Thus far only one person involved with the New IFB has bothered to contact me regarding the articles that have been uploaded to the blog regarding Steven Anderson and the New IFB, and that is Benjamin Naim. Since every New IFB pastor was sent links to each article along with an explanation of what the articles are about, their collective lack of comments would tend to support the truthfulness of the articles. They have been given the opportunity to provide comment and correction to the articles and they have not done so. There must not be anything that needs correcting. Ben Naim, on the other hand, was less than pleased with the articles as his email shows.

Let me try and answer Ben’s objections here. Ben writes, “Your article is riddled with lies.” That’s quite the accusation, but Ben doesn’t provide a single valid example of a lie anywhere in the article, much less enough to show the “article is riddled” with them.

Ben goes on, “I did work for the Methodist Church BEFORE I got saved because I didn't know any better. You made it seem like I attend Stedfast Baptist Church on Wednesday and a liberal Methodist church on Sunday - this is total fiction.” Actually, Ben, I did not imply that at all. You simply inferred it, although I have no idea why you would, unless you maintain some connection with them that you are ashamed of. But I don’t understand why you would be ashamed of your affiliation with a liberal homosexual affirming church, when you continue to post that affiliation online for all to see.
Ben then writes, “If you actually looked at the dates on my resume, you'd see that I was involved with the UMC BEFORE I got involved with the New IFB.” Well, Ben, according to information that you posted online, you were involved with the United Methodist Church from January 2014 to November 2015. According to your YouTube channel, “Ben the Baptist” joined YouTube in August 2015, indicating an overlap of at least four months during which Ben the Baptist was involved with the UMC.

Now, of course, it is possible that you joined YouTube under a different name, perhaps “Ben the Liberal” (just kidding, don’t blow a gasket!) during the time you were involved with the UMC, and simply changed the name of your YouTube channel when you started using the pseudonym “Ben the Baptist.”Additionally, your ultra-conservative website, “We the Vigilant” was up and running, where you posted Bible verses and hard-line far-right rhetoric – completely antithetical to the ultra-liberal UMC with which you were still affiliated with at that same time. To put is simply, from June 2015 through November 2015, for a full half a year, you were both Ben the Baptist and Ben the Liberal at the same time. Therefore, your claim of “When people get saved, they tend to leave false denominations.” while true, does not apply to you.
Ben goes on, “Grace Church is in Gainesville, Florida. Stedfast is located in Jacksonville, Florida - how could I attend churches simultaneously that are 70+ miles away from each other? Also, this is not even a secret. I've told everyone already that I used to be a liberal Methodist. When people get saved, they tend to leave false denominations.” Where did I say that you attended both churches simultaneously, Ben? No where, that’s where. But nice try at a red herring. Actually, the two churches are only 90 minutes apart, and there is nothing to indicate that you did not attend Stedfast on Sundays and Wednesday nights, while working with your liberal friends at various other times.
Ben continues, “I've openly used both Benjamin Knight AND Benjamin Naim on my YouTube channel. If I was hiding my last name, why would I do that? When I provided Bible narration for a documentary on Demon Possession (published by Stedfast Baptist Church when Donnie Romero was pastor) I used Naim.” I have look through your YouTube channel and read every bit of wording on that channel, and do not see where either name – Knight or Naim – appears anywhere. And I find it interesting that you maintain that particular video on your channel when three different well known “reprobates” (to use your word) were heavily involved in the production of that video. Does this mean they were honest, truthful and trustworthy brothers when they made that video with you, and didn’t become dishonest, lying, untrustworthy, “reprobates” until later?
Ben then writes, “I use Benjamin Naim on my Facebook page where I'm friends with many people who subscribe to my channel, including most New IFB pastors. I've openly stated that "Knight" is a pseudonym I've used because my legal name is an Arabic word that is difficult to pronounce for English speakers - Asians and Indians do this all the time when they immigrate to the West.” Come on Ben, your name is not all that difficult to pronounce, and nothing prevented you from instructing people how to pronounce it, maybe engage in a little Arab – American cultural exchange. And it seems a bit strange for someone to have not just one, but two pseudonyms. Ben the Baptist is the pseudonym of Ben Knight which is the pseudonym of Ben Naim. Your explanation seems a tad weak.
Ben goes on, “ In a video entitled "Flattery is a Wicked Manipulation Tactic" on my channel, I put the name "Ben Naim" as a lower third to identify myself. Everyone knows what my legal name is.” Ben, you published that video to YouTube on March 15, 2019, a month after I revealed that your legal name is Benjamin Naim in the comments section of the Adam Fannin video, “Righteous Indignation” posted in February 2019. Perhaps identifying yourself as “Ben ‘the Baptist’ Naim” was a form of damage control. I have not been able to find a single instance from before February 2019 where you used the name “Ben ‘the Baptist’ Naim.”

Ben goes on, “The reason why I shut down my personal website is because of people like you stalking me. I completely forgot it even existed until you (or whoever it was) brought it up on YouTube.” Yes, it was me. No, I was not “stalking” you. You were the subject of investigative research. And since your personal website carries a 2019 copyright, you must have a very short memory if you forgot it existed in the space of three short months!

Ben continues, “Obviously, I shut it down immediately because I didn't want anyone knowing my personal phone number or address as it would compromise the security of my family. I get death threats regularly via email, why would I want those same people to know where I live?” I have screen shots of your personal website, and don’t see your personal address of telephone number anywhere on it. And if it was there, it would be a small matter to remove that information, and replace it with a free and untraceable Google phone number. As this is a common tactic with the New IFB, I am sure you are aware of it. Furthermore, as we have already called you at your personal telephone number, it should be clear that it isn’t very difficult to get.
Ben then finishes his email to me by writing, “You could've called and asked me directly about my name or my prior affiliation with the Methodist church and I would have been glad to talk about it, but I guess facts don't matter when you're trying to slander people.” Yes Ben I could have simply called you and asked. However, considering your obvious bias, and your history of unchristian behavior, there is no reason to believe you would be honest regarding that subject, especially if you are/were trying to hide something.
Ben, I implore you, please leave the New IFB, and repent, and turn your life over to Christ. Live for Him, not for Steven Anderson, his New IFB, nor any other man; but rather for the King of kings and Lord of lords, who paid the penalty for your sins on the cross at Calvary. Be saved from your sin and the wrath that will come upon every unrepentant sinner.


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:

Part 1a

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a

Part 1b

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b

Part 1c

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c

Part 2a

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a

Part 2b

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b

Part 2c

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c

Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1

https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

What is the gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 provides both the gospel: “1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”, and the evidence which supports the gospel as true: “5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
This is the truth that saves. When Scripture tells us to believe and be saved, or believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, we are to believe in what the gospel tells us to believe in: that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that Jesus was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. This is reiterated in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” And make no mistake, all that is necessary is for one to believe. Nothing else is required. This does, however, beg the question, “What is meant by ‘believe’?”
The word “believe” in Romans 10:9 is translated from the Greek word pisteuó, a verb, which means believing or persuaded. The context of the verse indicates one is in the process of believing due to being persuaded by the Lord. In verse 10, the word “believeth” is translated from the same Greek word. Therefore, the passage can be understood as, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, being persuaded by the Lord and believing in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For the Lord persuades the heart of man that he may believe unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
The word pisteuó is also translated “faith,” indicating the two words, in this case, are interchangeable when understanding this passage. Faith, or as in Romans 10:9-10 “belief” is never self-generated, but is a gift from God. As Ephesians 2:8 notes, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” noting also Galatians 5:22-23 which lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit (which the Spirit produces in the believer): “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance”, both indicating faith/belief which leads to salvation (pisteuó), is from God and not ourselves. All of which serves to demonstrate that salvation does not require any works of any kind. In short, as Romans 10:9-10 clearly states, if you believe, you will be saved. In this Steven Anderson is absolutely correct. Neither repentance nor anything else is necessary for salvation.
That being said, however, belief (pisteuó) is not simply an intellectual assent to facts. As James notes, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19). While an intellectual assent to the facts is an integral part of true saving belief, equally necessary is an intellectual awareness of the reality of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross. One must know – not guess, not perhaps, not maybe, but possess a certainty that Jesus actually and truly died on the cross as the penalty for our sins, and was raised back to life by God three days later.
There is also a third aspect of saving belief, and that is a personal commitment of trust in Jesus because of His substitutionary atoning death on the cross for our sins, and His resurrection which proves He is who He claimed to be, and therefore our trust is not misplaced.
So while Anderson is completely correct when he says nothing else other than belief is necessary or required for salvation, saving faith/belief is much more complicated and involved then he would have us believe. Just mentally acknowledging that yes, Jesus died for my sins, and with that mental acknowledgment reciting the sinner’s prayer does not save anyone. The idea that simply reciting the sinner’s prayer while possessing nothing more than a mental acknowledgment of the facts of the gospel is known as “easy-believism” and is wholly unbiblical.
Anderson responds to such criticism by saying, “The Bible is very clear that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is the only prerequisite for salvation. Yet today we find those who believe this truth from the Bible being labeled as believing in ‘Easy-Believism.’ I plead guilty. I do believe that it is easy to be saved and that it is easy to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”48
He explains that when sharing the gospel he uses a version of the “Roman’s Road” method which he has modified himself, placing “strong emphasis on eternal security.”49
The “Roman’s Road to Salvation” has been used for years by Christians to lead unbelievers to the Lord Jesus where they can (and hopefully will) decide to follow Jesus. It consists of several verses, all from the Book of Romans, which begin with mankind’s hopeless condition, and ending with God’s promise to maintain and persevere His followers. It generally involves 8 passages (or “signposts along the Roman’s Road”). They are:
1. Romans 3:10, 23, “There is none righteous, no not one...For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
2. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
3. Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
4. Romans 10:9-10, “For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Fo rwith the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
5. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
6. Romans 5:1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
7. Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
8. Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
According to Steven Anderson, the “Roman’s Road” that he takes people down goes like this:
“1. Every one is a sinner (Rom 3:10, Rom 3:23)
2. Everyone deserves to go to Hell (Rom 6:23, Rev 20:14, Rev 21:8)
3. Jesus died on the cross for us so we could be saved (Rom 5:8, I Pet 2:24)
(At this point I go through the events of the cross, the blood, the death, burial, and resurrection)
4. You must believe on Jesus Christ as your only way to Heaven (Acts 16:31, John 3:16)
5. When you believe on Jesus Christ, God gives you eternal life (Rom 6:23)
(At this point I use the illustration of receiving a gift and explain eternal security in detail)
Then, to wrap things up, I ask the person 4 questions:
1. Do you believe that you have sinned?
2. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for YOUR sins and rose again from the dead?
3. If you were to ask Jesus to save you right now would he do it?
4. How long would you be saved for?
If the person confidently answers these questions correctly, I then say,
‘Let's pray together right now, and I will help you ask Jesus to save you.’
Most of the time people who have listened to the whole gospel and understood it are very willling to pray and trust Christ as their saviour. I then lead them in a prayer something like:
‘Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I know I deserve to go to Hell. But I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. Please save me and take me to Heaven when I die. I'm only trusting you, Jesus. Amen.’
“I then talk to them about baptism as the first step of obedience and about the importance of coming to church.
“This is the process I go through virtually every day out door-to-door soul-winning.”50
Did you notice a difference between the standard Roman’s Road and Steven Anderson’s Roman’s Road? Not only does Anderson add verses that have more to do with his condemnatory style of evangelism, than with leading an individual to salvation (i.e. Rev. 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” & Rev. 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake with burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”), but he leaves out an important signpost on the Roman’s Road, and that is Romans 8:1 (signpost #7 above), “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Although Anderson does not provide any specific comments as to why he chose to ignore this verse, it is distinctly possible that he leaves it out because it disagrees with his personal beliefs. You see, Romans 8:1 contains a caveat – a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations,51
and Steven Anderson does not like caveat’s attached to the gospel. Yet, Romans 8:1 does contain such a stipulation. Notice the passage again, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” which is great news indeed, but the verse continues, “[those who are in Christ Jesus] who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The “no condemnation” promise applies only to “those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” And not only is this a stipulation, but the stipulation is one of repentance, a word – a doctrine, that Steven Anderson and his clones absolutely loathe because they believe repentance is a work and thus a different gospel, a false gospel.52
The problem with Anderson’s position is that it is not true. He has created an anti-repentance doctrine in his mind, and he teaches it to his followers, and it is based on nothing more than his misunderstanding of what repentance actually is. When he preaches and teaches his anti-repentance doctrine, he uses four premises to do so. The first is that the term repentance, the doctrine of repentance, is not something that can be easily understood. “Repent of your sins to be saved. Nobody even knows what it means! You talk to ten different people you get ten different definitions.” He claims that teaching repentance does nothing but cause confusion, and therefore we can know it is a false doctrine.53
He then manipulates his followers into believing that repentance for one’s sins is not a biblical teaching. He does this by saying, “But here’s the thing about that phrase, ‘repent of your sins’, it’s never found in the Bible,”54 and he repeats this statement throughout many of his online videos. Anderson sounds authoritative when he makes this claim, and it is technically true that the four words, “Repent Of Your Sins” appear nowhere in the Bible in that particular order; it is, however, incorrect to say that the Bible never teaches that we are to repent of our sins, because it actually does teach this, and it teaches it over and over and over again.
The third premise is rooted in Anderson’s misunderstanding of the word. He simply doesn’t know what the word “repent” means. Throughout several of his videos, Anderson defines “repent” as meaning nothing more than “turning or changing,” with the identify of the thing turning or changing being determined by the context of the passage.55
Anderson attempts to convince his followers and others to trust his teaching regarding this, as he claims to “know Greek.” When asked if he did, Anderson replied, “Yeah, I do know Greek. I’ve read the New Testament cover to cover in Greek multiple times.” The gentleman asking Anderson then said, “So, metanoia means...” Anderson then cut him off saying, “It’s not even pronounced metanoia.” He was then asked, “How would you pronounce it?” To which Anderson said, “It’s metanoeó” (which he pronounced “Meta-nee-oh”).56
Anderson explains that according to Scripture, repentance simply means turning or changing. He says the context within which the word is used, determines what exactly is turning or changing. He gives the following example, “when God repents He’s not repenting of His sin, because God doesn’t have any sin. God is perfect in every way, yet the Bible records God repenting more than anyone else in the whole Bible. He frequently repents in the Bible. What is He changing? Is He changing who He is? No. is He changing His character, is He changing His nature? No. God said, ‘I change not.’ But what He does change is His course of action. Where He says He was going to do one thing, but then you did this so now I’m changing courses, now I’m gonna do this. So God will change His course or direction based upon man.”57
Anderson’s fourth premise is his re-defining what the word repent means. According to Anderson, repentance from sin means to stop sinning completely, to go from being a sinner to sinless perfection. He teaches that when a person repents of a particular sin, then that person has completely stopped committing that particular sin altogether. He argues, “Repent means to turn. So, if you have to repent from your sins to be saved, then that would be like you have to stop sinning to be saved.”58
He goes on to say, “Whether it be lying, stealing, whatever, they tell them they have to repent of a sinful life. Now look, which sins do they think you have to repent of to be saved? ‘Cause I don’t know about you, but I have not repented of all my sins ‘cause I’m not perfect. And the Bible says, ‘if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ No one in here can say, ‘I’ve made my heart pure from sin.’ Nobody in here can say, ‘I’ve turned from all my sin.’ And people say, ‘You know I repented of my sin and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior.’ You know, which sins did you repent of? ‘Cause if you’re gonna tell me you repented of all of them, you’re a liar, is what you are! And let me tell you something, repenting of your sins is a daily thing. Salvation’s not a daily thing. Salvation’s a one time thing. You must be born again. The Bible didn’t say born again, and again, and again, and again. The Bible says you must be born again. You believe on Christ, and in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye you are saved, you are regenerated, you are passed from death unto life, you are a child of God. Now look, after that you’re still gonna sin! Every single person in this room has sin in their life. No one is perfect, myself included. And so therefore, if we had to turn from our sins to be saved, no one would be saved!”59
Anderson’s concludes that, based on his understanding of repentance, “people should repent of their sins after they are saved, but whether or they do or don’t, they are still saved.”60
But this is not what repentance means. In the New Testament, there are three words which are translated as “repent.” They are the verbs metamelomai and metanoeó, and the noun metanoia.61


