite a collection of rabid anti-Semites and fundamentalist theocratic hustlers who lack large congregations, but make up for it in their use of YouTube and other social media to spread their hate. Here's more:
"All these men are or have been pastors in the New Independent Fundamental Baptist movement, a loose cohort organized by Steven Anderson, an Arizona pastor who has been called 'the heir apparent to late Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps.' (Anderson has praised the Pulse shooting, prayed for the death of President Barack Obama, and attempted to evangelize Muslims in Michigan by handing out anti-Semitic videos.) The New IFB’s priorities include 'soul winning,' strict devotion to the King James translation of the Bible, and 'hard preaching'—a devotion to supposed Biblical truths, no matter how difficult or unpopular. Unlike many conservative American Christians, New IFB leaders describe their movement as anti-Zionist, because they assert that 'saved' Christians—not modern Jews—are the real chosen people. Unsurprisingly, this often manifests as anti-Semitism of the kind Fannin directed at Silverman." (our emphasis)Although the individual congregations appear to be small, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported last December that there a roughly 6,000 NIFB congregations across the U.S., including the notorious Duggar family as members. According to the article, the NIFB movement is apparently rife with sexual abuse / misconduct allegations.
Graham's article points out that in-fighting among the grifter pastors, along with sex and gambling scandals, may eventually lead to splintering of the NIFB in its current form. No doubt as long as there are rubes to be fleeced and hate to be spread, another "movement" will rise in its place.