The first of these words, metamelomai, means to regret, to experience a change of concern and emotion to regret, contrition, and remorse after the fact. It is used in the New Testament of a persons regret and remorse over their sin.62
The second of these words, Metanoeó, means a change of one’s mind. Not simply to change one’s mind, as in “I think I will turn left instead of turning right,” or as in this case, “I think I will no longer embrace sin, but will change my mind and reject sin.” Metanoeó (as also with metanoia) means more of a changed mind than a changing of one’s mind; to think differently after the fact, to feel sorry that one has done something they should not have. It used especially of those instances where one becomes consciously aware of their sins, and as a result they experience genuine sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence of their sin, and they are intent upon receiving God’s forgiveness for their sin. And, this is not something that man is able to do in and of himself, just as man is unable to generate true saving faith/belief in and of himself, it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast.63
The third word, metanoia, also refers to a change of one’s mind, and particularly those who experience a change of mind coupled with an abhorrence and sincere sorrow and contrition of their sins. 64
To understand the absolute necessity of repentance in the life of the Christian, it is necessary to have a proper understanding of sin. The word translated “sin” in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word hamartia (hah-mar-tee-ah), which literally means missing the mark, or failing to hit the mark, or a failure to measure up to the mark. Biblically it refers to a failure to keep the law, a failure to obey God, a failure to abide by God’s morality, etc. In other words, a failure to be righteous. And this is exactly how Scripture defines sin. 1 John 5:17 teaches us that “All unrighteousness is sin,” and 1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Romans 14:23 tells us “...whatsoever is not of faith, is sin” which teaches us that even in Christian liberty, those things which are not done in faith, are themselves sin.
Clearly then, sin permeates the lives of every single person, both saved and unsaved. The difference between the two, however, is that Christians are no longer slaves to sin, while the unsaved continue to be shackled to their sins. The baptism a believer undergoes is an outward symbol of an inward reality. As Romans 6 teaches us, when we are baptized, we are baptized in Jesus Christ and into His death (v3). Just as He was buried in tomb, we too were covered as if buried; and just as He rose again “by the glory of the Father” so we too arose up out of the water (just as we will arise at the resurrection) (v4). “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (vv5-6).
Did you catch that? Verse 4 tells us that we are to walk in newness of life, and verses 5-6 tell us that as Christians “we should not serve sin.” This is repentance. It is not simply turning or changing, but as already explained, it is a change in our minds that brings with it sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence of sin. As born again Christians we are dead to sin (v11), we are not to let sin reign over us, nor obey it (v12), we are not to yield to it as instruments of unrighteousness (v13), sin has no dominion over us (v14), we have been delivered from sin (v17). Unless…
If a person is still living in persistent, habitual, unrepentant sin, yielding themselves to sin as an instrument of unrighteousness, then know this, “that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey” and if you have yielded to sin, never repenting, remaining an instrument of unrighteousness, then it is “unto death” (v16), “For the wages of sin is death” (v23). Not that you can lost your salvation, because you cannot. However, one who refuses to repent, believing they do not have to repent, and can still live in unrepentant sin, yielded to sin as an instrument of unrighteousness, a servant of sin, well, that person was never saved in the first place. Or, to be more to the point as it relates to this article, they have been thoroughly deceived by someone who has taught them that repentance is not necessary. That you maybe should, but even if you don’t as long as you believed a certain set of facts and repeated the sinner’s prayer, then you are guaranteed heaven no matter whether you repent or not.
Sorry, but Scripture disagrees with that. Now that you know the truth, you can either continue to follow that same false teacher that is leading to eternal damnation, or you can repent and run to Christ begging Him to forgive you, and then live as His servant, not the servant of sin.
“But wait,” the one resisting repentance may say, “we are saved by grace! We are no longer under the law!” Sigh. There’s one in every crowd. No. No. No. Go back and re-read Romans chapter six again. The apostle Paul has already answered this objection of yours. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God Forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (vv1-2); and, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God Forbid!” (v15) Don’t forget, you who desire to remain an unrepentant servant of sin, “the wages of sin is death!” (v23) and the sin to whom are a servant will pay you in full!
This does not mean a person must stop sinning in order to be saved. That is a strawman employed by Steven Anderson and other New IFB pastors in an attempt to deceive their followers and keep them from Christ. While we are here in a fallen world, in a fallen body, continue to have to deal with sin. But that isn’t the point. When a person is born again, regenerated by God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus! They are given the gift of faith, of belief, and of true biblical repentance. They are a new creation, no longer a slave of sin, but a servant of God!
The doctrine of repentance is found throughout Scripture, even though the word itself is not always used. In the Old Testament we it is such passages as 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Here we see forgiveness of sin dependent upon repentance of sin (“turning from their wicked ways”).
Jeremiah 4:14 demonstrates the need for repentance in order to stay God’s wrath: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings”, and in Jeremiah 4:14 we also see the absolute necessity for repentance among God’s people: “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?”
And this is repeated over and over throughout the Old Testament: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15) – Only those who are humble and of a contrite heart (repentant) will be with God.
“The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:16-18) – The Lord is with those who are of a broken heart and contrite spirit (repentant).
“To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2) – Who does the Lord look to? The one who is poor with a contrite spirit (repentant).
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:7) – Again, the one with a “broken and contrite heart” (repentant) the Lord will not turn away.
“Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD; and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7) – The Lord will abundantly pardon those sinners who first forsake their wicked ways and thoughts. It is the same theme repeated over and over again: exercise faith by believing in Christ (which is initially expressed through repentance) and be saved.
And we see the exact same thing flowing from the Old Testament right into the New Testament. Look at Luke 3:3 where John taught repentance for the remission of sins, and in Luke 15:1-7 where we read the parable of the one lost sheep versus the ninety-nine sheep who are not lost, and in verse seven Jesus states emphatically, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” This is repeated in Luke 15:8-10 and the parable of the lost piece of silver, where Jesus says in verse 10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”; and again in Luke 15:11-32 with the parable of the prodigal son, who, in verses 18 and 21 realizes and admits that he has sinned and in repentance he begs his father for his forgiveness for his sins.
Throughout the entire fifteenth chapter of Luke the biblical doctrine of repentance for sin is clearly brought forth, and it culminates in the following chapter, Luke 16, in verses 19-31, and the story – not parable but rather presented as an actual event – of the Rich Man and Lazarus the Beggar. Both die, and the rich man dies finds himself in hell (Hades), while Lazarus is taken to Abraham's Bosom (paradise). The rich man has several brothers who are just as sinful as he was, and he asks Abraham to please send Lazarus to warn them lest they too die in their sins and end up in hell. Abraham tells him no, they have Moses and the prophets to warn them. The rich man answers Abraham and says, “Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.”
We can also look at Acts 8:22 where the Apostle Peter announces “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” And in Revelation chapters 2 through 3 where Jesus tells the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea all to repent of their sins.
Although Steven Anderson repeatedly says, “You will never find the words ‘Repent of your Sins!’ anywhere in the Bible”, he is simply wrong. As we have seen both the words and the teaching are clearly and explicitly taught throughout Scripture. (see also: Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Mark 6:12; Luke 3:2-4; Luke 13:1-5; Luke 17:3-4; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 3:19; Acts 11:18; Acts 17:30; Acts 26:20; 2 Corinthians 7:10-11; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Hebrews 6:1; 2 Peter 3:9).
As we have seen, Anderson’s definition and understanding of repentance (simply to change or turn) is neither accurate nor biblical. A biblically accurate definition of repentance is a change of one’s mind which results in sincere sorrow, regret, and remorse (contrition) over sins committed, inherited, imputed; as well as a general abhorrence of sin.
But what about those passages where God repents? Obviously God cannot repent of sin, as He has no sin. Nor can it be said that God truly repents in the same sense that we repent, as the Prophet Samuel notes in 1 Samuel 15:29, where he says of God, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should repent.”
When the biblical writers wrote about God repenting of something, it usually refers to three types of situations. The first is when God promises to repent of the evil (or disaster or calamity) He has promised to do to a group of people of they repent of their wickedness and sin (such as in Jeremiah 18:8-10), this is speaking of God’s promise to judge a people based on their actions. If they continue in their sin, they will be judged by God and punished, if they repent, they will be judged by God and blessed. This is what God has said to us as well. But it does not refer to God needing to repent of a sin of His own. Sometimes, such as in Genesis 6:6 and Exodus 32:14, God’s “repenting” refers to His grieving over the sin of man, but not His own sin. And the third type of situation where God states He will not repent, such as in Psalm 110:4 and Ezekiel 24:14, refers to those situations where has ordained something to happen, and He will not change His mind regarding it.
As 1 Samuel 15:29 notes, God is not a man, and thus does not “repent” in the same sense that man is called to repent by God. God is perfect and incapable of doing sinful, evil, wickedness (see Psalm 5:4-5; James 1:13; 3 John 1:11; Leviticus 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7; and 1 Peter 1:15–16). Note: when we see references to God causing or creating evil in the Bible, this refers to calamity or disaster. Not wickedness.
The result of Steven Anderson’s doctrine of no repentance is antinomianism, which is just a big word that essentially means “no law.” In practice, antinomianism leads to living in sin – persistent, habitual, unrepentant sin, with the person subscribing to Anderson’s antinomian teaching thinking that since they are under grace and not under the law, no repentance is ever really necessary (because, hey, they have said the prayer and now cannot lose their salvation), so why change? Why turn from sin? The answer to this, as we have already seen, is that those who possess no desire to turn from the sin, no desire to repent of their sin, no desire to obey God’s repeated commands to repent of their sin, have nothing to do with God. Nothing. They are not saved, they are not children of God. This is not a case of they have lost their salvation, but rather they were never saved in the first place.
Scripture tells us, “3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)
“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17).
“29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” (1 John 2:29)
“4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:4-10)
“22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” (1 John 3:22-24)
“1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-5)
“18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” (1 John 5:18)
[Emphasis added]
Did you catch all of that? If you are saved, you do not live in persistent, habitual, unrepentant sin. If you do live in persistent, habitual, unrepentant sin, then you are not saved. It’s really very simple. While no one has to repent to become saved, those who do not repent are not saved. Never have been. Steven Anderson has lied to you friend. He has lied to you in order to keep you away from the one true God, and keep your eyes fixed on him and on the false god of no repentance that he has been preaching to you. Again, as Scripture says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1; cf 1 Peter 2:11)
The result of Anderson’s no-repentance, antinomian gospel is also seen in the “soul-winning” he does. According to Steven Anderson, during the first 12 years of his church 27,797 people were saved as the direct result of “soul-winning” efforts made by Anderson and his church.65
That averages out to almost 200 people per month – an impressive number. But where are they? They are certainly not in Anderson’s church, nor in any other church in the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. Certainly some of them have been attending some of the churches in the area, but there has not been an influx of almost 28,000 new Christians into those churches over the 12-year period referred to by Anderson. Had there actually been almost 28,000 people saved, regenerated by God, possessing a changed mind, a changed nature, living for God, they would be in church, worshiping their Creator each and every Lord’s Day. But they aren’t, and the reason for this is, they were never saved in the first place. Anderson and those trained to employ his techniques have been lying to these people for more than a dozen years. As we have seen, Anderson’s “soul-winning” practice consists primarily of getting the “gospel according to Anderson” out to the person as quickly as possible, get them to repeat the sinners prayer, and then move on to the next house or person.
In fact, actually taking the time to explain the gospel and answer any questions a person may have, is considered a sign of a heretic and a false prophet according to New IFB pastor Manly Perry. In a telephonic interview, Pastor Perry said that long drawn out explanations of the gospel are used by false prophets and heretics to obscure the pure gospel. Pastor Perry claims that 10-minutes is a good “target goal” for sharing the gospel with someone. When “soul-winning,” Perry says, “just get in there and if God opens their heart like Lydia (Acts 16:14) then great. But don’t focus on answering a bunch of questions. We’re out looking for low hanging fruit, and when you drag it out people become disinterested. You need to just get in there and get it done and move on to the next person. You know, I’m not gonna go on a five minute explanation of what the Trinity is.”66
This “get in, get it done and move on” type of evangelism accomplishes very few actual conversions, especially when it is combined with Anderson’s no need to repent, you can live in sin gospel presentation. And this is exactly what happens. When asked why those who are allegedly “won” through “soul-winning” efforts don’t attend church, Pastor Manly Perry explained by saying, “ain’t got no peanut butter.” Perry explained this simply means “one excuse is as good as the next.”67
Steven Anderson gives several reasons why those who are saved during “soul-winning” efforts, such as:
1. They go to other churches.
2. They are teen-agers.
3. A lot of people speak Spanish.
4. A lot of people live to far from a church.
5. Many people are too shy to go to church.
6. Some are afraid to go to church and so don’t go.
7. Some are handicapped and cannot go to church.68
These are not reasons. These are excuses, and they are very poor excuses at that. The reality is, of those who claim to be saved by Steven Anderson and his church, the vast majority of them have no reason to attend church, just as they have no reason to stop living in sin – because Anderson and his people have told them they don’t have to. They are told they are saved and cannot lose their salvation no matter how they live, no matter how gross or perverted their sin is. At the end of the day, thanks to Anderson and his church, those whom they reach during their “soul-winning” efforts really have no reason to attend church.
As we have seen, repentance is vitally necessary for salvation. Not to become saved, but to be saved. In other words genuine biblical repentance for ones sin and abhorrence of sin in general, is a visible result of regeneration. If there is no repentance, then salvation has not taken place. One cannot live in persistent, habitual, unrepentant sin and be a Christian. Of course, Steven Anderson and other New IFB pastors disagree with this, but they do so to their own destruction. As pastors they are responsible for leading those in their congregation toward the Lord, not away from Him, and yet this is exactly what they are doing by teaching and preaching a no repentance gospel. They are deceiving lost people into believing they are saved when they are not. They are not true Christians, but rather pseudo-Christians.
Friend, open your eyes to the danger around you in the New IFB. Matthew 7:15-20 tells us, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
What are the fruits that have been brought forth by the New IFB Prophet, Steven Anderson? Some may take exception to the title of Prophet for Steven Anderson, but it is a title he has proclaimed for himself. Yes, Steven Anderson claims to be a prophet. Not only does he claim to be a prophet, but he claims to have been personally chosen by God, thus placing him in the ranks of Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Samuel, and others chosen by God to be prophets. In 2016 Anderson stated during a live radio interview, “God has chosen me to be a prophet to the nations, to preach the word of God, and to sound it out with no fear with boldness not like these preachers who are only interested in people's money so they tell them what they want to hear for money. I don't want your money, I want to preach the truth; you can like it or lump it.”69
In Easton’s Bible Dictionary, under the heading, “prophet”, we read, “(Heb. nabi, from a root meaning "to bubble forth, as from a fountain," hence "to utter", Compare Psalms 45:1). This Hebrew word is the first and the most generally used for a prophet. In the time of Samuel another word, ro'eh , "seer", began to be used (1 Samuel 9:9). It occurs seven times in reference to Samuel. Afterwards another word, hozeh , "seer" (2 Samuel 24:11), was employed. In 1 Chronicles 29:29 all these three words are used: "Samuel the seer (ro'eh), Nathan the prophet (nabi'), Gad the seer" (hozeh).
The "prophet" proclaimed the message given to him, as the "seer" beheld the vision of God. (See Numbers 12:6 Numbers 12:8.) Thus a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spake in God's name and by his authority (Exodus 7:1). He is the mouth by which God speaks to men (Jeremiah 1:9; Isaiah 51:16), and hence what the prophet says is not of man but of God (2 Peter 1:20 2 Peter 1:21; Compare Hebrews 3:7; Acts 4:25; 28:25). Prophets were the immediate organs of God for the communication of his mind and will to men (Deuteronomy 18:18 Deuteronomy 18:19).”70
So Steven Anderson is claiming to be the mouthpiece of God, speaking to men that which God has revealed to him, speaking for God, and “beholding the vision of God.” Is this where Anderson received his clairvoyant powers? Yes, Steven Anderson also claims to possess clairvoyant powers, the ability to see into the future. In a blog article written by Anderson titled, “My Wife Zsuzsa,” dated March 11, 2013, Anderson states, “A few things to keep in mind: although I had obviously felt an attraction to her the first time I met her, and I even had a premonition that I might marry her on Wednesday afternoon of the week that I met her, I was definitely not in love with her because I still barely knew her.”71
A premonition is defined as “A clairvoyant or clairaudient experience, such as a dream, which resonates with some event in the future.”72 This would be in keeping with Anderson's claim that he is a prophet chosen by God. According to Anderson, he met his wife on October 4, 1999,73 which was a Monday. Therefore, if Anderson's prophetic premonition was correct, they should have been married on October 6, 1999. Instead, they were married almost a year later on August 13, 200074 (which by the way, was a Sunday, and not a Wednesday).
One would think that a prophet chosen by God, to the nations, would not be prone to false premonitions and predictions such as this. One would also think that a prophet chosen by God would possess the spiritual gift of discernment. Remember, as a prophet he is speaking for God, therefore it is reasonable to believe that God would ensure a high degree of discernment. Yet, with Steven Anderson we do not see this. For example, on August 26, 2014, Prophet Steven Anderson ordained Donnie Romero, sending him out to Fort Worth, Texas to start a New IFB church.75 Yet, less than five years later in January 2019, Romero is forced to resign his pastorship due to moral failure.76 Why was Anderson unable to discern this ahead of time?
On March 27, 2016, Anderson ordained Tyler Baker as a deacon in his church,77 with the intent to have Baker start a church, Valiant Baptist church, in Jacksonville, Florida within 90 days of his ordination.78 By June 27, 2017, however, Anderson had fired Baker, accusing him of being a oneness pentecostal heretic,79 of cheating on his time sheets,80 and of stealing money from Anderson’s church.81
On September 14, 2016, Under Steven Anderson’s supervision, Faithful Word Baptist Church Deacon, Tyler Baker, ordained Garrett Kirchway.82 It was Anderson’s intention to send Garrett Kirchway to Botwanna, Africa that very month, where Kirchway would start two satellite churches from Anderson’s Faithful Word church. These would be Faithful Word Baptist Church – Botswanna, and Faithful Word Baptist Church – Malawi (Africa).83 Anderson spoke highly of Kirchway, saying “If a man is going to be sent out as an evangelist or a missionary, to go out and preach the gospel and baptize and see people saved and see a church established, that man must be trained and sent out of a local church and serve first and be found faithful in the local church, not just be sent out without knowing who he is. …Churches are to be started by men of God who have been trained and tested and tried in the local church, and we need to stay with this biblical model that we see in Acts 13 and many other places, that leaders are identified, trained, and sent out of a local church. ...Brother Garrett Kirchway is one who is not a novice. He's not a newbie. He has been faithful. He knows the Bible. He knows what he's doing. He's mature in the faith.”84
The following month, October 2016, saw Garrett Kirchway marrying his wife, Neo, with pastor and prophet Steven Anderson officiating the wedding. During the ceremony Anderson said, “Garrett is a very godly man. I’ve known Brother Garrett Kirchway for a little over 8 years now, and I’ve gotten to know him very well. … He’s very dedicated to the service of the Lord. … I don’t really know what the future holds for Garrett and Neo, but I know, that according to the Bible, God’s gonna bless them and keep them. … [Garrett is a] man of God. … We know that all things work together for good for people like Garrett and Neo, people who love God, people who are called according to His purpose. … I don’t know exactly what the future holds for Garrett and Neo, but you know what? I know it’s gonna be amazing. I know it’s gonna be great. Because these are two godly people who want to dedicate their lives to serving the Lord, and they want to be in missions, they want to win people to the Lord in the uttermost parts of the earth. And I don’t know what’s gonna happen, they don’t know what’s gonna happen, but you know what? I know one thing for a fact is they’re gonna succeed, that God’s gonna bless them, and that great works are..it’s gonna be exciting! It’s going to be something that’s we’ll look back on years later, and I think that Garrett and Neo will be able to say like the song says, ‘Jesus led me all the way.’”85
On May 27, 2018 – almost two years later, and after Steven Anderson had know his good friend Garrett Kirchway for a decade, Anderson kicked Kirchway out of his church as well. Garrett Kirchway, whom the self-proclaimed prophet Steven Anderson said was “trained,” “tested,” and “found faithful.” Garret Kirchway, whom Steven Anderson claimed, “is not a novice. ...not a newbie. ...has been faithful. ...knows the Bible. ...knows what he's doing. ...[and is] mature in the faith.” Garret Kirchway, whom Steven Anderson called a “godly man” and a “man of God” who would be blessed by God, was suddenly kicked out of Steven Anderson’s church, while Anderson himself stood in the pulpit and vilified his good friend of the past ten years, calling Kirchway a heretic, gutless, a coward, screaming that he made Anderson sick and that he was not welcome in Anderson’s church, claiming that Kirchway had stabbed him in the back, mocking Garrett’s disabled wife, and boasting that it only took him thirty seconds to fire his good friend and kick him out.86 Both of Anderson’s African church plant attempts failed as well.
Was all of the glowing admiration Steven Anderson heaped on Garrett Kirchway and his wife Neo nothing more than empty platitudes? Was Anderson simply lying when he claimed Kirchway was a true mature man of God? Was the man who claims to be a prophet chosen by God unable to discern that he good friend of ten years was not a Christian? And how good a friend is Steven Anderson when he will turn on a good friend and attack both him and his wife; and how good of a pastor is Steven Anderson when he would rather publicly vilify and expel a long time member of his congregation for believing wrong doctrine, rather than taking the person aside and instructing him and gently renewing him as Scripture requires? No shepherd chosen and called by God to pastor a church, treats God’s children in such a manner.
On October 16, 2016, pastor and prophet Steven Anderson ordained Richard Miller, and sent Miller and his family out to Nashville, Tennessee to start Soul-Winning Baptist Church.87 Less than three months later Miller and his family walked away from the church and away from the New IFB. On January 5, 2017 Anderson wrote in his blog that Miller had quit and the church had been disbanded. He stated he did not know why Miller and his family left. And, while he asked for prayers for those who were members of Miller’s church, expressing concern they might become discouraged and quit attending church altogether, he did not ask for prayers to be said on behalf of Richard Miller or his family.88
In perhaps the most egregious example of both a complete lack of discernment and an equally complete lack of leading by and fellowship with God, is Steven Anderson’s partnership with and endorsement of Paul Wittenberger, who, as we have already noted earlier in this article, supports a Hindu Ashram in California, and a Hindu commune in India, through the sale of Hindu vedic health care items on his Framing the World website. As we have already seen, Steven Anderson endorses this, promotes this, and encourages people to purchase the items Wittenberger sells on his website, which includes the Hindi vedic products; and Anderson and his wife both sell their own items on the Framing the World website as well.89
Ironically, Steven Anderson once said, “it just blows my mind how people lack discernment”.90
It is even more mind blowing that Steven Anderson, a man who claims to be a prophet chosen by God, has such a complete lack of discernment, and that people allow themselves to be taken in and blatantly deceived by such a man.
Perhaps Steven Anderson’s lack of discernment has also caused him to add works to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For all of his rhetoric regarding repentance being a work that is added to salvation, he is unable to grasp the simple truth that repentance is an exercise of the heart and the mind, just as belief is. In other words, if repentance is a work, then so is belief, because they both involve the regenerated heart and mind of the believer. If something requires a physical action, however, then there is no doubt that it can be considered a work. If someone claims baptism is necessary to become saved, then that is adding a physical action – a work. And this is exactly what Steven Anderson does. He adds physical actions as requirements for salvation and forgiveness.
For instance, in a 2014 interview with James White, Steven Anderson states that salvation is dependent upon which Bible version you understand. He explained to Dr. White that those who prefer versions other than the King James version are not saved. Thus, according to Anderson, one must read and understand the King James Version of the Bible.91 A strong case could be made that based on this requirement Anderson himself would be excluded.
In addition to this, Anderson has also taught that at least in one instance, as determined not by God, but by Steven Anderson himself, certain people would be required to perform penance in order to receive forgiveness and be admitted to Christian fellowship. In a sermon titled “Sheba the Son of Bichri (Adam Fannin Exposed)”, which Anderson delivered on January 9, 2019 and posted to his personal YouTube channel on the same day, Anderson claimed that Christians who stood against his decision regarding a church other than his own, and choose instead to stand with the man who had been pastoring their church since it’s inception (Anderson decided to step in and install his own choice for pastor in their church, without their input and without regard for their desires), were by the decree of Anderson’s man, to be removed from Christian fellowship. Anderson then decreed that if they want to be readmitted to Christian fellowship and participation in corporate worship of God, repentance and seeking forgiveness is not enough. According to Steven Anderson they must also create a video denouncing the man who had been acting as their pastor since their church started, renouncing their support of him, and beg – yes beg – to be let back in; and then they must post that video in a public forum such as YouTube.92
Apparently this does not simply hold true for Anderson’s Faithful Word Baptist church and the Stedfast franchise of New IFB churches pastored by Anderson’s man, Jonathan Shelley; as Pastor Manly Perry of Old Path Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas as also expressed if any of those who disagreed with Anderson tried to attend his church in Texas, he would throw them out immediately, and would only let them partake in Christian fellowship in his church if they made the video as required by Steven Anderson.93
Friends, to say that one must read and understand a specific translation of the Bible in order to be saved is nothing less than works based salvation; and requiring a specific action, a work, such as begging and video making, in order to be forgiven and allowed to participate in Christian fellowship and corporate worship of God is nothing less a form of penance – very much like the penance required by the Roman Catholic church. Unbelievable. One wonders if in addition to begging, Anderson might also require them to kiss his New IFB papal ring as well.
As Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-10, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
What kind of fruit does Steven Anderson and his New IFB have? Let’s review:
1. He has moved from teaching modalism to teaching tri-theism.
2. He endorses Hinduism and encourages his congregation to purchase Hindu related items.
3. He claims to be a prophet chosen by God, yet prophecy/premonition was shown to be false.

4. He has repeatedly demonstrated a complete lack of discernment regarding false Christians, not only bringing them into his church, but ordaining them and placing them in positions of authority over his congregation.
5. He teaches and preaches a false gospel of no repentance, antinomianism, and easy-believism.
6. He adds to the gospel by implementing works.
7. He adds to the gospel by teaching and preaching that sometimes repenting and seeking forgiveness isn’t enough, but penance must be performed as well.
Throughout this series of articles we have learned that Steven Anderson and the New IFB is anything but Christian. With the constant lying, deceit, dishonesty, unbiblical doctrines, unbiblical teachings, and a false gospel, Steven Anderson’s New IFB is at best a pseudo-Christian group and at worst a cult. The spiritual abuse and pulpit bullying, coupled with the coercion and manipulation certainly lead one to think they are more a cult than anything else; and the self-proclaimed prophet Steven Anderson is nothing more than just another false prophet. Based on the Old Testament law Anderson himself likes to rely on point to as his justification for much of his hatred, he himself is now eligible for the death penalty. The irony of this should not be lost on anyone. Just as Anderson and the other New IFB leaders rail about homosexuals, adulterers, and rebellious children all deserving the death penalty as based on the Old Testament Levitical Law, Anderson himself is now condemned as well through that same Levitical Law, thus placing him in the same category as homosexuals, adulterers, and rebellious children.
Our sincere prayers should be for the repentance and salvation of Steven Anderson and those in the New IFB who subscribe to his false doctrines and false gospel.

Sources:

Part 2a
1. Paster Steven Anderson’s Churches:
Faithful Word Baptist Church
Tempe, AZ 85282
http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/page6.html

Faithful Word Baptist Church - North
Tucson, AZ 85719
http://fwbcnorth.org/index.php/doctrinal-statement/

Faithful Word Baptist Church – El Monte
El Monte, CA 91733
http://fwbcla.org/index.php/doctrine/

2. Pastor Manly Perry’s Church:
Old Path Baptist Church
Adkins, TX 78101
http://www.oldpathtxb.church/Home/AboutDoctrine

3. Pastor Aaron Thompson’s Churches:
Sure Foundation Baptist Church – Vancouver, Washington
Sure Foundation Baptist Church – Vancouver, BC, Canada
www.surefoundationbaptist.church
www.veritybaptistvancouver.com

4. Pastor Roger Jimenez’s Church:
Verity Baptist Church – Sacramento, California
Verity Baptist Church – Boise, Idaho
https://veritybaptist.com/what-we-believe/

5. Pastor Jonathan Shelley’s Churches:
Pure Words Baptist Church
Houston, TX 77085
www.purewordsbaptist.com

Stedfast Baptist Church – Fort Worth, Texas
www.stedfastbaptistkjv.org
Stedfast Baptist Church – Jacksonville, Florida
www.stedfastjacksonville.com
Stedfast Baptist Church – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
www.stedfastokc.com

6. Word of Truth Baptist Church
Prescott Valley, Arizona
http://www.wordoftruthbaptist.org/doctrine
(Pastor Steven Anderson)

7. Video: "Using the Right Words" Baptist Preaching (independent, fundamental, KJV), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 21 October 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooFMs-oYIfY accessed 01 March 2019

8. Video: Pastor Steven L. Anderson Teaching That Jesus is God the Father, published to YouTube by Valiant Baptist Church (Tyler Baker), on 01 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9erDCE7ekmA accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Steven Anderson Says Jesus is The Father, published to YouTube by James Owens on 26 July 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRD8AGSQSEA accessed 01 March 2019

Video: More Evidence - 2nd Sermon where Anderson Taught that Jesus is the Father, published to YouTube by Timotheus on 02 July 2017, taken from a sermon on Isaiah 9, preached by Pastor Steven Anderson on 04 June 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqQGvQrTk54 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Trinity Moment #31 - "I Have One Father, Jesus Christ", published by Elliott Ray on 26 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMXemxe6kQ accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Steven Anderson Jesus is the Father and Not Just One in Spirit, published to YouTube by James Owens published on 08 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IgKap9Nd_4 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "Bastard Barry" - Sermon about Barrack Hussein Obama (KJV Bible Preaching), published to YouTube and to the Faithful Word Baptist Church website on 02 November 2014 by Steven Anderson. Though Anderson repeatedly claims he is being taken out of context, his exact words (taken from a sermon transcript on his church website) were: “He's not my brother in Christ. He's not my brother from another mother. He's my brother from another father because his father is the devil and my father is Jesus. My father is Jesus and he is not of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxQHiGgFQ2A
http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_bastard_barry.html
accessed 01 March 2019

Video: PROOF Steven Anderson and “The New IFB” Preached That Jesus is the Father, published to YouTube by Valiant Baptist Church (Tyler Baker) on 01 June 2018. It features several examples of New IFB pastors teaching that Jesus actually is the Father (modalism).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYpStvSCGcs&feature=youtu.be
accessed 01 March 2019

Video: He Which is of God Hath Seen the Father, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 13 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVP-Fn3rT3M accessed 01 March 2019

Video: The Madness and Folly of Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 12 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UIriYgX--c accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Trinity Moment #26 - God Speaking to Himself, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGfDVKUDhTs accessed 01 March 2019

9. Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019

10. Video: Dr. James White Full Interview NWO Bible Versions, published to YouTube by Framing the World (Paul Wittenberger) on 11 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrptikLjq8 accessed 01 March 2019

11. Video: Oneness Pentecostal Heretic Checklist by Pastor Donnie Romero - Stedfast Baptist Church (TX), published to YouTube by Banned From THE NEW IFB on 11 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxw1rZLZ1_Q accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Donnie Romero - Luke 23, published to YouTube by Ex Andersonite on 05 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JrXmbbXcHk accessed 01 March 2019

12. Video: Pastor Manly Perry - Jesus was John's Cousin and Father, published to YouTube by Ex Andersonite on 16 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8L6MCTXZnA accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Manly Perry - 3 Person Trinity is not Biblical,
Published on 01 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzWokYptRPo accessed 01 March 2019

13. Video: Trinity Moment #23 - The Son is the Father, featuring David Berzins, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 24 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSI7BxezJ3g accessed 01 March 2019

14. Video: The Trinity Spectrum (Pastor Roger Jimenez | VBC Sacramento, CA), published to YouTube by Verity Baptist Church (Roger Jimenez) on 03 July 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwPJl4jgo8 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Trinity Moment #28 - Jesus is the Son and the Father, featuring Roger Jimenez, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 03 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YckVVy5wRfI accessed 01 March 2019

15. Video: Jonathan Shelley: Hypocrite Extraordinaire, featuring Jonathan Shelley, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 07 March 2018, in this video, Shelley teaches that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are “all the same person.” “You have to believe that Jesus is God and the Father is below Him, or they're the same person.” “You can't say that verse is true (Rev.19:16) and say that Jesus isn't God, or that Jesus isn't the Father.” “The word God actually means ruler.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YJZrzA39KE accessed 01 March 2019

Trinity Moment #37 - Jesus and the Father Are the Same Person, featuring Jonathan Shelley, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 17 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExIyZBtSe78 accessed 01 March 2019


16. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 24 January 2019

Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 06 February 2019

Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 February 2019

Telephonic interview #04 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 12 February 2019

Telephonic interview #05 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 27 February 2019

Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019

Video: What I Believe About the Godhead, published to YouTube by Rick Martinez on 30 January 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jP2dOIeCn8 accessed accessed 01 March 2019

17. Video: Pastor Anderson confronts Tyler Baker on Oneness Heresy, published to YouTube by Kragen Clan dotcom on 26 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyIrVpoxS1M accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Angry Steven Anderson vs. Tyler Baker, published to YouTube by Fellar Davis on 01 November 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IItGUaI8c9Q accessed 01 March 2019

18. Video: I Reject Modalism/Oneness Pentecostalism! - Tyler Baker, Valiant Baptist Church, published to YouTube by Valiant Baptist Church (Tyler Baker) on 04 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqE7rUzjuzA&feature=youtu.be accessed 01 March 2019

19. Video: "Trinity 101" (Throwing Out Oneness Heretics),published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ZxB8_VsrY&feature=youtu.be accessed 01 March 2019

Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 24 January 2019

Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 06 February 2019

Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 February 2019

Telephonic interview #04 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 12 February 2019

Telephonic interview #05 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 27 February 2019

Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 25 January 2019

Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019

Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 06 January 2019

20. Video: My Belief on the Trinity Hasn't Changed, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 01 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ4_kkdMrPY accessed 01 March 2019

21. Video: Take Me Out, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 16 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNw8JkFCFA accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Steven Anderson “I'm always right even when I'm wrong!”, published to YouTube by Steven Anderson Be Lying FWBC on 17 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ_5fCviNbU accessed 01 March 2019

22. Video: "Bastard Barry" - Sermon about Barrack Hussein Obama (KJV Bible Preaching), published to YouTube and to the Faithful Word Baptist Church website on 02 November 2014 by Steven Anderson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxQHiGgFQ2A
http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_bastard_barry.html
accessed 01 March 2019

23. Video: I Never Believed/Taught Oneness Doctrine (Modalism), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steve Anderson) on 28 June 2017. In the comments section, an individual named CassieRae McMurtry (actually Cassandra McMurtry, the wife of New IFB pastor Tommy McMurtry and good friend of Steven Anderson) commented, “When you scour through hours and hours of preaching, things will be found that were mis- spoken by the preacher. The key is admitting, "I misspoke". (not doubling down and getting stubborn about your words) My husband has said things mistakenly before. And he has also said he has to present the trinity better, because he never even knew this oneness thing was "a thing", so he now needs to be even clearer on the subject.” To which Anderson replied, “Exactly!” I have to wonder if Anderson put her up to this, or if she is just trying to help a friend. At the end of the day, however, no, he did not misspeak. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:
Definition of misspoke:
transitive verb
1 : to speak (something, such as a word) incorrectly
2 : to express (oneself) imperfectly or incorrectly claims now that he misspoke himself
intransitive verb
: to speak incorrectly : misspeak oneself
Either Anderson mispronounced a word (doesn't fit here), or he imperfectly explained something (doesn't fit here), or, he lied. Bingo! He lied. He taught false doctrine regarding the Trinity, from the pulpit, at least four times! He may have it correct on his websites statement of beliefs, but coming out of his mouth to his congregation it was certainly incorrect, and heretical to say the very least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paDX-lpeJQI accessed 01 March 2019

24. email made public by Victor Tey in the following YouTube video: Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 3) - The Church in Punchbowl History & Doctrines, published to YouTube by The Church in Liverpool (Victor Tey) on 01 August 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6vi12tVts accessed 01 March 2019

25. Video: Modalism is Stupid, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 24 December 2017. Interestingly, in this video Anderson cites Proverbs 30:4 as a Trinity proof text, while in the video “Trinity Talk” (see below)) he explicitly denies that Proverbs 30:4 is a Trinity proof text, and corrects Donnie Romero who tried to point to it as such. At about 3:30 in this video, Anderson states that Jesus has always been a man, a human man, because Jesus never changes and is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This must have come as a surprise to His mother, Mary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZGsj5DyxIU accessed 01 March 2019

Video: God Confounding Heretic Steven Anderson “Trinity Talk”, published to YouTube by Whole Armour Ministries on 03 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im1VR713mTw accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Biblical Bible Broadcast-Trinity Talk, published to YouTube by mstamps1611 on 05 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAjXOEY5iTI accessed 01 March 2019. Note: The original video, “Trinity Talk” which had been uploaded by Stedfast Baptist Church (Donnie Romero’s church) on 02 March 2018 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWjquj2fNLI], was removed from YouTube, and is no longer available, However, before it was taken down, it was downloaded and reposted on the Marshal Stamps 1611 YouTube channel (mstamps1611).

Video: Isaiah 9:6 Taken out of Context by Modalists, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 August 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6taKnJLN9g accessed 01 March 2019

26. Video: Pastor Roger Jimenez Clarifies his Trinity teaching, published to YouTube by Mike Harrison on 09 March 2018. When Anderson began dealing with the Tyler Baker situation and those who also believed the oneness doctrine that Anderson and the rest had been teaching, it quickly became necessary for them to change their beliefs in order to justify expelling Tyler Baker and the rest. This includes Roger Jimenez, who in the following video falsely claims (just as Anderson did in his video), that he and Verity Baptist Church have NEVER believed in oneness/modalism, when clearly, that is exactly what he taught as shown in the previously noted videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ofLLVK0v0A accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Trinity Moment #25 - God is Not Three Persons, featuring Manly Perry, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ufxtSYBWw accessed 01 March 2019

Video: The Oneness of God | Preached @ Morning Star Baptist Church, published to YouTube by brothermanly316 (Manly Perry) on 17 July 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApPX0pQ3ETQ accessed 01 March 2019

27. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 24 January 2019

28. Video: Steven Anderson Believes Polytheism, Calls it the Trinity | Tyler Baker is a Trinitarian | Baptist, published to YouTube by Valiant Baptist Church (Tyler Baker) on 18 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcrPEO0iglY accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "Trinity 101" (Throwing Out Oneness Heretics), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ZxB8_VsrY&feature=youtu.be accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Jesus is the Express Image of God the Father's Person, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 28 May 2018. In this video, Steven Anderson claims Jesus looks exactly like the Father in his outward appearance. He says when God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Gen 1:26) proves that all three have the same image. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are identical in their outward appearance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swT11WsN4ms accessed 01 March 2019

29. Video: Sam Gipp is Demonic and Evil (hear it for yourself), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 09 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQTVLK1xe4Q accessed 01 March 2019

30. Video: Steven Anderson Believes Polytheism, Calls it the Trinity | Tyler Baker is a Trinitarian | Baptist, published to YouTube by Valiant Baptist Church (Tyler Baker) on 18 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcrPEO0iglY accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Roger Jimenez Clarifies his Trinity teaching, published to YouTube by Mike Harrison on 09 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ofLLVK0v0A accessed 01 March 2019

31. Video: Trinity Moment #25 - God is Not Three Persons, featuring Manly Perry, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ufxtSYBWw accessed 01 March 2019

Video: The Oneness of God | Preached @ Morning Star Baptist Church, published to YouTube by brothermanly316 (Manly Perry) on 17 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApPX0pQ3ETQ accessed 01 March 2019

32. Video: Pastor Joe Major: Trinity-Deniers Will Be Thrown Out, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 29 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2zud6WUPDc accessed 01 March 2019

33. Video: "Sovereign" is Deceptive, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 31 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39qqDyJ1FRE accessed 01 March 2019

34. Ibid

35. Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/sovereign

36. Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897

37. Video: Attributes of God, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 24 September 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9gaM6Vzgk accessed 01 March 2019

Sources
Part 2B:
38. Video: Trinity Moment #35 - The Word Became Jesus, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA1Z7LN42yI accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Trinity Moment #32 - The Written Word Became the Living Word, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afCAONaM1ls accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "The Word" Is Not Just a Title for Jesus, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 24 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M33mLqjCj3I accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Jesus is the Word!! The Bible is God!! The Bible is Jesus!!, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Andeson) on 17 January 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xKvdU0qgrs accessed 01 March 2019

Video: The Word of God and the word of God, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7_k6EU2O34 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Steven Anderson says that the Bible is God Part 2 (New IFB), featuring Steven Anderson, published by New IFBdot info on 17 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=cCHhT8FZi-c accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Roger Jimenez: The Living Word IS the Spoken Word, featuring Roger Jimenez, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 02 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jiv2UaM8I7o accessed 01 March 2019

39. Video: Trinity Moment #32 - The Written Word Became the Living Word, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Elliott Ray on 26 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afCAONaM1ls accessed 01 March 2019

40. Video: Jesus is the Word!! The Bible is God!! The Bible is Jesus!!, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Andeson) on 17 January 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xKvdU0qgrs accessed 01 March 2019

41. Video: The Word of God and the word of God, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7_k6EU2O34 accessed 01 March 2019

42. Steven Anderson and the New IFB pastors are King James Version Only. They believe only the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved word of God, they believe it to be inspired, infallible, and inerrant. What they cannot do, however, is reconcile that belief with the various errors that have appeared in the KJV over the years, and they cannot reconcile their belief with which KJV? Do they believe the 1611 authorized version of the King James Bible is the preserved, inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God? Or do they believe it is the 1613 edition/version? Or the 1616, 1617, 1618, 1629, 1630, 1633, 1634, 1637, 1638, 1640, 1642, 1653, 1659, 1675, 1679, 1833, 1896, or the 1904 editions/version? Which one do they consider to the preserved, inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God? Now bear in mind that the 1611 edition, the original edition of the KJV contained the apocrypha. Does Steven Anderson and company then consider the apocrypha to be the preserved, inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God as well? After all, it was included. And if not, then by what objective standard to they exclude the apocrypha?
And what of the numerous errors throughout the years, such as Matthew 26:36 in the original 1611 Authorized Version which read, “Then cometh Judas with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” Judas? Or the 1631 KJV which read in Exodus 20:14, “Thou shalt commit adultery”? Is it safe to say then that Donnie Romero, the former New IFB pastor who dallied with prostitutes was simply obeying the 1631 KJV? Or the 1653 KJV which assures us in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,”? The verse from the KJV certainly does not fit in with New IFB beliefs regarding homosexuals, since it clearly says they will inherit the kingdom of God. Various errors can be found in the editions/versions of 1638, 1641, 1702, 1711, 1716, 1717, 1746, 1792, 1801, 1802, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1810, 1823, and 1829. Some serious, some not.
This is not to say that the KJV is not the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God, because it is, as are the NASB, the ESV, the NKJV, and other translations. For the KJV Only people, such as Steven Anderson and the New IFB folks, to say other versions and translations are wrong because they change this word or that word, all without ever changing doctrine, are not God’s word, all while ignoring the record of errors found in the KJV is nothing less than a hypocritical double standard.

43. Video: What was Finished? (when Jesus said, "It is Finished."), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 31 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbB-NWphmHc accessed 01 March 2019

44. Ibid

45. Video: Steven Anderson EXPLODES...denies Biblical repentance!!!, published to YouTube by Kdubtru on 07 March 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uYlYT114VE, accessed 07 March 2019

46. Article: Jesus Spent 3 Days and 3 Nights in Hell by Steven Anderson, Thursday, November 24, 2016, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2016/11/jesus-spent-3-days-and-3-nights-in-hell.html accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Dr. James White Full Interview 'NWO Bible Versions', published to YouTube by framingtheworld (Paul Wittenberger) on 11 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrptikLjq8 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Jesus Descended into Hell - Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Truth in Genesis on 16 April 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5rKQyVKShI accessed 01 March 2019

47. Video: We Should Never Go Back To The Greek As Preachers, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 16 October 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujP-fI1sL8 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Dr. James White Full Interview 'NWO Bible Versions', published to YouTube by framingtheworld (Paul Wittenberger) on 11 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrptikLjq8 accessed 01 March 2019

Sources
Part 2C:
48. Article: “Easy-Believism” Defended by Pastor Steven L Anderson, 2006, http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/easybelievism.html accessed 01 March 2019
Webpage archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190325221235/http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/easybelievism.html

49. Article: The Sinner's Prayer Defended by Steven Anderson, January 26, 2017, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-sinners-prayer-defended.html accessed 01 March 2019
Webpage archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190325221335/http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-sinners-prayer-defended.html

50. Article: “Easy-Believism” Defended by Pastor Steven L Anderson, 2006, http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/easybelievism.html accessed 01 March 2019
Webpage archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190325221235/http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/easybelievism.html

Article: The Sinner's Prayer Defended by Steven Anderson, January 26, 2017, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-sinners-prayer-defended.html accessed 01 March 2019
Webpage archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190325221335/http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-sinners-prayer-defended.html

51. “Caveat, n1.” Oxford English Dictionary Online, © 2019 Oxford University Press, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/caveat accessed 01 March 2019

52. Video: "How Forcible Are Right Words!" Pastor Steven Anderson preaching @ Verity Baptist Chuch, published to YouTube by Steven Anderson on 28 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblV92zEA08 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Repentance Abuse, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 30 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2oWqx_ye2s accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Repent of Sins for Salvation? Repentance Spectrum Disorder - Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Truth In Genesis on 09 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oj6Io5rQ1Y accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "Naaman and Elisha" Baptist Preaching (King James Bible) Christians Sermons KJV, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 18 December 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJE8N5XzEec accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Steven Anderson EXPLODES...denies Biblical repentance!!!, published to YouTube by Kdubtru on 07 March 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uYlYT114VE, accessed 07 March 2019

Video: Repent of your Sins for Salvation EXPOSED!, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Truth In Genesis on 24 July 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64plXQqb6yM accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "Repent of Your Sins" Hyprocrisy, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 24 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px3EaSVjVjo accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Rant Against the "Repent of Your Sins" Crowd, featuring Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by KJV soulwinners (Jeff Utzler) on 31 October 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnCMy1d8w60 accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Confrontation Outside Revival Baptist Church Orlando, video taken by Benjamin Naim (Ben the Baptist), published to YouTube by New IFBdot info on 07 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEHpV9gDVyQ accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Steven Anderson Mob Accosts Repentance Street Preacher!, published to YouTube by TruthMercyBaptist on 01 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4N1nAbmpLw accessed 01 March 2019

Website: “Repentance Blacklist”, created and managed by Steven Anderson, accessed 01 March 2019. Although the site has been taken down, it can still be viewed via the Internet Wayback Machine at Internet Archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190118025615/repentanceblacklist.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20180821002707/repentanceblacklist.com/tulip/
https://web.archive.org/web/20180820235413/repentanceblacklist.com/articles/
https://web.archive.org/web/20180820235457/repentanceblacklist.com/salvation/
https://web.archive.org/web/20180821015252/http://repentanceblacklist.com/blacklist/
https://web.archive.org/web/20180821012535/repentanceblacklist.com/articles/bible-corruptions/

Video: Burning Satanic Material- Book of Mormon and "Repent of Your Sins" Tracts, published to YouTube by KJV soulwinners (Jeff Utzler) on 08 October 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXIf-FW0jgM accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Do you have to repent from a sinful life to be Saved? - Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by The Good News on 27 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6qEFoWdoDE accessed 01 March 2019

53. Video: "How Forcible Are Right Words!" Pastor Steven Anderson preaching @ Verity Baptist Chuch, published to YouTube by Steven Anderson on 28 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblV92zEA08 accessed 01 March 2019

54. Ibid

55. Ibid

Video: Repentance Abuse, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 30 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2oWqx_ye2s accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Steven Anderson EXPLODES...denies Biblical repentance!!!, published to YouTube by Kdubtru on 07 March 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uYlYT114VE, accessed 07 March 2019

56. Ibid
Note: Spelling the word phonetically, it would be pronounced: met-uh-nō-ĕh/ŏw
How to pronounce Metanoeō in Biblical Greek - (μετανοέω / change one’s mind; repent),
Logos Bible Software, Published on Sep 1, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4C5vMOns8

57. Video: "How Forcible Are Right Words!" Pastor Steven Anderson preaching @ Verity Baptist Chuch, published to YouTube by Steven Anderson on 28 February 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblV92zEA08 accessed 01 March 2019

58. Ibid

Video: Repent of Sins for Salvation? Repentance Spectrum Disorder - Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Truth In Genesis on 09 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oj6Io5rQ1Y accessed 01 March 2019

Video: "Naaman and Elisha" Baptist Preaching (King James Bible) Christians Sermons KJV, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 18 December 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJE8N5XzEec accessed 01 March 2019

59. Video: Do you have to repent from a sinful life to be Saved? - Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by The Good News on 27 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6qEFoWdoDE accessed 01 March 2019

60. “Easy-Believism” Defended by Pastor Steven L. Anderson, 2006, www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/easybelievism.html accessed 01 March 2019

61. there is a fourth word, ametameletos, which means literally no repentance, referring to something that is not repented of. Also used to indicate something that is irrevocable. If Steven Anderson actually did know Greek as he claims, and has read the New Testament cover to cover, in Greek, multiple times as he claim, then he would know this. As Anderson correctly said to James White in Paul Wittenberger’s video, “Dr. James White Full Interview 'NWO Bible Versions'” (framingtheworld, Published on Aug 11, 2014; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrptikLjq8), knowing a little Greek can be dangerous and get one into trouble. Anderson then admitted that he only knew a little Greek, having only a semester or two of it while in Bible college before he dropped out. That was, however, in 2014, and he may have taught himself since then. If this is the case, his inability to properly pronounce metanoeó, his inability to distinguish the difference between metanoeó and metanoia, and his lack of knowledge regarding metamelomai and ametameletos demonstrates his knowledge of biblical Greek is wholly inadequate. With his faulty understanding of biblical Greek, one wonders how many other doctrines he is wrong about after his reading of the “New Testament, cover to cover, in Greek, multiple times.”

62. Strong’s G3338. metamelomai
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: metamelomai
Phonetic Spelling: (met-am-el'-lom-ahee)
Definition: to regret, repent
Usage: I change my mind (generally for the better), repent, regret.
– properly, to experience a change of concern after a change of emotion and usually implying to regret, i.e. falling into emotional remorse afterwards.
https://biblehub.com/greek/3338.htm

63. Strong’s G3340. metanoeó
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh'-o)
Definition: to change one's mind or purpose
Usage: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), – properly, "think differently after," "after a change of mind"; to repent (literally, "think differently afterwards"). Definition: to change one's mind or purpose
to change one's mind, i. e. to repent (to feel sorry that one has done this or that),
used especially of those who, conscious of their sins and with manifest tokens of sorrow, are intent; on obtaining God's pardon; to repent, clothed in sackcloth and besprinkled with ashes, Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13. to change one's mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins: Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15 (cf. Matthew 3:6; Matthew 3:8 and Luke 3:8, i. e. conduct worthy of a heart changed and abhorring sin); (Matthew 11:20; Mark 6:12); Luke 13:3, 5; Luke 15:7, 10; Luke 16:30; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30; Revelation 2:5, 16; Revelation 3:3, 19; Matthew 12:41 and Luke 11:32
https://biblehub.com/greek/3340.htm

64. Strong’s G3341. metanoia
metanoia: change of mind, repentance
Part of Speech: Noun,
Transliteration: metanoia
Definition: change of mind, repentance
metánoia – literally, "a change of mind"
a change of mind; especially the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it, to give one the ability to repent, or to cause him to repent, Acts 5:31
https://biblehub.com/greek/3341.htm

65. Video: Salvation Stats for First 12 Years of FWBC, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 25 December 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL-koSgLSYQ accessed 01 March 2019

According to Steven Anderson in this video, these are the numbers of those saved through “Soul Winning” by FWBC from 2005-2017: 2005 = 33; 2006 = 200; 2007 = 226; 2008 = 941; 2009 = 1258; 2010 = 1143; 2011 = 1264; 2012 = 1043; 2013 = 1199; 2014 = 1556; 2015 = 2546; 2016 = 5141; 2017 = 11,247. For a grand total, according to Anderson, or 28,000 people saved. The actual total is 27,797

66. Telephonic Interview #01 with New IFB Pastor, Manly Perry, pastor of Old Paths Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, 03 February 2019

67. Video: No Peanut Butter, published to YouTube by brothermanly316 (Manly Perry) on 14 June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwrmYflgUSY accessed 01 March 2019

68. Video: Why New Converts Don't Go to FWBC, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 11 August 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNncmDP6utc accessed 01 March 2019

69. Interview with Steven Anderson on “The Point with Reginald Richardson”, "Breakfast with Reg", GABZ FM, Botswana, 20 September 2016; featured in the following video: Full Botswana Radio Interview With Pastor Steven Anderson, published to YouTube by Discerner of Spirits on 23 September 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f73tpvfqgfc accessed 01 March 2019

70. Topic: Prophet, Easton's Bible Dictionary, M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

71. Article: My Wife Zsuzsa - Part 3, by Steven L. Anderson, March 11, 2013, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-wife-zsuzsa-part-3.html accessed 07 April 2019

72. https://wikidiff.com/clairvoyant/premonition

73. On October 4, 1999, my wife and I met for the first time.
http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-wife-zsuzsa-part-1.html

74. Married August 13, 2000
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5828592/

75. Ordination Service for Donnie Romero (Stedfast Baptist Church)
Transcript, dated 26 August 2014, www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_ordination_romero.html accessed 02 April 2019

76. Video: Resignation of Pastor Romero, published to YouTube by Stedfast Baptist Church (Steven Harper & Kevin Edelman YouTube channel administrators) on 02 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=BbWAhNxVcWo accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Donnie Romero Steps Down from Stedfast Baptist Church, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 04 January 2019, https://youplay.pk/watch?v=lOkt4-gAkYc accessed 04 January 2019. Note: This video has been removed from YouTube by Steven Anderson.

77. Video: Ordination of Bro Tyler Baker as Deacon, published to YouTube by Richard Sousa on 24 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDhRcadEOZk accessed 01 March 2019

78. Faithful Word Baptist Church Facebook Posting dated 01 May 2017, stating, “Bro. Tyler Baker, who is our deacon at FWBC, is starting a church this summer in Jacksonville, FL: Valiant Baptist Church. The first service will be on August 6th. Below is a link for the church's YouTube channel. This is where the weekly sermons will be uploaded. If you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7e5uVHY29cfnBHcl7rLmUg Also Check out his website: http://valiantbaptist.org/”
https://www.facebook.com/183465927963/posts/bro-tyler-baker-who-is-our-deacon-at-fwbc-is-starting-a-church-this-summer-in-ja/10155234429557964/ accessed 01 March 2019

79. Video: Angry Steven Anderson vs Tyler Baker - Pastor Berates Understudy While Wife in Labor, published to YouTube by Banned From THE NEW IFB on 28 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaHyA5Ij2ko accessed 01 March 2019

80. Video: Garrett Kirchway on Tyler Baker's Work Performance, published by Faithful Word Baptist Church (Steven Anderson) on 30 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=jHsYR1DY4Ls&feature=youtu.be accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Tyler Baker's Timesheets - Read 'em & weep!, published to YouTube by Faithful Word Baptist Church (Steven Anderson) on 30 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RefDM8gjfo accessed 01 March 2019

81. Video: Hard Evidence of Tyler Baker Employee Theft, published to YouTube by Faithful Word Baptist Church (Steven Anderson) on 30 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uInMJaWh1LI accessed 01 March 2019

82. Video: The Cost of Discipleship Evangelist Garrett Kirchway, published to YouTube by Saved by Faith on 27 May 2018. This video features Garrett Kirchway’s ordination. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igJV-x-yeUM accessed 01 March 2019

83. Video: "Bible Principles for Missions" (Botswana), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 22 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O67FOt-m-jE
Sermon Transcript: "Bible Principles for Missions" KJV Baptist Bible Preaching, May 22, 2016,
https://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_bible_principles_for_missions.html
accessed 01 March 2019

84. Ibid

85. Video: Wedding Of Brother Garrett & Neo (with reception), published to YouTube by Discerner of Spirits on 31 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYk6QisEpes accessed 01 March 2019
MP3 Audio Has Been Downloaded For This Video

86. Video: Garrett Kirchway Fired from FWBC, published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 28 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9toArU-RI accessed 01 March 2019

Video: Pastor Anderson kicks out Garrett Kirchway & Dominique Davis for Modalism, FWBC 5/27/18, published to YouTube by The New IFB on 27 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOlTxb6Pxg accessed 01 March 2019

87. Video: Richard Miller Pastor Ordination (Faithful Word Baptist Church), published to YouTube by Wendy Davis on 16 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76XT0GT32v4 accessed 01 March 2019

88. Article: We Need More Soul-winning Churches by Steven L Anderson, dated November 9, 2016,
http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2016/11/we-need-more-soul-winning-churches.html, Anderson made the comments in the comments section of this article on January 5, 2017 at 12:00 PM, accessed 03 April 2019

89. Video: Paul Wittenberger is a Great Guy!, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 02 September 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcWGa01q4w0 accessed 17 March 2019

Article: Framing the World by Steven Anderson, Pastor Anderson's Blog, September 29, 2016, https://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/bl_framing_the_world.html accessed 17 March 2019

Framing the World website: https://store.framingtheworld.com/
Framing the World website store: https://store.framingtheworld.com/t/auromre

What are the Vedas? - Definition from Yogapedia, https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5007/vedas accessed 17 March 2019

What Is Ayurveda? Treatments, Massage, Diet, and More - WebMD
https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/ayurvedic-treatments accessed 17 March 2019

Integral Yoga page on the Auromere website, https://www.auromere.com/integral-yoga/ accessed 17 March 2019

Auromère “About” Website page, https://www.auromere.com/about/ accessed 17 March 2019
Auromère “Auroville” Website page, https://www.auromere.com/auroville/ accessed 17 March 2019
Auromère Ichapur School website page, https://www.auromere.com/ichhapur-school/ accessed 17 March 2019

Video: Hindu Moment #1 - Definition of Yoga, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 15 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ3oXmjfTBM accessed 17 March 2019

Video: The Lord" of Hinduism is Satan Himself! (The Devil), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 23 January 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGwExJYuhI accessed 17 March 2019

90. Video: "Bible Principles for Missions" (Botswana), published to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 22 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O67FOt-m-jE
Sermon Transcript: "Bible Principles for Missions" KJV Baptist Bible Preaching, May 22, 2016,
https://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_bible_principles_for_missions.html
accessed 01 March 2019

91. Video: Dr. James White Full Interview 'NWO Bible Versions', published to YouTube by framingtheworld (Paul Wittenberger) on 11 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrptikLjq8 accessed 01 March 2019

92. Video: "Sheba the Son of Bichri" (Adam Fannin Exposed), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 09 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crCo4fYHSag accessed 17 March 2019

93. Telephonic Interview #01 with New IFB Pastor, Manly Perry, pastor of Old Paths Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, 03 February 2019


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

As important as a right understanding of the Triune God is, it is equally important to have a biblical Christology, a biblical understanding of Jesus. According to Scripture, Jesus is, among other titles and positions: The Mighty God, Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man, Truly God and Truly Man, Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Mediator, Messiah, the Branch, the Lamb of God, the Cornerstone, our High Priest, Lawgiver, Judge, the Shepherd, I AM, Wonderful Counselor, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Author of life, the Alpha and Omega, the Blessed and only Potentate/Sovereign, and The Word.
Each of these titles and positions of Jesus have significant meaning to His followers. When He called Himself “I AM” we understand that to mean He was calling Himself God. When He is referred to as “the Lamb of God” we understand that to mean He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins; and when He is called the Creator, we understand this to mean it was Jesus (along with the Father and the Holy Spirit) who spoke and created the universe and everything in it. But how are we to understand when Jesus is called the Word?
Steven Anderson looks at John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and as a King James Version literalist he understands this passage to mean that Jesus was/is the Bible, or, more accurately, he believes the Bible is actually Jesus, and is actually God. Not the book itself, but the words contained within the book.38
In one of his online sermon videos, Steven Anderson holds up his Bible and preaches to his congregation saying, “This book is Jesus. … Jesus is the book! ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. Without Him’...oh, I’m sorry, ‘all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.’ And then we read down that great passage and John said in John 1:14 where God says, ‘and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,’ we looked at Him, ‘as of the only begotten of the Father.’ Who did we look at? The Word of God. Who created the world? Jesus Christ, the Word of God. …Jesus Christ the written Word of God who became the living Word of God.”39
In a video clip Anderson uploaded to his YouTube channel on January 17, 2009, he is shown holding up his Bible and emphatically proclaiming to his congregation, “Behold your God! This is God! Let me introduce you to God!...hey, I’m not worshiping a physical book, this is a book, nothing. But you know what?” He then points at the Bible and yells, “THOSE WORDS ARE GOD! Believe it or not. Call me a heretic, call me whatever you want, I will preach that until I am breathing my last breath!”40
And on April 27, 2018, just over nine years after posting the previous clip, Steven Anderson posted a clip from a different sermon where he says the same thing. Jesus is the Word, the Bible is Jesus, the Bible is God! Again, not the physical book, but as Anderson himself put it, “The words in the Book are God.”41
He taught this in 2009 and he was still teaching it less than a year ago, and there have been no videos posted by Steven Anderson that would indicate he no longer believed this, therefore we must accept that he continues to believe this doctrine.
Anderson’s doctrine of the deification of the words of Scripture carries with it some significant problems though. If the words of Scripture actually are God, then one would expect Anderson and his followers to worship them, yet they do not. If the words of Scripture are actually God Himself, then:
Does that not give those who wield those words have divine power themselves?
Why would God allow Himself to even be wielded by sinful man?
If they are Jesus, then Jesus is both within the Father and the Holy Spirit as God, as well as the man Jesus, and now, according to Anderson, the very words found on the pages of a Bible; and, knowing Steven Anderson, the King James version of the Bible specifically. But which version of the King James Bible? Which of the twenty-three different versions of the Authorized King James Version that have been printed between 1611 and 1904? Of these almost two dozen different versions, many contain obvious mistakes, such as the 1611 “Judas Bible” which reads, “Then cometh Judas with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder” in Matthew 26:36; or the 1631 edition which states the seventh commandment as “Thou shalt commit adultery”; or the 1717 edition which contains the “Parable of the Vinegar” in place of the “Parable of the Vineyard” in Luke 20.
And, of course, the original 1611 King James Version contained the Apocrypha as well.42 Will Steven Anderson hold to the belief he has clung to and preached for at least the past decade, that the words contained within the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible are in fact, actually God Almighty, actually Jesus Christ Himself?
When one takes into consideration the fact that these various editions of the King James Bible with all of the various errors in them, have been fairly common knowledge for the past few centuries; coupled with the fact that Steven Anderson has continued to teach his deification of the words of Scripture in the King James Bible without publicly renouncing the various “error editions” of the King James Bible – then one can only conclude that Steven Anderson accepts not only all the various errors that have crept into the King James Bible over the years, but also the Apocrypha as contained in the original 1611 edition, as being actually God and actually Jesus Christ.
Of course, there exists another possibility, a more reasonable and probable possibility; which is that Steven Anderson is wrong. Very wrong.
Scripture states in John 1: 1-3 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” When we continue on in verses 14-18, we can clearly see that the “Word” which John is referring to is actually Jesus, and John’s use of the the term “Word” tells us a great deal about Jesus.
Compare John 1:1 with Genesis 1:1. Both start with the same three words, “In the beginning.” In Genesis we read that when God created the heavens and all that are in them, Scripture says He spoke everything into existence. Psalm 33:6 tells us, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” As with Genesis 1 and creation, we also see a correlation between Psalm 33:6 in the first chapter of John, verse 3, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” And, in verse 10, we see again, “the world was made by Him”. This is reiterated throughout the New Testament in Acts 3:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-17; and Hebrews 1:2. These passages confirm that God made the universe and everything in it, and God created everything through Jesus.
We also see through many other passages that God employs His word throughout the earth to execute His will (see Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18; Isaiah 55:10-11). We also see in Genesis 15:1-5 where the Word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, and also brought Abram out of his tent in order to show him the stars as an illustration regarding his descendants. These passages all serve to demonstrate that when God talks, He does so through the Son, the second person of the Godhead, Jesus.
Jesus is the conduit through which God imparts revelation to the prophets, through which God spoke to man, through which God accomplished creation. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Triune Godhead, and He is also the Word of God, who came to earth as a human being. He is not, however, the words of Scripture. He is the author of Scripture, but not Scripture itself. To deify Scripture is to create an idol, and that is precisely what Steven Anderson is doing with this doctrine of his.
The insufficient death of Jesus

Steven Anderson also claims the death of Christ on the cross, the shedding of His blood, in not sufficient to provide an atonement for our sins. In fact, Anderson claims there are at least six things that Jesus must do in order to gain us entry into heaven.43 The six things are:

1. He had to be born,
2. He had to die on the cross,
3. He had to be buried,
4. He had to go to hell for three days and three nights and be a burnt sacrifice in the fire of hell,
5. He had to rise from the dead, and
6. “He had to enter the Holy of Holies in heaven, as the High Priest, and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat seven times.”
Anderson states that until Jesus completes these six tasks, we cannot enter heaven. Apparently, He sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat when He entered heaven, as Anderson goes on to say, “He’s still up there making intercession for us, the blood is still on the mercy seat. It still speaks better things than that of Abel.” And he also places the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat BEFORE telling the apostles the great commission, and “then He has to ascend up into heaven.”44
This convoluted doctrine of Steven Anderson not only has no biblical support, but is actually contrary to Scripture. We are not saved by anything other than the grace of God. Period. Grace alone. Period. This is what Ephesians 2:8 clearly says. “For by grace are ye saved.” This same verse also tells us that faith is the conduit through which God’s grace is imparted to us. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” But faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross as making the necessary atonement for our sins.
Romans 3:23-26 states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” [emphasis added] [cf. 1 John 2:2; 4:10]
Jesus Christ is, through the shedding of His blood, and His death on the cross, the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; through faith in His blood, His propitiatory act on the cross, we receive remission of sins and are made righteous and able to enter into the presence of God in heaven. His burial does not provide this, He resurrection does not provide this, His ascension does not provide this, and Anderson’s own added requirement for our entrance into heaven: that Jesus must sprinkle blood seven times on the mercy seat in heaven, certainly does not provide this. The shedding of His blood and His death on the cross provides the propitiation, and nothing else, according to the Scriptures. (See Hebrews 9:22; 10:10; Galatians 3:22)
In short, Steven Anderson is teaching the blood of Christ shed at His death for the remission of sins is insufficient. Even though Romans 3:23-26 clearly and explicitly teaches that it is sufficient, and is the only acceptable sacrifice for the propitiation of our sins, Steven Anderson simply thumbs his nose at the Word of God (both the written and the Living) and adds to what Scripture teaches, even to the adding of his own personal and unbiblical beliefs.
Steven Anderson claims that in order for us to be able to enter heaven, in addition to other requirements he has added, he claims Jesus must first enter into the Holy of Holies in the temple in heaven, and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat seven times. This is not taught in Scripture. Anywhere. In order to come up with this teaching, Anderson must combine Hebrews 4:14-10:18 with Leviticus 16:11-14. The problem is, however, this is like adding 2+2 and coming up with 5.
Hebrews 4:14-10:18 explains Jesus is our High Priest, He is a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, and He is a High Priest of a better covenant from the previous covenant of the Old Testament. It explains the earthly tabernacle and temple were an example and shadow of things to come, and that Jesus’ sacrifice was a better and a permanent sacrifice as opposed to the sacrifices of the previous covenant. But nowhere does this lengthy passage say anything about Jesus entering the Holy of Holies in heaven where He sprinkles blood on the mercy seat seven times.
The closest anything in the New Testament comes to this is in Hebrews 9:11-28, within which we read, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (vv11-12). Christ, our High Priest, has entered into a tabernacle that is great and more perfect that the one on earth; and “by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place,” but no where does it say He entered the Holy of Holies in heaven and sprinkles His blood on the mercy seat. Anderson has to get that from Leviticus 16:11-14.
Leviticus 16 explains the sacrifices for the High Priest and the people on the Day of Atonement. The sacrifice detailed in verses 11-14, the sacrifice which includes sprinkling the mercy seat seven times with blood, is the sacrifice for the High Priest. Not for the people. It serves to atone for the sins of the High Priest for the next year. Following Steven Anderson’s teaching, he clearly has Jesus sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice (which would be His own blood) on the mercy seat, and the sacrifice that provided that blood serves to atone for the sins of only the High Priest. Therefore, Steven Anderson is teaching that Jesus died to atone for His own sins and for no one else. To say that Jesus was sinful is blasphemy. To say that His atoning sacrifice did not provide atonement for anyone other than Himself is also blasphemy.
Going back to Hebrews 9:11-28 for a moment, we see again that it is Jesus’ blood and the sacrifice of Himself that redeems our sin and purchases our salvation (vv 14-15,26). We also see that the Holy Place into which Jesus enters is not some heavenly tabernacle or temple that is like unto those that were one the earth which were nothing more than shadows and types of heaven. Not a temple with a holy place and a holy of holies that is in heaven, and certainly not one built by human hands, but rather heaven itself is God’s temple. For what does the Scripture say? “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (vv11-12) “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (v24).
The temple where God dwells is heaven itself. The Holy of Holies were God dwells is heaven itself. Steven Anderson’s fictional accounting of what Jesus must do in order for those He has redeemed to enter into heaven is just that: total fiction. Nothing more and nothing less. It is completely unbiblical, it is blasphemous heresy; and, by teaching this doctrine, he is teaching a different gospel, a false gospel, and he is leading his congregation and his internet followers straight down into hell if they are unsaved, and into a stagnant and ineffective witness for those who are saved.
What About The Resurrection?

We have already established that it is Jesus’ atoning death on the cross – and nothing else, that redeems us as the propitiation for our sins. (Romans 5:11; Mark 10:45; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5; John 10 spec. vv 17-18) But what of the resurrection? If it is not one of the steps necessary to achieve salvation, then what it is for? What does the resurrection accomplish? The answer to that is quite a bit! For instance:
1. His resurrection proved that He overcame death, and thus is indeed the Son of God, that He is truly Divine. “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4); because it was not possible for death to maintain its hold on Him (Acts 2:24). (See also 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; 2 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 1:18)
2. His resurrection serves as a guarantee of our justification. Note, however, His resurrection did not accomplish our justification, His death did that; but rather it serves as an assurance to us that we are fully justified by His sacrificial death on the cross. 1 Corinthians 15:17 states, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” And in Colossians 2:14 states, “Blotting out the handwriting of of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (cf. Romans 4:25; 8:11) The penalty for our sins has been paid in full, and accepted by God Almighty. (See also 1 Corinthians 15:1-21)
3. His resurrection guarantees that we serve a living Savior. It assures us that he is interceding for us. “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God the justifieth. Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34; Hebrews 7:25).
4. His resurrection guarantees that we are raised up to a new life, as well as guaranteeing our resurrection. Paul wrote, “For we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is cruicified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:5-6); and “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-58, specifically vv20-23 here). (See also Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:20, 21; Ephesians 2:4-6; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
Therefore, when Steven Anderson and others in the New IFB Movement teach that Christ’s resurrection is necessary to secure our salvation, they are demonstrating that they either do not possess even a rudimentary understanding of the death, atonement, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus; or, they do, and they are intentionally misleading their followers.
This brings us to one of the more troubling of Steven Anderson’s doctrines of Jesus, that of His burning in hell for us.
On the Necessity of Jesus Burning in Hell For Our Salvation

In 2014, Steven Anderson sat down with Dr. James White and ostensibly interviewed Dr. White. Near the end of the interview, Anderson and Dr. White were discussing hades, gehenna, and hell. While Dr. White tried to explain to Mr. Anderson that according to the clear teaching of Scripture hell is currently unpopulated, while hades contains those souls who have died in their sins and did not possess the free gift of salvation. Steven Anderson insisted that Jesus went to hell for three days and three nights.

Anderson derives this doctrine from Matthew 12:40, which reads, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” and Acts 2:31, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” The word translated “hell” in Acts 2:31 is the Greek word “hades,” which is the abode of departed spirits. This is not some new understanding of the word, but rather the same understanding of this word that has always been, and Anderson knows this, or, at least he should since he claims to know Greek, and claims to have read the New Testament cover to cover in Greek multiple times.45
Therefore, Anderson must also understand that hades, the abode of departed spirits, is divided into two sections or compartments. In the one are those departed spirits who died in their sin, and in the other are those who died in faith. Note that this is not heaven and hell. This is hades. While some may be inclined to close their minds at this point, just read a little further to understand why I say this.
The best description we have of hades and the two compartments or sections within it, is the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Both die and their departed spirits enter hades (the abode of departed spirits). If you will look at verse 23, you can see that the rich man is in hell. This is translated from the same Greek word hades that we see in Acts 2:31. In reading verses 23-24 of Luke 16, we see the rich man lifting up “his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazaarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” Abraham answers him in verses 25-26, reminding the rich man that he had a great life on earth and Lazarus a horrible life on earth, and now the roles are reversed. He goes on to explain to the rich man, “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”
Did you notice that the rich man could see Abraham and Lazarus, and they could see him, and a conversation took place between the rich man and Abraham. Therefore, this cannot be heaven and hell, as in heaven, “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain” (Revelation 21:4). Do you really believe that those in heaven will be able to look down into the depths of the earth and see people, possibly their loved ones and friends in eternal torment, and not experience sorrow, not cry, not be in emotional pain? Do you really believe that once in heaven we will be able to look down on those in eternal torment and care one bit? Not likely.
Furthermore, in Revelation 20:13-14 we see see that at the great white throne judgment, where the wicked will be judged by God before being cast into hell for all eternity, hell delivers up the dead in it, and after the judgment hell is cast into the lake of fire (also commonly known as hell). In both verse 13 and 14, the word hell is translated from the Greek word hades. Common sense should tell you that hell giving up the dead within it, so they can be cast into hell, and then hell itself is destroyed by casting it into hell makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Is God the God of confusion? No! (1 Cor.14:33)
It makes perfect sense to understand this as hades, the abode of departed spirits gave up the dead within it, and was later cast into the gehenna (the lake of fire) and destroyed, while the wicked dead were themselves cast into gehenna where they will suffer eternal torment. This makes more sense because this is the correct understanding, which has been the position of the Church for the past 2,000 years. When those who die in their sins – such as the rich man, they are cast into one compartment of hades where they are in torment; and those who die in faith were sent into another compartment of hades known as Abraham’s Bosom, or Paradise, where they are comforted.
We read also read about this in Luke 23:42-43, when the thief on the cross says to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” and Jesus tells him, “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Comparing this to Matthew 12:40 and Acts 2:31, we can easily and clearly see that Jesus was not cast into hell upon death. He and the thief entered hades, into that part of hades known as Paradise, or Abraham’s Bosom. Incidentally, the other thief, the one who continued to curse and mock Jesus, likely entered into that compartment of hades reserved for those who died in their wickedness, just like the rich man.
The lowest section of that area of hades where the spirits of the wicked dead have been temporarily consigned is known as tartarus, and it is mentioned only once in all of Scripture – 2 Peter 2:4. Again, since Steven Anderson claims he knows Greek and has read the New Testament in Greek, cover to cover multiple times, he is fully aware of this. Tartarus is also known as “the abyss,” and is the habitation of those angels “which kept not their first estate, but left there own habitation,” and as a result, God “hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 6). These are the angels who are mentioned in Genesis 6:1-7, who “saw the daughters of men...and took them wives of all which they chose. ...and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” As a result, God destroyed the earth with a worldwide cataclysmic flood, sparing only Noah, his family, and the creatures on the ark.
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; … the Lord knoweth how...to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Peter 2:4-5,9).
It is this same deep abyss that demons are afraid to go, begging Jesus not to send them there (see Luke 8:31); and it is this same deep abyss where Jesus went during those three days and three nights before His resurrection. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:19-20; cf Ephesians 4:8-10)
Remember now, Steven Anderson claims to know Greek, and claims to have read the New Testament cover to cover in Greek multiple times, so one would naturally assume he know all of this already. Yet, he continues to insist that Jesus spent three days and three nights burning in hell; and not just burning in hell, but being burned up as a burnt sacrifice in order to be an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord for our sins.
Now, we have already learned, from the very clear and explicit teaching of Scripture, that it was Jesus’s shed blood and death on the cross that made atonement for our sin. Not His burial, not His resurrection, not His ascension, but His shed blood and death on the cross is the acceptable sacrifice for our sin, that made atonement for our sin, that was the propitiation for our sin. Regardless of the clear and explicit teaching of Scripture, or perhaps in spite of the clear and explicit teaching of Scripture, Steven Anderson teaches it’s not enough. It’s acceptable to God, but not to Steven Anderson. No, because Steven Anderson insists that Jesus must also be a burnt sacrifice in order to be a God ordained sacrifice, a sacrifice acceptable to God; because, he reasons, all sacrifices are burned, all offerings are burned, and the Passover lamb is roasted.46
As we have already seen, again in the very clear and explicit passages of Scripture, God looked upon Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross as an acceptable sacrifice. That was all that was necessary as an acceptable sacrifice to God; and, that is all that was necessary to atone for our sins. Steven Anderson says no, Scripture is wrong, God is wrong, but he is right. That is not all that Steven Anderson is wrong about, because when he says all sacrifices are burnt and all offerings are burnt he is wrong.
There were five types of offerings in the Old Testament, and they can be divided up into two categories. The first are the burnt offerings which are to be completely and totally consumed by fire, and the second are all the rest of the offerings which are only partially burned on the altar and the unburned portions are eaten. The obvious question to Steven Anderson is does he believe Jesus was totally and completely consumed in the fires of hell to the point where there was nothing left of Him; or, that He was only partially consumed by the fires of hell, with the rest of Jesus eaten by someone or something? Perhaps by cannibalistic demons? Perhaps by Roman Catholics during their mass? Which is it Mr. Anderson?
If Steven Anderson is telling the truth when he claims that he knows Greek and that he has read the New Testament in Greek, cover to cover, multiple times, then he is fully aware of the meanings of hades, and tartarus, and gehenna. If he is telling the truth, then why does he ignore that which he claims to know is true? Why teach something to his congregation and his followers something which he knows is not true? Why would he intentionally mislead them? Steven Anderson has actually given the answer to this numerous times over the years when he has disparaged those who understand biblical Greek and Hebrew, and the numerous times he has spoken against referring to the original languages of Scripture. The answer is because he has a blind adherence to and faith in a specific translation of the Bible, that he rejects the Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew manuscripts upon which that translation is based on.47 This view of his can best be described as “KJV-olatry.”
Well, that, or, he is simply having a 1 Corinthians 2:14 moment.
Steven Anderson’s false and heretical view that Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross is insufficient to atone for our sins leads us to wonder about the view of salvation held by Steven Anderson and his New IFB Movement.


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

In order to determine if a group, organization, denomination, or even individual is actually Christian, one must examine their stated beliefs in the clear and revealing light of Scripture. By comparing their beliefs with the explicit teaching of God's Word, the truthfulness or falsity of their professed Christianity soon becomes clearly evident. Christian beliefs (doctrine) can be broken down into two primary categories. The first are what can be termed primary doctrines, which are those doctrines that directly relate to our salvation and include the requirements for salvation, the gospel, who God is, who the Father is, who Jesus is, who the Spirit is, and those beliefs that are connected to these things. The second category is everything else (this could be broken down further into secondary and tertiary doctrines, but for this article these two categories are sufficient). It is the primary doctrines that we will concern ourselves with in this second part of “Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement.”
Probably the foremost doctrine of Scripture is the doctrine of God. What a person believes concerning God, such as who God is, the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, who the Holy Spirit is, etc., can be a determinative factor regarding ones salvation. The Bible is very specific about who God is, about His attributes and character and so forth. If one believes in a God that does not fit the attributes, character, requirements, etc., as set forth in Scripture, then one is worshiping a false god of one’s own design, and that is nothing more than idolatry.
To begin with, let’s take a look at what the New IFB claims it believes about God. According to the various statements of faith for each of the New IFB churches,
“We believe that Jesus is God, and that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the
virgin Mary. We believe that the Godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and that
these three are one (1 John 5:7). The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct persons
(John 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:27-28, John 8:16-18, John 17:5). This doctrine is commonly known as the
trinity. We reject the heresy of modalism or so-called ‘oneness.’”1


We believe in the traditional and historical teaching reagarding the Trinity. We believe in one
God that is manifested in three seperate persons. (God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holly Spirit)...We believe that Jesus is God, and that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost and born
of the virgin Mary.2


We believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost of the
Virgin Mary. (John 1:1-14, 2 Tim. 3:16, Luke 1:27-35, Matt. 1:23, Isaiah 7:14) … We believe in the Trinity, That is God the Father; God the Son (Jesus); and God the Holy Spirit; and
these three are one. We reject modalism and oneness theology and regard such as a damnable heresy
not consistent with the nature and character of God. (1 John 5:7-8, Hebrews 1:3, Genesis 1:26-27, 2
Cor. 11:3-4, Galatians 1:8-9)3


We believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost of the
Virgin Mary.4


TRINITY – God created the heaven and the earth and consists of three persons: The Father, Jesus
Christ (The Word), and the Holy Ghost and these three are one God.
THE FATHER – The Father so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to die for the sins of
the world. No man has seen the Father but he has been declared by his son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent
to be the saviour of the world.
THE SON – Jesus is the word of God, the son of God and God. He created all things and became flesh
born of a virgin and died for the sins of the whole world, was buried, and rose again.
THE HOLY GHOST – The Holy Ghost is the spirit of truth and guides believers into all truth but he
does not speak of himself.5


We believe that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified on a cross, was buried, and rose again from the dead after 3 days. … We believe that the godhead consists of the Father, the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Ghost and these three are one (the trinity.)6


And the rest of the New IFB churches are pretty much in line with those shown here. Sometimes exact wording, sometimes similar wording. All of them look to be fairly standard church statements of faith regarding the trinity. Well, all except Manly Perry and Old Path Baptist Church, but we’ll get back to him in a moment.
Let’s compare these statements regarding the Trinity with what the Bible teaches about the Trinity, by taking a crash course in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
A Crash Course on the Biblical Christian Doctrine of the Trinity
1. There is only one true and living God. Who is infinite, eternal, and perfect. [Deut.6:4; 1Thess.1:9; Jer.10:10; Job 11:7;26:14; Isa.43:10; 1Cor.8:4; cf. 1Tim.2:5]
2. The one true living God is a Spirit, pure, invisible, without body or parts, or human passions, without change. As a spirit, God is not limited by a body. He neither made up of, nor is limited by, any material elements, and therefore is omnipresent. He is immense, eternal, incomprehensible, omnipotent (almighty), perfect in wisdom and knowledge (omniscient), perfect in holiness, perfect in freedom, perfect in His absoluteness. [Jn.4:24; 1Tim.1:17; Exo.33:20; Lk.24:39; Jam.1:17; Mal.3:6; 1Kgs.8:27; Jer.23:23-24; Ps.90:2; Ps.145:3; Gen.17:1; Rev.4:8; Rom.16:27; Is.6:3; Ps.115:3; Ex.3:14; Job.11:7]
3. The one true living God is, in His nature and essence, A Triune God. The Triune God is comprised of three distinct, but inseparable Persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal in power, co-existent, co-eternal, and consubstantial (of the same nature, substance, or essence, however, this is not to say each is Triune in nature, as they are not). The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. At the same time, however, even though the Three are the One God, they are also distinct in subsistence (having a real individual existence). The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, the Father is not the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not the Father, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not the Son. The Father is never “sent” in Scripture, nor is He incarnated or poured out at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit does not die on the cross for our sins. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding from; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit is eternally proceeding from the both the Father and the Son. [1Jn.5:7; Matt.3:16-17; 28:19; 2Cor.13:14; Jn.1:14,18; Jn.15:26; Gal.4:6; Jn.6:27; Rom.1:7; 1Pet.1:2; Jn.1:1-3; Col.1:16-17; Tit.2:13; Heb.1:2; Acts 5:3-4; 1Cor.3:16; Rom.15:30]
4. Steven Anderson complains about using words that do not appear in the Bible, such as “sovereignty,” “soteriology,” “hamartiology,” “Christophany,”7 and so forth; apparently not understanding that while they do not appear in the Bible, they are used to succinctly describe a concept that is in the Bible, like “Trinity” and “Trinitarian,” both words that he does use. Another word that is used to describe a concept taught in the Bible is perichoresis, which is used to describe the special relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Three, while distinct (as shown), are inseparable; mutually surrounding, indwelling, and glorifying each other. The Father indwells and glorifies the Son, the Son indwells and glorifies the Father, the Father and the Son indwell the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit indwells and glorifies both the Father and the Son. [John 1:1-3; 3:16; 10:37–38; 13:31-32; 14:8-11,18–20; 15:26; 16:13-15; 17:1-5, 20–24; 2 Cor.5:19; Heb.1:3]
Note the illustration of the Trinity below, showing the special relationship that God has with Himself, as expressed by the word, perichoresis.

Now that we have shown what Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement claim to believe regarding God, and now that we have seen what the Bible teaches about God with regard to the Trinity; let’s compare all of this with what Steven Anderson and the New IFB actually believes and teaches about God, as demonstrated in the videos they have made public for all to see.
In order to understand the view of God that Steven Anderson and other New IFB pastors have and preach from their pulpits, it is necessary to understand how it has changed over the past year or two. It is also necessary to understand that as goes Steven Anderson, so goes the rest of the New IFB.
From the outset of his ministry, Steven Anderson believed, taught, and preached Modalistic Monarchianism, which is also referred to as “Oneness Christology.” Monarchianism teaches that God is one single entity or person, as opposed to the Trinitarian belief of one God coexisting consubstantially in three persons. Modalistic Monarchianism is the belief that the single entity of Monarchianism is Jesus, who also manifests as the Father or the Holy Spirit. In many of Steven Anderson's sermons he clearly and explicitly taught that Jesus is the Father, often turning to passages such as Isaiah 9:6, John 14:9, John 10:30, Hebrews 1:3, and others to support his Modalistic beliefs.8
When one former member of Steven Anderson's church was asked if he had ever heard Steven Anderson preach from the pulpit that Jesus is the Father, the man's instant response was, “Of course.”9
Anderson was so insistent in his Modalistic beliefs that, when James White presented Anderson with Luke 23:42-43, where the thief who is being crucified along side Jesus says to the Lord, “Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” and Jesus replied to him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” and asked Anderson to explain how Jesus could be in hell for three days suffering torment (another Anderson belief) while at the same time being in heaven with the thief; Anderson looked at him with a straight face and said that Jesus was in hell, and the thief was in heaven with the Father. When White reiterated that Jesus said the thief would be with Jesus, Anderson said that it spoke to the Trinity. However, unless Anderson is prepared to say that Jesus lied, then he must clearly believe (or at least believed in 2014 when the film was made) that Jesus and the Father are the same person.10
This hard and immovable belief of Anderson's naturally caused other New IFB pastors and evangelists to follow suit and preach from their pulpits the exact same Modalistic Monarchianism that Steven Anderson preached from his pulpit. Donnie Romero,11 Manly Perry,12 David Berzins,13 Roger Jimenez,14 Jonathan Shelley,15 and others all fell into lockstep obedience and began believing and teaching and preaching the exact same thing as Steven Anderson. Then came the bizarre Tyler Baker incident at Faithful Word Baptist Church.
Tyler Baker had been hired by Steven Anderson to be his church deacon, after which he ordained Baker to the deacon position. As it happened (and apparently happens quite a bit at Anderson's church), some unnamed informant for Steven Anderson was eavesdropping on one of Baker's conversations with other church members, discussing Anderson’s modalist beliefs. This informant then went to Anderson and told him that Baker and the others were talking and mentioning his name and so forth. Anderson took that information and managed to work himself up into a rage, convinced that his deacon was leading a conspiracy against him. He immediately took steps to remove Baker from his church.16
An hour after Tyler Baker's wife had given birth to their son, Baker and his two other children stopped off briefly at Faithful Word Baptist church. While there, Tyler was called into the church office by Anderson. The meeting was secretly video recorded by another church member and later posted to YouTube. To say that Anderson came unhinged would be one of the greatest understatements since Noah said it might rain.17 During a lengthy anger-filled screaming tantrum by Anderson, the Faithful Word pastor repeatedly sticks his finger in Baker's face, screams at Baker, makes several threatening movements toward Baker appearing as if he would strike him, calling Baker names, slandering him, and making repeated false accusations of conspiratorial plans on Baker's part, and then ending his dictatorial tirade by firing Baker. All of this while Baker's wife was in active labor, a fact that Anderson himself acknowledges in the video. To his credit, Tyler Baker did not lower himself to Anderson's level of worldliness. He tried to reason with Anderson, he tried to explain things to Anderson, all to no avail. Anderson was beyond reason and he wasn't going to accept anything from Baker with the single exception of the figurative pound of flesh he was extracting through his schoolyard bullying tantrum.

Ironically, when Anderson fired Tyler Baker and kicked him out of the church for believing modalism, Anderson was teaching modalism himself; and Baker, although he was discussing Anderson’s modalistic beliefs, did not hold such beliefs. According to a video made and uploaded by Tyler Baker, he actually believes in a form of tritheism, which is the belief system Anderson switched to after firing Baker.18
Before it was all said and done, several more left Anderson's church. He fired his evangelist Garrett Kirchway when another of Anderson's informants who was monitoring Mrs. Kirchway's social media activity noticed a comment about Mr. Kirchway's modalistic beliefs. Then came Domonique Davis, another Faithful Word staff member fired by Anderson, followed by church members Elliott Ray, Russell Bopst, and Rick Martinez.19
All three left of their own accord because of Anderson's behavior and flip-flopping doctrine. Anderson would not, however, allow them to simply leave on their own accord; and he made it a point to publicly expel them from his church in front of the congregation, while railing against them from the pulpit, calling them names, vilifying them, and more. All of this was, of course, followed by a number of slanderous YouTube videos lobbed at the “heretics” and “reprobates” and (fill in the blank with the Anderson invective du jour). A practice painfully common within the New IFB.
It was not long after, however, that Tyler Baker, Elliott Ray, and others were making videos of their own, using clips from Anderson's church sermons, featuring Steven Anderson and others, clearly and explicitly teaching modalism, the exact same thing Anderson was calling them heretics for believing. Anderson's hypocrisy must have become immediately apparent to him, as he soon posted a video in which he claimed he never taught or believed in what he called “Oneness Pentecostalism” and has always believed in the orthodox view of the Trinity.20 (it should be noted that, the issue has never been Oneness Pentecostalism, as none of them have Pentecostal beliefs or practices. The problem is, in addition to Anderson's hypocrisy, he also has no idea what he is talking about. He does not understand what Oneness Pentecostalism is, nor does he understand what Modalistic Monarchianism is. One would think before leveling charges of heresy, he would have at least learned a bit about the issue at hand.)
This led to even more videos of Anderson teaching modalism, which led to Anderson producing yet another video claiming yet again that he has never believed in anything but the Trinity, that Baker and others were taking him out of context by showing only clips of videos where he was actually refuting modalism.21
When yet more videos which were longer and demonstrated that he was not being taken out of context (some of which are still on the Faithful Word Baptist Church website, indicating that Anderson apparently has no problem with them); Anderson then produced a video claiming that he did say Jesus was the Father, but that he misspoke,22 and clarified that it isn't really heresy to say Jesus is the Father (even though he ostensibly ejected church members for saying that very thing), and then justifying his modalistic comments by claiming that he never said that “Jesus is God the Father.” Apparently in his mind there is some distinction; and saying Jesus is the Father is not modalism, but saying Jesus is God the Father is modalism, or something like that.23
During this mess, it was revealed that Anderson was being less than honest in his actions. Although he railed against and kicked out his church a group of men for believing the exact same thing that Anderson himself believed; at the same time he was very much aware that other New IFB pastors, such as Roger Jimenez, were teaching the exact same thing, yet he only “disagreed” with his very good friend Roger Jimenez as the email shown here demonstrates.24

It's interesting that when New IFB pastors, including Steven Anderson actually teach modalism from behind the pulpit, he doesn't think it is a big deal at all. At best it seems to warrant nothing more than a “disagreement”. But when a group of congregants get together and discuss what their pastor is teaching, and he finds out they are discussing it behind his back, he raises all kinds of hob about it, and publicly chastises them, ridicules them, brands them as heretics and kicks them out of his church, and he does so from the pulpit in front of the rest of the congregation in order to make examples of them, and now everyone knows what happens when you cross Pastor Steven Anderson.
Would it not be more pastoral, if the pastor finds a group of people in his flock that perhaps might hold some unbiblical views, would it not be more biblical and loving to take them aside, find out for sure what they actually believe, and if it is unbiblical then disciple them, teach them, and bring them back in line with God's Word? Would that not be the biblical method of correction? Yes, it would. But by his actions, we can see that Steven Anderson is anything but biblical. By his actions we can see that Steven Anderson is a destroyer. And, as Jesus said, by his fruit we will know him!
But Anderson had made his mistake. He had publicly excoriated several people, ejecting them from his church simply because they believed the same thing he himself had been teaching them to believe. When he tried to cover it up, his lie was exposed, and this was repeated over and over again. He could not back down, however, lest he be exposed as a false teacher.25 Nor could his fellow New IFB pastors, as they too were quick to change their doctrine of God to be in line with Steven Anderson.26 It has been reported that in one instance, Anderson personally telephoned Manly Perry of Old Path Baptist Church in Texas, and told him to change his doctrine of God to reflect what Anderson now believed. It allegedly took about an hour to change Perry's way of thinking to more in line with Steven Anderson.27
Anderson continued to double down on his condemnation of heretical oneness people, as well as maintaining his “I've always been a trinitarian” rhetoric, in video after video after video. The longer he kept this up, however, the more “I'm a trinitarian” videos he and other New IFB pastors uploaded to YouTube, it became increasingly apparent that not only did they have no discernible clue as to what modalism actually is (especially when they were teaching it and calling it trinitarianism), they also do not understand true biblical trinitarianism.
Although Steven Anderson currently states that God is a Trinity, it is worth remembering he stated the exact same thing when he taught modalism. As he goes on to define and describe his version of the Trinity, however, it quickly becomes clear he still does not believe in the biblical Trinity. Anderson describes each person of the Godhead as having:
1. Their own separate, personal body (further explaining the Father and the Holy Spirit have a “spirit body” with hands and a face, etc);
2. Their own separate, personal spirit (Anderson explains that if you believe there is only one Spirit, then you are a “oneness modalist”);
3. Their own separate, personal “seat of consciousness.” He states there are “three seats of consciousness” within the Trinity. Not consciousness in the sense of qualia (which deals more with individual subjective sense perceptions), but rather consciousness as in self-awareness.
Anderson goes on to teach:
4. Jesus does not simply have His own spirit, but in fact has “seven spirits”;
5. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit look identical to the Father in their outward appearance; and,
6. Jesus has always been, for all eternity, a human man. Anderson explains this by saying this is how Jesus was able to walk around on earth during “Old Testament times.”28
It is safe to say that Steven Anderson no longer teaches modalism (although he continues to keep sermons up on his church website that teach modalism, so he may very well go back to a modalistic belief system at some point). However, while it is clear this new belief system of Anderson’s is not modalism, it is equally clear it is not trinitarian either, in spite of Anderson’s claim that he beliefs reflect the orthodox Christian belief of the Trinity that has been held by the Christian church for past roughly two thousand years.
To say, as Anderson does, that the Trinity has three separate people, with three separate and distinct bodies, each with their own separate and distinct spirit (seven for Anderson’s Jesus), and three separate and distinct seats of consciousness is certainly not the orthodox teaching of the Trinity. It is, in fact, tritheism, the belief that there are three gods. In essence, Steven Anderson is trying to meld a monotheistic belief of one God, and a tritheistic belief of three separate gods, and call this blasphemous amalgamation the Trinity.
Hypocritically, Steven Anderson claims Sam Gipp is “demonic and evil” claiming that Gipp is “blaspheming Christ in such a wicked, wicked way” when Gipp preached that Jesus was supposed to be named Emmanuel and not Jesus. While Gipp’s message may have been horribly bad exegesis, or even bad eisegesis, it was certainly not demonic and evil and blasphemy and wicked as Anderson claims;29 While Anderson’s trithesistic three gods in one, with a Jesus that has always been a human man with seven spirits is most certainly blasphemous heresy.
As per the usual course of action among the New IFB pastors, as soon as Steven Anderson teaches something or does something, they rest will undoubtedly don their lemming suits and follow him right off a theological cliff. They did here as well. Donnie Romero and Roger Jimenez went to great lengths to express to their congregations that they too believe and have always believed in the Trinity, just like Steven Anderson. Unfortunately for them, perhaps a little too much like Steven Anderson. Donnie Romero began teaching the members of the Godhead each possessed their own personal and separate body, as well as their own personal and separate spirit. Roger Jimenez repeated this agreeing each had their own body and spirit, but went a step further in an attempt to reiterate his belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ by exclaiming that Jesus is “100% God and 100% of God,”30 like some sort of extension of God, much like a sleeve on a coat. Clearly, Donnie Romero is firmly on the tritheistic bandwagon with Steven Anderson, but it appears Roger Jimenez has one foot on the tritheistic bandwagon, with his other foot still stuck on the modalism wagon.
There is no doubt, however, just where Manly Perry stands. As much as he is trying to obey Steven Anderson and get on board with Anderson's tritheistic view of the Trinity, he seems to be completely stuck on the modalism wagon, teaching that God is one entity, and not three persons, and rebuking those who say God is three persons in one God, as unbiblical. He compares God to man by saying man is a Trinity as well having a body, a soul, and a spirit. In keeping with this train of thought, Manly Perry states that God the Father is the soul of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is, of course, the Spirit of the Godhead, and Jesus is the physical flesh and blood body of the Godhead. “Three in one!” he states as he stands there in this pulpit smiling. But this is the same old modalism he has always taught. It is just that now, like the others, he calls this a trinitarian view of God.31
Other New IFB pastors have already jumped on Anderson’s coat tails, running YouTube and uploading “Trinity” sermon after “Trinity” sermon. The problem is, however, in their zeal to not be identified as the modalists they once were, they have sprinted past orthodox Christianity and right back into heresy; moving from modalism to tritheism.
New IFB pastor Joe Major delivered a sermon not long after the Tyler Baker / Garrett Kirchway incidents, and in that sermon he emphasized that a denial of the Trinity would not be tolerated by him. Not in any way, shape, or form.32 Steven Anderson was apparently impressed by this and posted that particular clip from Major's sermon to his own YouTube channel. In light of the fact the New IFB has moved from modalism to tritheism, one wonders if Joe Major will hold true to his word and separate himself and his two churches from Steven Anderson and the New IFB, or, if he will capitulate to Anderson and walk back back his statements?
At the end of the day, regardless of their reasons for doing so, the god being described by Steven Anderson, Donnie Romero, Roger Jimenez and the rest is the god they serve and worship. It is not, however, the God of the Bible. What Steven Anderson and the New IFB have done is they have created a god of their own design in their own minds; and by doing so they have created and are worshiping an idol. Perhaps not one crafted from wood, stone, or precious metals, but an idol nonetheless. A false god.
The One True God stated in Exodus 20:3-5, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” You will notice this passage says nothing of crafting an idol using solid materials. God simply says, “you shall not make for yourself an idol...” Deuteronomy 4:15-16 says, “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female.” Yet, this is exactly what the New IFB has done.
The Sovereignty of God
Steven Anderson also has a strange view of the sovereignty of God. In a video clip created by Steven Anderson, and uploaded by him to his personal YouTube channel, Anderson states he does not like the word sovereign because “it’s not in the Bible at all, not in the King James one time, and people twist it to mean whatever they want it to mean. And, so, it’s a word that brings confusion. It doesn’t bring clarity to any discussion. It’s a word that’s deceptive, and so I don’t use it.”33
Anderson’s argument here is at best a very weak attempt to justify his belief that God is not sovereign. If he does not want to use a word that does not appear anywhere in the King James version; a word that people twist to mean whatever they want it to mean; a word that brings confusion rather than clarity – then why does he use the word Trinity? It doesn’t appear in the Bible, people twist the meaning of it all the time, and in a conversation with those who do not understand what the Trinity is – like Steven Anderson – it brings nothing but confusion. So why does he use it? No, he doesn’t like the word sovereign, as it applies to God, because Steven Anderson does not want God to be sovereign.
He goes on to say, “You know, it’s better to use the words God uses – the Bible says, I started the sermon with this, 1 Corinthians 2:13, ‘Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;’ So the words which we should use are not the words of man’s wisdom.” This is Anderson’s attempt to equate the sovereignty of God with the false teachings of man, rather than the true teachings of the Holy Spirit, thus delegitimizing the sovereignty of God. Then he continues in a mocking tone, “hermeneutics, homiletics, soteriology, hamartiology, Christophany, Theophany, protoevangelium.” In using the mocking character voice he uses when saying these words, Anderson is mocking those who use such words, trying to make them appear stupid. In fact, he goes on to say, “It’s just stupid to use big words just to impress people – I’m not impressed. Jesus spoke and the common man heard Him gladly. He wasn’t tryin’ to just impress by usin’ big crazy words that no one understood.”34
Well, neither are those who use such words. And while the words may not actually appear in the King James Bible, they describe solid biblical concepts, To mock hermeneutics seems to imply that Anderson thinks it is stupid to employ sound standards of interpretation when reading and studying the Bible, for that is the essence of the word hermeneutics. To mock homiletics is to say it is stupid to be able to write a good sermon that impacts people and teaches them the truths of Scripture. Soteriology – the study of the doctrine of salvation; hamartiology – the study of sin and hw it affects people; Christophany and Theophany – the study of the appearances of both the preincarnate Christ and God on the earth; and protoevangelium – understanding the actions of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and the impact of that first Messianic prophecy – Anderson must think all these are stupid, and through his mockery of them he is encouraging his followers to eschew these studies. Why? Probably because once they actually sit down apart from Anderson, and actually read the Scriptures, they may very well discover he has been leading them down a very wide path to their eternal damnation.
Anderson claims that people twist the meaning of the word sovereign to mean whatever they want it to mean. People do that all the time with any number of words. What is the actual definition of the word? According to Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, as an adjective the word refers to supreme in power, possessing supreme dominion, superior to others, predominant. As a noun, the word refers to a supreme ruler, one who possesses the highest authority without control.35
Does God fit these definitions? Is God a Supreme Ruler who possessed the highest authority? Does God posses supreme power and dominion? Is God superior to others? Is God predominant? According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, God’s Sovereignty is defined as God’s “absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure.36
He also tries to belittle to sovereignty of God by implying it is a satanic doctrine thought up by Calvinism (which Anderson believes is of satanic origin). He claims, “you’ll constantly hear people that are Calvinists harp on this [imitating a chicken] ‘braaak, braaak, God’s sovereign, God’s sovereign, braaak, sovereign, sovereign, sovereign’ they just keep repeating it, and they repeat it so much you start to think it’s a biblical truth! It’s like, ‘well of course God’s sovereign’, right? Like whenever you try..start talking to them that’s like their starting point. ‘Well, you agree that God’s sovereign, right?’ and I always just, ‘No.’...When people say He’s sovereign, here’s what they mean, ‘Oh, He’s controlling everything. He’s controlling everything. Everything is happening on this earth according to His will.’ Let me tell you something. That is a lie. If that’s what you mean by sovereign, no. … That’s a false doctrine. If that’s what you mean by sovereignty, that God’s controlling the events on this earth, then that is a heresy and a false doctrine.”37
Not surprisingly, Scripture disagrees with Steven Anderson. For example:
1. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure – Philippians 2:13
2. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6
3. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any many should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10
4. For who maketh thee to differ one from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? – 1 Corinthians 4:7
5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. – John 15:5
6. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God – 2 Corinthians 3:5
7. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. – 1 Corinthians 12:3
8. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth My counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. – Isaiah 46:9-11
9. Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? – Amos 3:6 [note: evil in this context means calamity or disaster]
10. “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” – Ephesians 1:11
11. A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. – Proverbs 16:9
12. There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. – Proverbs 19:21
13. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, – Romans 9:17-2317
14. There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. – Proverbs 21:30
15. Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? – Ecclesiastes 7:13
16. The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. – Proverbs 16:4
17. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? – Lamentations 3:37
18. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. – James 4:15
16. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; – Revelation 3:7
19. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. – Isaiah 45:7 [note: evil, as used in this context, means calamity or disaster]
20. “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” – John 15:5
And perhaps one should review the Book of Job, noting that Satan does absolutely nothing to Job without God’s sovereign permission.
There is no doubt that God is sovereign, and there is no doubt that Scripture states this clearly, plainly, and repeatedly. He and He alone created the universe and everything in it. He and He alone sustains the universe and everything in it. He and He alone is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. There is not one thing that happens that He is not aware of, not one thing that happens that is outside of His control; and, as we see in Ephesians 1:11, He works all things – all things – after the counsel of His own will. Did you catch that? All Things. God works all things. He knows all things, and all things are done according to His will. That is the very definition of the sovereignty of God; and yet, in spite of what Scripture clearly and explicitly states about this, Steven Anderson refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Why do you suppose that is? Could it possibly be that if he acknowledges God’s sovereignty as clearly and explicitly taught in Scripture then he must also admit that he is not in control; that he does not save anyone (contrary to what he repeatedly states); and that he will be held accountable for all the things he has done that are contrary to the word of God. Could these be the possible reasons?
At the end of the day, only Steven Anderson can answer as to why he rejects the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the sovereignty of God. We should pray that he would reflect on these passages of Scripture, and seriously and honestly ask himself these questions.


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

We now find ourselves in the final segment of part one of this article series, where we will look at the dishonesty, deceit, and dissimulation within and throughout the New IFB. And please note, this segment does not explore the possibility of dishonest, deceit, and dissimulation within the New IFB; but rather exposes the fact that they actually do exist within the New IFB. There is no question at all about this, as there are documented examples of dishonesty, deceit, and dissimulation within the New IFB, and we will examine a few of these examples here. Before we do, however, we must first understand what these terms mean, so that we can see them accurately in the practices of the New IFB.
Dishonesty is the characteristic of being dishonest; behaving in an untrustworthy, or fraudulent, or unethical manner. Also includes engaging in illegal activity.
Deceit is the practice of acting in a manner designed to intentionally deceive or mislead people; to cause them to believe something that is not true.
Dissimulation is the intentional concealment of one's true thoughts, feelings, or character by presenting a façade, i.e. false feelings, a false character, false thoughts, and false pretenses to others, while concealing from them ones true self.
With these definitions in mind, let's look at some documented examples of dishonesty, deceit and dissimulation within the New IFB.

EXAMPLE ONE:
Since 2012, Paul Wittenberger has been involved with, or in some way connected to, at least twenty Steven Anderson film projects. He has moved his “production company” called Framing the World (an LLC whose sole purpose is to run a small online business) to Tempe, Arizona and he is a member of Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church. He has, in effect, become the media branch of the New IFB.
Some of Steven Anderson's critics have claimed that Paul Wittenberger “made porno films.”86 To be honest and truthful, Wittenberger actually has worked on two homosexual pornographic films; one in 2007 (the “Itty Bitty T**** Committee” a lesbian themed pornographic film) and one in 2008 (“Dog Tags” a male homosexual themed film). He also worked on numerous low budget horror films which featured graphic gore, nudity, and sometimes sexual content. In all fairness to Paul Wittenberger, however, he did not produce these films, he did not direct these films, and he did not even film these films. He was an electrician.
In fact, the only thing he has done on any of the Hollywood films and television programs he has credited to him on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is electrician work (as an electrician, grip, gaffer, best boy) and work with lighting. That's it. Granted he could have chosen a better class of films to work on, but the chances are good he would have been fired and not hired again. According to his IMDb credits the only time he has actually picked up a camera and done actual filming, or worked as a director or producer is on Steven Anderson films.87 Paul Wittenberger is not the pornographic producing boogie man that many of Anderson's critics make him out to be. From a Christian perspective, however, he is far worse. Far, far worse.
In addition to selling a plethora of Steven Anderson films and products, and other New IFB items on his Framing the World website, Wittenberger also sells anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi material. Of course this is in keeping with Steven Anderson's anti-Semitic views (which will be discussed later in this series). But even these items, as evil as they are, are not the worst thing Paul Wittenberger promotes and sells – that dubious honor goes to the New Age Eastern Mysticism and Hindu Spirituality products Paul Wittenberger promotes and sells on his Framing the World website.88
Now bear in mind that Paul Wittenberger and Steven Anderson are partners in numerous film projects. Wittenberger sells Steven and Zsuzsanna Anderson material. Paul Wittenberger attends Faithful Word Baptist Church and Steven Anderson is his pastor, and most importantly, Steven Anderson endorses Paul Wittenberger (saying he is a “Great Guy!” and calling him “my good friend Paul”), he endorses Wittenberger's Framing the World website, and encourages his congregation and others to support Wittenberger by purchasing the items for sale on Wittenberger's website. Not only has Anderson created a video to this effect titled, Paul Wittenberger is a Great Guy!; but he has also written a blog article about this and posted it to his church website. In this article Steven Anderson writes, “His online business is an excellent resource for purchasing additional materials similar to what you would find on the back table of our church for free. … Framing the World Productions is a great cause to support! … On behalf of my good friend, Paul, I’d like to thank those of you who have donated or purchased from his website. Framing the World is a business, and it’s a good business.”89
An interesting choice of words Steven Anderson uses in his promotion of Paul Wittenberger's online store at Framing the World; saying the items he sells are “similar to what you would find on the back table of our church...” Interesting because Wittenberger sells numerous Auromere products, which are billed as “ayurvedic” products. Note the word “vedic” there. Vedic means relating to the Vedas. The Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures, and are considered to have been given to man directly from the Hindu gods.90 According to WebMD, “Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world's oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. It's based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit.”91
Additionally, Auromere – the company whose products Paul Wittenberger endorses and sells, and Steven Anderson endorses by endorsing Wittenberger's website, is owned and operated by a non-profit Integral Yoga ashram (a Hindu monastery) in Northern California. According to the Auromere website, Integral Yoga is explained as: “One of Sri Aurobindo’s unique contributions to humanity is a perfect synthesis of the inward and deeply profound mysticism of the East and the outwardly refined sensibilities of the West. In the East, there has been a long-standing tendency towards the abandonment of this world in favor of that Supreme reality which so many mystics have discovered. In the West, there is an ever-increasing and insatiable thirst for material ‘progress’ and enjoyment, often to the detriment of the inner life. Sri Aurobindo affirms the partial truths contained in each worldview, and points the way towards a more Integral Yoga which exalts and fulfills Life to its greatest expressions, calling humanity towards its lofty and as yet still undreamed of possibilities. In The Mother, Sri Aurobindo presents a particularly inspiring description of one aspect of the Divine Mother:”92
Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, yogi, guru, poet, who died in 1950. His writings have become a standard among the New Age groups such as Auromere. When purchasing items from Paul Wittenberger's website – the website Steven Anderson encourages you to purchase from – you are either directly or indirectly supporting this New Age Mysticism and Hindu company, either by purchasing their products from Wittenberger, or by purchasing other products thus enabling Wittenberger to continue purchasing New Age products to sell.
You might also be interested in knowing that Auromere also supports a New Age commune in India known as Auroville, and 10% of all proceeds from Auromere products sold on Paul Wittenberger's website are devoted to supporting “the development of Auroville, the City of Dawn,” the “City of Human Unity” which the “Divine Mother” has expressed as the fulfillment of her vision of a city “where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the Supreme Truth.”93 Auromere also supports the “Sri Aurobindo Centre of Integral Education” in Ichapur, India, where “education of mind, body, life, and spirit” are given “equal importance.”94 It should go without saying that the “Divine Mother” is not the One True God, and the “Supreme Truth” has nothing to do with the One True God.
Steven Anderson has correctly noted that yoga is not Christian,95 and that the “lord” of Hinduism is Satan himself.96
And yet he and Paul Wittenberger continue to endorse and promote these New Age Hindu Mystic products, the sale of which go to further Hinduism. Anderson even goes so far as to encourage his congregation and others to purchase these products! That he can preach against this kind of fellowship with devils97 while at the same time encouraging fellowship with devils, is the very definition of hypocrisy. As the pastor of a church one of his primary responsibilities is to protect the sheep that have been entrusted to him – his congregation – however, instead of protecting them, he is encouraging them to support a form of satanism known as Hinduism. Can any pastor who does this truthfully be called a man of God?

EXAMPLE TWO:
In a blog post titled “Where Pastors Stand on the AIDS Sermon” written by Steven Anderson on one of his two blogs, Anderson noted that after he preached his sermon on A.I.D.S., “Several pastors have stood with me in my stand on the word of God against the filth and perversion of our day. Several others have contacted me asking to be removed from our church's directory of soul-winning, KJV-only, independent Baptist churches because 'they don't want to be associated with this controversy.'”98
Anderson then goes on to include two lists in this article. One is a list of those pastors who Anderson claims have “publicly supported” him, “encouraged” him, and backed him up on what he has preached. Those pastors are, according to Steven Anderson:
1. Pastor Tim Coleman of 35th Avenue Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ
2. Pastor David Berzins of Word of Truth Baptist Church in Prescott Valley, AZ
3. Pastor Donnie Romero of Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX
4. Pastor Roger Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, CA
5. Pastor Logan Robertson of Westcity Bible Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand
Of these five pastors, four of them (Berzins, Romero, Jimenez, Robertson) are part of Anderson's New IFB movement. Anderson himself ordained Berzins and Romero and sent them out to start churches for him. Jimenez is a childhood friend of Anderson, meeting him when he was only sixteen years old. Of course these pastors sided with Anderson.
The other list contains the names of three pastors whom Anderson claims have contacted him and asked him to remove them from his directory of New IFB churches (every church on that list is part of Anderson's New IFB movement), as a direct result of Anderson's sermon on A.I.D.S. because they allegedly “don't want to be associated with this controversy.” They are:
Pastor Joshua Gregg of Ponderosa Baptist Church in Flagstaff, AZ
Pastor Bob Gray II of Longview Baptist Temple in Longview, TX
Pastor Steve Cox of Trinity Baptist Church in Mocksville, NC 
When those who asked to be removed from Anderson's directory were contacted, a different account of events began to emerge. Pastor Stephen Cox stated he did not know Anderson, or anything about him. He stated he had seen a few videos and they were enough to convince him he wanted nothing to do with Anderson. He then emailed Steven Anderson and stated he did not want to be associated with Anderson at all. It was not as a result of his sermon on A.I.D.S., but rather the result of Steven Anderson's overall condemnatory and hateful teaching.99
Pastor Bob Gray II stated, “I found my name on his website, and I don't agree with anything he preaches, so I asked him to remove my name. He never sought permission or reached out to me to put my name on his website, so I had to reach out to him and ask him to remove it. I don't subscribe to anything Steven Anderson does, and I feel sorry for anyone who does.”100
But why let the truth stand in the way of a good story, especially if that story helps him to accomplish his goals? So Steven Anderson went on the offensive and attacked those who would not support his hate mongering, saying, “apparently these 'old-fashioned' Baptists are up to the minute with their doctrine! Do they allow homosexuals in their churches? If so, guard your kids when visiting these churches!” He then states he really doesn't know this to be true, nor why they won't stand by him. He goes on to say, “All I know is that instead of supporting their brother in Christ in his struggle against wickedness and perversion, they are actively discouraging him in his time of persecution and tribulation.”
Steven Anderson made these comments for two reasons. The first is because he desired to be recognized by legitimate Christian IFB churches, which he believed would give him an air of legitimacy with the old IFB. This would help him reach his publicly stated goal of taking over the old IFB, running out the current IFB pastors, and replacing current IFB teachings with his New IFB teachings, replacing current IFB pastors with New IFB pastors, with Anderson at the top of his New IFB empire,101
much like Jack Hyles who rose to the top of the old IFB, and stayed there until his sin brought him back down (although before his fall he managed to become a multi-millionaire power broker with the money he amassed through his church, First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana.
Being recognized as legitimate by the old IFB apparently became less urgent to Anderson as he and his church began bringing more and more money each week; eventually bringing in tens of thousands of dollars each and every week in tithes, offerings, and online donations, according to the man who was once responsible for managing the Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation finances.102
Less urgent does not mean his stated goals have been completely forgotten or abandoned, however, and as the money continues to roll in, his power continues to grow (another lesson he has learned from Jack Hyles), and with power and money Anderson can continue to expand the New IFB through more and more church plants and satellite churches.
The other reason for his statements is to punish those churches who refused to lend their name to his movement. In his article Anderson first attempts to disparage and discredit those pastors and their churches by insinuating they allow pedophiles to be unsupervised around children in their churches, and then innocently adding he doesn't really know this. Well, if he doesn’t know this to be true, then why does he make this slanderous statement? What purpose does it serve other than to cast a cloud of suspicion over those pastors and churches who will not allow him to co-opt their names for his movement. He then goes on to slander them further by stating they are “actively discouraging him,” their brother in Christ, “in his time of persecution and tribulation.”
This is, of course, an obvious lie. In fact, all of it is. These pastors did not turn their backs on him because of his sermon on A.I.D.S., they want nothing to do with him because of all the things he teaches. He never asked them if they would like their names on his New IFB church directory, he simply added it without saying anything to them. Anderson's sermon on A.I.D.S., and the unchristian comments he made in it, caused an uproar – deservedly so, and rather than go down and be swallowed by weight of the criticism he brought down on himself; he simply makes himself out to the be victim in all of it, in an attempt to elicit sympathy from his followers (which he did) and gain new followers (which he did) who saw him as the underdog, the lone pastor who, like David, stood alone against a giant. In Anderson's case he made it out to be some giant amorphous militant homosexual conglomerate and its supporters.
As previously noted, Steven Anderson claimed there were at least five pastors who, “publicly supported me, encouraged me, and backed me up on what I have preached.” Of those five pastors, four of them are New IFB pastors who are loyal to Anderson, and so it is not surprising the would stand with him regardless of the issue. But what about the fifth pastor, Tim Coleman? Did he really publicly support, encourage and back Steven Anderson, as Anderson claims? When he was recently asked about Anderson's claim regarding him, Pastor Coleman responded with, “That article has to be close to two years old. I am NOT a part of the NIFB. I would never associate with that cult. I offered my friendship to S L Anderson many years ago due to his strong stand on the King James Bible and for soulwinning. He was a little harsh and crude, but very bold and zealous. I thought I could have a maturing influence on him and provide him with some balance without compromise (that CAN be done, though few succeed). He proved his obstinance about 20 months ago, and so I have no fellowship with him. Not sure he's not a plant of some kind to sow discord among the brethren. He has changed his doctrines and refuses to acknowledge it. He has turned into a slanderer and lies to cover up his sins.”103

EXAMPLE THREE:
Filing Fraudulent Documents with the California Secretary of State – Part One
The fraudulent document in this incident is document known as a “Statement of Information.” In the state of California, companies and corporations must file a “Statement of Information” with the California Secretary of State office on a regular basis. The form is fairly simple and straight forward, it contains the name of the company, the name of the owner and officers, the address of the business, a description of the business, and so forth.104
On January 29, 2019, Verity Baptist Church, a California Non-Profit Religious Corporation, filed its yearly Statement of Information. This form noted the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and his home address as: “Roger Otoniel Jimenez 303 River Run Circle, Sacramento CA 95833”; it noted the corporation secretary and his home address as: “Oliver Alexander Gonzalez 101 Luna Grande Circle, Unit 67, Sacrament CA 95834”; and it noted the church corporations Chief Financial Officer and his home address as: “Matthew Ryan Stucky 320 Harris Ave Suite A, Sacrament CA 95838.”
*Please note, this document is a matter public record and accessible by anyone at anytime completely free of charge from the California Secretary of State office. Revealing the home addresses of these individuals in this article is not revealing anything that isn't already public knowledge.
The form is completed by filling out the final box which states, “The Information Contained Herein is True and Correct” and then noted with the date the form was filled out and the name and title of the person completing the form and verifying all information is true and correct. The individual attesting to this on this particular form is Roger Otoniel Jimenez, pastor. It is dated 01/29/2019.
Although this all looks like fairly standard paperwork, nothing out of place or out of order, in this case looks can be deceiving. For although the CEO and his home address are accurate, and the secretary and his home address are accurate, the CFO and his home address are not accurate. The home address given for CFO Matthew Ryan Stucky is 320 Harris Ave, Suite A, Sacramento, California 95838 is not a residence at all. It is a retail space in a strip mall where Verity Baptist church meets for services. And when they meet in their strip mall church, Matthew Ryan Stucky does not join them, because he does not live in Sacramento. In fact, he does not live in California, nor even in the United States. Matthew Ryan Stucky is lives in Manilla, in the Philippine Islands, where he pastors a church almost 7,000 miles away from the California church where he is ostensibly the Chief Financial Officer.105
While it is impossible to know exactly what the CFO of Verity Baptist church actually does without reading the CFO job description which Verity did not make available for this article, at the very least the CFO is the person responsible for managing the all financial transactions in the church. Exactly how Matthew Ryan Stucky manages to do this from almost 7,000 miles away is still a mystery.
More to the point, however, is Matthew Stucky's home address as stated on Verity's 2019 Statement of Information. There is no doubt that Stucky does not live in the church. Furthermore, in a telephone conversation with Oliver Gonzales, a corporate officer with Jimenez' Verity Baptist Church, Mr. Gonzales stated in an emphatic manner that Matthew Stucky was, in fact, not the Chief Financial Officer for Verity Baptist Church.106 As the corporate secretary, one of three top officers for Verity Baptist Church, Mr. Gonzales would certainly be in a position to authoritatively know without any doubt who the Chief Financial Officer is or is not.
There is also no doubt that Roger Jimenez is fully aware of this fact, and was fully aware of this when he filled out and signed this form. In short, he knowingly placed false information on a legal document and filed that document with a government office in the state of California.
While all of this may sound like a minor infraction of the law akin to jaywalking, it is still a violation of state law. In fact, what Roger Jimenez did by providing false information on this form was specifically violate California Penal Code 115 PC – Filing False Documents, and it is a felony in the state of California. According to the Shouse Law Group website,107
California Penal Code 115 PC specifically makes it a crime to “knowingly file, register or record a false or forged document with a government office” in the state of California. As noted, doing so is a felony, and the penalties are fairly severe including potentially being sentenced to up to three years in the California State Prison system, as well as a fine of up to $10,000. Furthermore, a person filing more than a single false document can be charged with a separate count of filing false document for each false document that is offered for filing, recording, or registering; even if all the documents are related to one another. And, in some cases, it is possible for California Penal Code 115 PC to be considered a crime of moral turpitude. Not exactly what one looks for in a pastor.
Again, according to the Shouse Law Group, there are three elements which must be met in order for Roger Jimenez to be guilty of this crime. They are:
1. He must have either a) offered a false or forged document for filing, recording or registration in a public office in California, or b) caused a false or forged document to be filed, recorded, or registered in a public office in California. Roger Jimenez would be guilty of this element if he either of these two qualifiers are met. Not both of them, but either of them. Offering a document just means that it has been offered. It is not necessary for the document to actually be filed, or recorded, or registered for this element to be met. It only has to be offered for filing, recording, or registering. Additionally, if he caused a false document to be filed, such as having someone else take it in to be filed for him, he would still be guilty of this element.
2. When he did so, Roger Jimenez knew that the document was false or forged. This element is met if Roger Jimenez knew the document was false or forged. The false or forged qualifier is met “if the information contained in the document is of such a nature that the government is required or permitted by law to rely on it; or, the information contained in the document materially affects the rights of third parties in a way that is contemplated by law or regulation providing for the document to be filed in a public office.”
3. The document was one that, if genuine, could have been filed, recorded, or registered in a public office in California. This element is self-explanatory.108
Did Roger Jimenez offer the Statement of Information to be filed in a public office in the state of California? Yes. Did the document contain false information? Yes. Not only is the home address given for CFO Matthew Stucky incorrect, as Matthew Stucky lives in the Philippines, not in Sacramento; but also, as verified by the corporate secretary, Oliver Gonzales, Matthew Stucky is not the CFO for Verity Baptist Church.
Did Roger Jimenez have personal knowledge that Matthew Stucky was not the CFO and that he did not live at 320 Harris Ave, Suite A, Sacramento, California 95838? Yes, he did. If the corporate secretary is aware that Stucky is not the CFO, then it is more than reasonable to assume that the CEO, Roger Jimenez, is also aware of this, just as he is aware that the address given as Stucky's home address is actually the address of the church which Roger Jimenez pastors. He would know that Stucky did not live at the church. Additionally, if the state of California should ever be required to contact the CFO for Verity Baptist Church, it would be required and/or permitted to rely on the information given on the form Roger Jimenez filled out, and that information would be intentionally incorrect.
If the document had been filled out with accurate and correct information, could it have still been filed, recorded, or registered with the California Secretary of State, a public government office in the state of California? Yes.
It is painfully obvious that Roger Jimenez meets all the elements to be found guilty of violating California Penal Code 115 PC – Filing a False Document.
And, as if this were not bad enough, California Penal Code 115 PC – filing false documents carries with it related offenses. Those pertinent to Roger Jimenez and the document in question include:
1. PC 470 – Forgery. This is defined as the act of intentionally a) signing someone else's name; OR, b) faking a seal or someone else's handwriting; OR, c) changing or falsifying a legal document; OR, d) faking, altering, or presenting as genuine a false financial document. Therefore, if you first falsify a legal document, and then offer or cause that false document to be filed, such as Roger Jimenez has apparently done, he could be charged with both forgery and filing a false document. Forgery is also a felony and could result in an additional three years in prison. In addition to PC 470 – Forgery, also related is,
2. PC 118 – Perjury. This is defined as deliberately giving false information while under oath. By signing the Statement of Information, a legal document, Roger Jimenez attested that all the information contained within that form was true and correct. In other words, by knowing that some of the information was incorrect, when Roger Jimenez signed the document he was deliberately giving false information while under oath. PC 118 – Perjury could also be added to the PC 115 – Filing A False Document, and PC 470 – Forgery, and potentially carrying with it an additional four years in a California State Prison.
Roger Jimenez meets all the elements necessary to charged, tried, and found guilty of three separate felonies in the state of California. If charged, and if found guilty, and if the judge sentenced him to the maximum allowable sentence to be served consecutively; Roger Jimenez could potentially face a $10,000 fine and 10 years in a California State Prison.

EXAMPLE FOUR:
Filing Fraudulent Documents with the California Secretary of State – Part Two
As with the previous example of deceit, dishonesty and dissimulation within the New IFB movement, this example also concerns a fraudulent “Statement of Information” filed with the California Secretary of State. Not by Roger Jimenez (we'll leave him alone for the time being, as he potentially has enough legal problems of his own); but rather, this example concerns Steven Anderson and Delfin Bruce Mejia. First, a little clarifying background information. In January 2006 Steven L. Anderson registered Faithful Word Baptist Church with the state of Arizona as a Non-Profit, Tax-Exempt Domestic Corporation with himself as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), President of the corporation, Solitary member of the corporations Board of Directors, and Statutory Agent for Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation; while also assigning himself all power to make, alter, amend, and repeal any bylaws for the governing of Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation.
[Note, all of you folks who attend Faithful Word and think you are Faithful Word Baptist Church – think again, you're not. Legally, it is Anderson, and Anderson alone.]
In September 2017, Steven L. Anderson, by and through his corporation – the Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation, filed with the Secretary of State for the state of California, a “Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation” document, thus establishing Faithful Word Baptist Church of El Monte, California, a subsidiary of Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation. The designated “Agent for Service of Process” was listed as Delfin Bruce Mejia. The document is signed “Steven L. Anderson.”
Less than a month later, on October 4, 2017, Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation of Tempe, Arizona filed the first Statement of Information for its subsidiary in El Monte, California with the California Secretary of State. On that Statement of Information we read the following:
1. Corporate Name: Faithful Word Baptist Church
2. Street Address of Principle Executive Office: 2620 W. Greenway Road, Tempe, AZ 85282
3. Street Address of Principle Business Office in California: 2600 Tyler Ave, El Monte, CA 91733
4. Chief Executive Officer: Steven L. Anderson 2620 W. Greenway Road, Tempe, AZ 85282
5. Secretary: Zsuzsanna Anderson 2620 W. Greenway Road, Tempe, AZ 85282
6. Chief Financial Officer: Garrett Kirchway 1522 E. Southern Ave, Apt 1090, Tempe, AZ 85282
7. Agent for Service of Process: Delfin Bruce Mejia
8. Street Address of Agent for Service of Process: 533 W. Wardlow Rd, Long Beach, CA 90806
*And again, this document is a matter public record and accessible by anyone at anytime completely free of charge from the California Secretary of State office. So revealing the home addresses of these individuals in this article is not revealing anything that isn't already public knowledge.
The document was completed by Garrett Clarence Kirchway, CFO, dated 10/04/2017 who also attested that all the information contained herein is true and correct. And it is true and correct, with everything filled out accurately. In fact, there isn't a single problem with this document. The following year, however, on September 25, 2018, the second Statement of Information for Faithful Word Baptist Church in El Monte, California was filed with the California Secretary of State. It was filled out and completed by Delfin Bruce Mejia and attested by him that all the information contained herein is true and correct, and that is the problem. You see, Delfin Bruce Mejia filled out the corporate name (Faithful Word Baptist Church), and the corporate number (C4065071), and then he came to box number 3, the “No Change Statement.”
The “No Change Statement” reads, “If there have been any changes to the information contained in the last Statement of Information filed with the California Secretary of State, or no statement of information has been previously filed, this form must be completed in its entirety. If there has been no change in any of the information contained in the last Statement of Information filed with the California Secretary of State, check the box and proceed to item 13.”
At this point Evangelist Mejia checked the box noting there were no changes to the previously filed Statement of Information dated October 4, 2017, then he went down to item 13, signed his name, Delfin Bruce Mejia, his title of Evangelist, and the date of September 25, 2018, and then he filed the document with the California Secretary of State. The problem is that not everything is the same as the previously filed Statement of Information, because by September 25, 2018 Garrett Kirchway was not the Chief Financial Officer for Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation.
On May 27, 2018 – a full four months before the Statement of Information was filled out and filed by Delfin Bruce Mejia; Steven L. Anderson – the President, CEO, and sole member of the Board of Directors for Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation preached a sermon titled “Trinity 101.” In that sermon, which was posted to a public forum (YouTube) on that same day, fired Garrett Kirchway and kicked him out of the corporation/church.109
Therefore, as with the case of Roger Jimenez in the previous example, Evangelist Delfin Bruce Mejia filed a false document with the California Secretary of State, and, as with Roger Jimenez, Mejia also faces possible convictions of California Penal Codes PC 115 – Filing a False Document, PC 118 – Perjury, and PC 470 – Forgery; and, if charged, tried, found guilty, convicted and sentenced consecutively he potentially faces a $10,000 fine and 10 years in a California State Prison. And that is if only Bruce Mejia is involved. If he received his information from CEO Steven Anderson, or Corporate Secretary Zsuzsanna Anderson, and filled out the September 25, 2018 Statement of Information on their direction and based on information provided by them, and they caused him to falsify a legal document and offer that false document for filing, recording, or registering with the State of California Secretary of State, then Steven L. Anderson and/or Zsuzsanna Anderson and/or Bruce Mejia could individually or corporately be guilty of these crimes. The real question at this point, however, is if the situation required it, would Bruce Mejia be willing to fall on his sword to protect Steven and Zsuzsanna Anderson?
A telephone call by this author to the California Secretary of State confirmed that filing false documents containing false and fraudulent information, with the state of California, is most certainly a crime. At the very least we see a pastor and an evangelist with the New IFB movement engaging in fraudulent and illegal practices; and possibly an additional pastor and his wife involved as well. Hardly examples of Christ-likeness.

EXAMPLE FIVE:
Ben the Baptist and Jeff Utzler
Who are “Ben the Baptist” and “Bro. Jeff Utzler”? Both are minor YouTube celebrities among the New IFB crowd; Ben with his “weekly roundup” videos where he pretends to interview a few New IFB pastors who have time for his nonsense, as well as his extremely childish and blatantly sycophantic anti-Adam Fannin videos. Jeff Utzler is best known for creating what he calls “documentaries” (actually slanderous hit pieces he creates against those who have criticized the New IFB), as well as puerile prank phone calls to the elderly (he apparently thinks these are hilarious). Both have small but loyal followings among the New IFB adherents.
One would think that at least with Jeff Utzler trying to determine exactly who he is would be fairly well cut and dried. Jeff Utzler is Jeff Utzler. But, if this is true, then who is Jeff Kutzler? Their photos and videos when compared side by side clearly show they are one and the same person. In reality his name is actually Jeff Utzler. He is a firefighter/paramedic and a medal winning Jiu Jitsu grappler according to news media reports.110

The question remains, however, why does he use the surname of Kutzler on some occasions and his real surname of Utzler on other occasions? If one watches enough of his videos it soon becomes clear he even has others in the New IFB flip flopping between surnames. All in all it is confusing, pointless, and dishonest. Presenting yourself as one person, and then another person whom you are not, is lying.
“Ben the Baptist” does the same thing Jeff Utzler does, but at a significantly higher level of deception. Most people know that “Ben the Baptist” is the “on-air” “brand” or name used by Benjamin Knight. Before he became “Ben the Baptist,” Benjamin Knight ran an alt-right / Patriot Movement / Sovereign Citizen style website called “We the Vigilant” from June 2015 to August 2017. The site contained the standard anti-liberal and anti-Democrat controlled government articles with click-bait style headlines such as: “Satan's World Government is Coming,” and “The Satanic United Nations Agenda,” and “The Mark of the Beast is Being Implemented Today”; as well as the usual “The Government is Trying to Kill Us With (GMO's / Flouride / Vaccinations / fill in the blank with your favorite conspiracy theory)!” type stories. In addition he also made a name for himself with his “The Maverick Live” podcast where he “reported” stories similar to those on his “We the Vigilant” website. He became known in alt-right circles as Benjamin “The Maverick” Knight. In some of his Ben the Baptist videos he is still referred to as Benjamin Knight by his “guests” (other New IFB folks), even though he had already introduced himself as Ben the Baptist.
Using a screen name is not necessarily dishonest. It's known as creating a brand, something folks will recognize as distinctively you. There are innumerable Benjamins in the world, with a massive number of them creating YouTube videos (the chosen venue of Ben the Baptist), but there is only one Ben the Baptist. So whether he is “Ben the Maverick”, or “Ben the Baptist,” most simply know him as Benjamin Knight, member of Stedfast Baptist Church Jacksonville, promoter of the New IFB, etc. What many people do not realize, however, is that Benjamin Knight is fictitious as well. He doesn't exist. His real name, his birth name, is Benjamin Elie Naim (pronounced Bin-yah-mon Ay-Lee Nay-EEM).
Ben Naim was born November 6, 1993. Where, however, is still a question mark. According to biographical information he provided to the “Amendment Avenger” website, he was born in Engelwood, New Jersey.111
According to the University of Northern Florida where he went to school, however, he was born in Lebanon, moving to the United States in 2011, to attend school in Florida.112
When one watches his Ben the Baptist videos, he is often seen railing and spouting hatred about the “filthy sodomites” and those who criticize Steven Anderson or who support Adam Fannin (his former best friend whom he abandoned instantly on the word of Anderson113), whom he refers to as “reprobates”, a word he almost spits out of his mouth.114
In the world of Steven Anderson and his followers in the New IFB, a reprobate is someone whom God has rejected and who is destined to hell. They cannot be saved, there is no hope for them, etc. This is usually determined by Steven Anderson, although his followers are allowed to attach the reprobate designation to anyone they choose. When comparing Ben the Baptist with Ben Naim, the difference is like night and day (respectively). While Ben “the Baptist” Knight rants, rails, and spews virulent hatred (when he isn't chatting up other haters) throughout his many videos; Ben Naim is known for volunteering with Hearts and Hammers of Calgary where he helped repair homes for disadvantaged elderly, and spending two years volunteering with Grace United Methodist Church helping to alleviate poverty.115
While Ben “the Baptist” Knight hurls derogatory words as he is condemning homosexuals to eternal torment in hell with no hope for salvation; Ben Naim is volunteering with a church belonging to a denomination that accepts homosexuals with open arms, accepts openly homosexual clergy, and performs homosexual marriages.116
Which of these two is the real Ben? The angry, vocal, homosexual hating, invective hurling, conspiracy theorist Benjamin Knight; or the quiet young man with the distinctively Lebanese Jewish name117 who partners with a gay affirming church to help alleviate poverty?
Benjamin Naim has an online resume featuring a brief introduction, a sample of content he has produced, and an “about” page that explains a little bit about himself. It's very nice, well done, and what one would expect from a recently graduated communications major seeking a career in journalism. On that “about” page, Ben Naim states, “My driving motivation is to expose false information and bring honesty and integrity to the world of journalism, no matter what field I choose to report on.”118
Recently, Ben “the Baptist” Knight was confronted with the dishonesty he has shown by presenting himself as Benjamin Knight, when he is actually Benjamin Naim.119 Initially he tried to deflect the charge by pointing out “Ben the Baptist” was a screen name, a “brand” he used to promote the content he produced. It was then pointed out to him that by claiming his “driving motivation is to expose false information and bring honesty and integrity to the world of journalism” – a direct quote from his Ben Naim online resume website – while presenting himself as someone other than who he actually is, is not just dishonest, but hypocritical as well. As soon as the quotation was used, however, Benjamin “The Maverick” “The Baptist” Knight / Naim locked down his online resume. Within minutes of using the quotation, his resume went from being public – where potential employers (as well as everyone else) could see it; to being “protected” and “private” indicating no one, not even potential employers can see his resume without first signing up with Wordpress, and receiving his permission.

Ben's actions now beg the question, what is it about his online resume that he is trying to hide? And who is he trying to hide it from? His now locked down online resume bears a 2019 copyright date, demonstrating that it is current as of January 2019. This seems to support that he is leading a double life, and being dishonest about who he really is.
Dishonesty, deceit, and dissimulation in the New IFB seem to be a fairly common practices as can be seen throughout the examples presented here; and they certainly seem to support the testimony of former employees and church members who have matter-of-factly stated, “He [Steven Anderson] blatantly lies. He has no regard for the truth.…There have been so many things that are just made up, and that's one thing that really shocked me about Steven Anderson, was just the blatant lies.”120 and, “He does lie. He blatantly lies. That really kind of blew me away at first, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, like he's probably been misinformed; but he's a liar. He lies about, he just makes stuff up; and what he does – he does this every single time, he fills his movements head, all their heads, with just a little idea, like maybe this or maybe that, and then the next thing you know the whole movement is repeating it likes it's a fact.”121
Another former member who left Faithful Word Baptist Church, left not simply because of Steven Anderson's changing doctrine and beliefs; but also because he noticed Anderson would simply make up false stories about people who had angered him. He witnessed Anderson falsely saying all sorts of horrible things about these people that church members clearly knew were not true. He stated that Steven Anderson had no problem whatsoever falsely lying about people and slandering them with false accusations. This former member posted a video message to Pastor Steven Anderson online, and in that message he stated to Anderson, “Here's my charge to you Pastor Anderson, and I'm trying to remain humble as possible, but quite frankly I'm sick of your lies. Here's my charge to you,...you are an exaggerator, you are a liar; just lie after lie comes spewing out of your mouth. …I never thought you would turn into the person that you are.”122
This was reiterated by yet another former member of Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church, when he stated that Anderson spread malicious lies about his former deacon Tyler Baker and others, whom Anderson had kicked out of his church for allegedly spreading oneness Pentecostal heresy and trying to divide his church by secretly trying to convince people to leave Anderson's church and attend a different church. When this former member thought Anderson's claims sounded too far fetched, he began to seek out those who were allegedly spoken to in an attempt to coerce them into leaving. This former church member soon discovered that only three people were spoken to, and there was nothing coercive about the discussions. They simply discussed a doctrine which Anderson himself had been teaching for years. He stated that Anderson, “lied with malicious intent,” and “he wanted to destroy these people's lives.” All of the accusations leveled by Anderson were simply born out of Anderson's imagination.123
These behaviors are not limited to Steven Anderson and his Faithful Word Baptist Church, as former New IFB member Steven Harper who attended the New IFB church, Stedfast Baptist in Fort Worth, Texas can attest. Concerning his experiences with these behaviors in the New IFB church he attended, Harper stated in a video he posted online, “the manipulation and lies my family was put through, as well as others, I have come to the conclusion this is a cult.”124
Example Six:
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha' Gonna Do When They Come For You?
In our final example of dishonesty, deceit, and dissimulation in the New IFB (though there are many, many others that could be included) we are going to look at a portion of a sermon preached by Steven Anderson at Faithful Word Baptist Church on January 9, 2019. The sermon is entitled “Sheba Son of Bichri (Adam Fannin Exposed)” Now this particular sermon is significant for many reasons. One reason is that it introduces a new New IFB doctrine, that of a required penance necessary for restoration after certain sins (as determined by Steven Anderson) are committed. If that restoration is not permitted, then the person is considered a “reprobate” who is eternally rejected by God and condemned to eternal hell. This new doctrine of the New IFB will be examined in more detail later in this series.
However, what we are primarily concerned with in this sermon, at this point in our examination of the New IFB, are comments made by Steven Anderson during the sermon, as part of the sermon, regarding Adam Fannin. Anderson said:
“We beseiged him, we backed him into a corner, that's why he walked away. You say, how did you beseige him? Well look, we exposed all of his lies, we documented and proved him to be a liar over and over again; we proved him to be the flattering, covetous, devil that he was; we proved he was doing wicked things with the finances and everything else over there; and we proved all these things beyond a shadow of a doubt, and then he's lyin' and deceiving and dissembling, and he basically highjacked that building over there. So we ended up pulling out the lease of the building and you know what? The lease didn't have his name on it. The niece, the lease was Stedfast Baptist Church Donnie Romero; so the guys out there, the righteous remnant out there, which is the majority of the church out there by the way is not with Fannin. The majority of the church out there, you know what they did? They called the police to evict him! And said, 'here's the lease, here's the..you know..we got a letter from the new pastor, we got a letter from the old pastor, we got the lease in our hand, this guy is squatting in this building!' And then, all of a sudden, he makes a video, 'Hey guys, I'm just gonna walk away guys.' Yeah, you better walk away punk, because the cops are gonna come drag..you know..what a phony to act like, 'oh, you know, it's gettin' weird man, it's getting' dangerous.' Yeah! You better know it's getting' dangerous for you, you thief! You liar!” Anderson then begins to sing the theme from the reality show, “COPS”, “'bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?'”125
In this sermon we see Steven Anderson stating as fact to his congregation:
1. “We beseiged him, we backed him into a corner” referring to Adam Fannin.
2. “We exposed all of his lies, we documented and proved him to be a liar over and over again...we proved he was doing wicked things with the finances and everything else over there. We proved all these things beyond a shadow of a doubt”
3. “The majority of the church out there, you know what they did? They called the police to evict him! And said, 'here's the lease, here's the..you know..we got a letter from the new pastor, we got a letter from the old pastor, we got the lease in our hand, this guy is squatting in this building!'”
4. Fannin left the Stedfast building – and remember, this sermon was on the 9th, and Shelley officially fired him only two days prior on the 7th, so we are talking about these events (the firing, him walking away from the building, and this sermon) all taking place within a 48-hour period. So Fannin walked away from the whole mess, for no reason other than he refused to get caught up in the theatrical melodrama unfolding in the New IFB. Anderson, however, takes his walking away as an opportunity to metaphorically kick him some more, saying, “Yeah, you better walk away punk, because the cops are gonna come drag..you know..what a phony to act like, 'oh, you know, it's gettin' weird man, it's getting' dangerous.' Yeah! You better know it's getting' dangerous for you, you thief! You liar!” Anderson then begins to sing the theme from the reality show, “COPS”, “'bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?'”
But just how true are these words of Pastor Steven Anderson to his congregation? Had Anderson truly “proved” and “documented” that Adam Fannin was “doing wicked things with the finances and everything else over there”? In short, no. Anderson has not proven any such thing. In fact, in a telephone interview with Steven Anderson, he admitted the “investigation” into Adam Fannin's alleged misdeeds consisted of, “well, there were, um, basically a few guys from the church there in Jacksonville, they went around the casinos with pictures of Adam Fannin and Donnie Romero, asking if people recognized them, because, you know, there were transactions on the banking..at casino ATM's, and so they went to those casinos where transactions had taken place, and two different people that worked at the casinos said that they didn't recognize Romero, but that they did recognize Adam Fannin, But they couldn't be 100% sure, but they said, yeah, I believe I've seen this guy in here, but they hadn't seen Romero; and then another casino recognized Romero. So it wasn't really a hard and fast thing where they're willing to testify or something, 'cause they said they would only testify or cooperate if they were subpoenaed, right, that was a..there were a couple of soft hits on Adam Fannin.”
That's it. That was the entire “investigation.” A couple of guys from the Jacksonville church visiting some casinos were two people might have maybe seen Fannin, but they could not be sure. That is Steven Anderson's “proved” and “documented” evidence that Adam Fannin was “doing wicked things with the finances and everything else over there.” It may have been true, and proven, and documented in Steven Anderson's imagination, but in reality it was not. It was all speculation and fantasy whipped up by Steven Anderson, and he intentionally lied, intentionally deceived his own congregation about it. And this is not all he lied about.
Anderson claims that the “majority” of the Jacksonville church “called the police to evict him!” Showed the police the lease and a “letter from the new pastor” and told the police that Fannin was “squatting” in the building. While this may have played well in Anderson's own mind, it is, like his other comments, pure fiction. In a telephone interview with Benjamin Naim, also known as “Ben the Baptist,” who is one of the unofficial leaders in the Jacksonville church, and probably the most outspoken critic of Adam Fannin, “Ben the Baptist” stated the police were never called, and were never involved in any way with the Adam Fannin situation.126 Never called. Never involved. Anderson is caught in yet another bald-faced lie.
When asked directly if the police were involved, Anderson said, “I'm not 100% sure, but..'cause I was not directly involved, but..I believe..you know, I honestly don't know the answer to that question.”127 From Anderson's own mouth, an admission that he honestly did not know if the police were called because he was not directly involved in the situation. An admission that when he was pounding on his pulpit, yelling at his congregation that the police were called, and were shown the building lease, and were shown a letter from the new pastor, and were told that Fannin was “squatting” in the building – he was lying to his congregation. He was intentionally deceiving his congregation. The people he is supposed to be protecting, and leading, and instructing in the truths of Scripture; and he intentionally lied to them. Looked them straight in their eyes and lied to them.
To Pastor Steven Anderson we now sing, “bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when the Lord comes for you?” Repent Steven. Repent of your sin. Sin made even more serious because you knew those were lies you were telling your congregation, and still you intentionally told them. God hates a lying tongue Steven Anderson, as you well know since you preached on that very subject back in 2009.128 And need you be reminded that preaching against a lying tongue while possessing one yourself is nothing short of unadulterated hypocrisy. Another sin for you to repent of Steven.
Proverbs 6:16-19 seems appropriate here. For those unfamiliar with it, it reads, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” For someone who constantly preaches against another abominable sin, demanding those who engage in it should be put to death by the government, is he willing to apply that same standard to himself as he is admitedly guilty of an abominable sin. In fact, if one honestly examines the list of seven abominable sins in Proverbs 6:16-19, it will quickly become apparent that Steven Anderson is guilty of six of those sins.
Another passage of Scripture that comes to mind is Luke 16:10 which states, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” [emphasis added]
As we come to the end of part one, we are again confronted with the question posed earlier: is the New IFB a cult? Former New IFB member Steven Harper certainly thinks so, as do others formerly involved with the New IFB. Again, this is not a question to answer just yet, as there is more to come in part two where we will examine three areas of essential doctrine, comparing what Steven Anderson and the New IFB teach with what God’s word teaches.
With all the dishonesty, deceit, and dissimulation pervading the New IFB, perhaps a reminder of what God Himself has to say about this is in order. We read in Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Note that last category of people who will be cast into the lake of fire: “all liars.” And note that liars are grouped together with the fearful and unbelieving, the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters. That is how serious God takes lying. It is an abomination to Him just as homosexuality is (Proverbs 6:16-19; Leviticus 18:22). Hopefully and prayerfully, Steven Anderson, Jonathan Shelley, Roger Jimenez, Bruce Mejia, and others in the New IFB Movement will repent of their sin, and seek forgiveness in Christ.


Sources:
Part 1A:
1. Article: What is the New IFB, The New IFB Website, https://www.thenewifb.com/what-is-the-new-ifb accessed 16 March 2019.


2. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 25 January 2019.


3. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019


4. Hyles-Anderson College website “About” page: https://hylesanderson.edu/about/; Hyles-Anderson College Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyles%E2%80%93Anderson_College


5. Article: Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church, by Bryan Smith, Chicago Magazine Online, Published December 11, 2012, https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/ accessed 16 March 2019


6. Article: Hyles: I'm no dictator. First Baptist leader defends, by Debra Gruszecki – North West Indiana Times, May 28, 1993, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/hyles-i-m-no-dictator-first-baptist-leader-defends/article_fc79e105-a9e7-507e-bd03-d3834d335a1f.html accessed 16 March 2019


7. Video: Linda Murphrey - April 5, 2012, Uploaded by Linda Murphrey, Published on Aug 5, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsOlLqBEyo&feature=youtu.be accessed 16 March 2019


8. Article: Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church, by Bryan Smith, Chicago Magazine Online, Published December 11, 2012, https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/ accessed 16 March 2019


9. Video: Linda Murphrey - April 5, 2012, Uploaded by Linda Murphrey, Published on Aug 5, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsOlLqBEyo&feature=youtu.be accessed 16 March 2019


10. Available online at: The Biblical Evangelist, Chapter 3 - The Saddest Story We Ever Published!, http://www.biblicalevangelist.org/jack_hyles_chapter3.php accessed 16 March 2019


11. Video: Linda Murphrey - April 5, 2012, Uploaded by Linda Murphrey, Published on Aug 5, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsOlLqBEyo&feature=youtu.be accessed 16 March 2019


12. Please see the following news media articles:
Experts say Esther Combs child-abuse case is unusual, by Angela K Brown – Associated Press Writer, http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/combs/abuse_case.htm


Accused minister once a local Bible teacher – Combs and his wife were quiet neighbors whom no one suspected of illegal adoption, abuse by Daniel J. Yovich, Nov 15, 1998, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/accused-minister-once-a-local-bible-teacher/article_2ebf31f5-f72b-5ed2-b47d-660ce5454d22.html


Esther Combs faces the woman she called mother and asks: 'Why?' by Becky Campbell, http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/combs/ester_evan.htm


Ex-orphan claims abuse by parents, The Associated Press, Mar 8, 2000, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-orphan-claims-abuse-by-parents/article_fe65e9c4-0893-5f38-b417-927fbfaf0700.html


2 guilty of abusing orphan, The Associated Press, Mar 24, 2000, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/guilty-of-abusing-orphan/article_27b25ef2-a42c-5f99-b092-b98515d76254.html


Preacher Combs and wife get 179 years in prison, Compiled by Lewis Loflin, http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/combs/


A camera zoomed in to show the trembling hands of a young woman in a blue dress telling a reporter her heart wrenching story, a lifetime of abuse at the hands of the people she thought were her parents, a story that began in Northwest Indiana and ended in Bristol, Tennessee Nov 3, 2000, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/a-camera-zoomed-in-to-show-the-trembling-hands-of/article_d5686c01-305e-54dd-81b0-c20d3e768082.html


13. Article: Systemic, widespread abuse, By Neil Nakahodo | Shelly Yang | Sarah Smith, December 05, 2018, https://www.star-telegram.com/living/religion/article222681130.html accessed 16 March 2019


Article: Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church, by Bryan Smith, Chicago Magazine Online, Published December 11, 2012, https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/ accessed 16 March 2019


14. Article: Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church, by Bryan Smith, Chicago Magazine Online, Published December 11, 2012, https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/ accessed 16 March 2019


15. Please see the following news media articles:
Jack Schaap Pleads Guilty in Teen Sex Case, Denies Knowing Act Was Crime
By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter – Sep 27, 2012
https://www.christianpost.com/news/jack-schaap-pleads-guilty-in-teen-sex-case-denies-knowing-act-was-crime-82304/


Jack Schaap, Indiana Pastor, Claimed Jesus Wanted Him To Have Sex With Teenage Girl
By Meredith Bennett-Smith
03/14/2013, Updated Dec 06, 2017
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/jack-schaap-pastor-sex-teenage-girl-indiana_n_2877551.html


Ex-megachurch pastor blames underage victim, wants out of prison
Bill Dolan – The Times of Northwest Indiana, Jun 3, 2014
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/ex-megachurch-pastor-blames-underage-victim-wants-out-of-prison/article_2ae9324b-eacf-546e-9f73-c12147f5726f.html


16. Among the Hyles-Anderson/First Baptist Church of Hammond alumni convicted of pedophilic molestation are: A. V. Ballenger, Christopher Settlemoir, Chester Mulligan, William Beith, Jack Schaap, Tedd Butler, Joseph Combs, Craig Sisson, Russell Overla, Andy Beith, Charles Shifflett, David Joseph Jorgensen, Earl Reeves, Evangeline Combs, Jeffrey Jarrell, Jeremiah Owen, Kerry Martin, and Sheldon Stotmeister.
Others who while credible accused, but were never prosecuted include:
1.Jim Vineyard, good friend of Jack Hyles, Vineyard has managed to escape prosecution when his victims came forward after the statute of limitations had expired.
2. Paul Fox, after being found to have engaged in immoral relationships with at least two minor children, Fox was shipped off by his pastor, Bruce Goddard, to First Baptist Church of Hammond, and Hyles-Anderson college. He was never charged for his crimes as they were covered up by Goddard and his friend Jack Hyles.
3. Bob Olson, Faculty member at Hammond Baptist High School and on staff at First Baptist Church has been outed by his victims for molesting boys;
4. Greg Neal, Hyles-Anderson graduate, escaped prosecution by hiding evidence until after the statute of limitations had expired;
5. Matt Jerrill, former Hyles-Anderson student, arrested on suspicion of rape and sodomy, escaped prosecution by committing suicide in his jail cell.


Article: Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church, by Bryan Smith, Chicago Magazine Online, Published December 11, 2012, https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/Let-Us-Prey-Big-Trouble-at-First-Baptist-Church/ accessed 16 March 2019


Article: Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S., by Sarah Smith – Star Telegram, Dec. 9, 2018, https://www.star-telegram.com/living/religion/article222576310.html accessed 16 March 2019


Article: These ‘men of God’ sexually abused children. Then they found refuge at other churches, by Sarah Smith – Star Telegram, Dec. 9, 2018, https://www.star-telegram.com/living/religion/article222576430.html accessed 16 March 2019


Article: List of Hyles Related Clergy Sex Abuse Cases, From 2013, http://jeriwho.net/lillypad2/?p=18589 accessed 16 March 2019


Article: List of Hyles Related Clergy Sex Abuse Cases « Blog on the Way, Tuesday, August 7, 2012, http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/08/list-of-hyles-related-clergy-sex-abuse.html accessed 16 March 2019


17. Steven Anderson Interview on The Point with Reginald Richardson, Botswana Radio Station GABZ FM, "Breakfast with Reg" program, 20 September 2016
Anderson stated during this interview, “God has chosen me to be a prophet to the nations, to preach the word of god, and to sound it out with no fear with boldness not like these preachers who are only interested in people's money so they tell them what they want to hear for money. I don't want your money, I want to preach the truth; you can like it or lump it.”
The audio interview can be heard at the following links:
Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=463Ai4PU0mw
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f73tpvfqgfc
Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPZFIh3jCeg


18. Video: God, the Pastor, and You (Bro. Chris Segura), Uploaded to YouTube by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) after it was streamed live on January 6, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vRWxC3u1ds&feature=youtu.be accessed 16 March 2019


19. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019
Steven Anderson claims Pastor Nichols laid hands on him and ordained him as a pastor. Pastor Nichols claims he placed his hand on Anderson's shoulder and prayed for him, as he does many people, but never ordained him. Anderson has said the act of Nichols placing his hand on Anderson's shoulder while praying for him counts as an ordination. Nichols also states neither he nor his church sent Anderson to Tempe to start Faithful Word Baptist Church. What he did do was bring Anderson up in front of the congregation and asked the congregation to pray for him as he was starting a church in Tempe, which the congregation did. This is not the same as being specifically sent by the church, but for Anderson it was close enough, and he considers that to mean he was specifically sent by Regency Baptist Church. Anderson claims he as documented proof which he provides on his blog. His documented proof consists of one church bulletin and two letters, none of which say anything whatsoever about Anderson's supposed ordination or sending. At the end of the day, Steven Anderson was neither ordained nor sent as he has repeatedly claimed.


Video: Response to Pastor Stephen R Nichols' False Accusations, uploaded by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) after it was streamed live on July 8, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A83arpQEYc accessed 16 March 2019


Article: Response to Stephen R Nichols' False Accusations, by Steven Anderson, July 8, 2015, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2015/07/response-to-stephen-r-nichols-false.html accessed 16 March 2019


Article: Wow, what a shock – NOT!, by Zsuzsanna Anderson, Wednesday, August 1, 2012, http://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.com/2012/08/wow-what-shock-not.html accessed 16 March 2019


20. Article: Controversial pastor draws more than 200 to ‘red hot’ preaching conference, by Anita Chabria and Cathy Locke – The Sacramento Bee newspaper, online edition, July 29, 2016, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article92740612.html accessed 16 March 2019


21. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019


22. Article: Controversial pastor draws more than 200 to ‘red hot’ preaching conference, by Anita Chabria and Cathy Locke – The Sacramento Bee newspaper, online edition, July 29, 2016, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article92740612.html accessed 16 March 2019


23. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019


24. Note the numerous anti-this pastor or that pastor videos produced by Steven Anderson. He has slandered and spread innuendo and gossip about Adam Fannin, Sam Gipp, Bob Gray Sr, Andy Sluder, Tyler Baker, Tyler Doka, Victor Tey, and many, many other church pastors; with no regard to the unbiblical anti-Christian nature of his actions.


25. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019


26. Please see the following news media articles:
Embattled Vacaville pastor ends trial by pleading to arson, stalking charges
By Ryan Chalk |
PUBLISHED: January 15, 2015 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: August 29, 2018 at 12:00 am
https://www.thereporter.com/2015/01/15/embattled-vacaville-pastor-ends-trial-by-pleading-to-arson-stalking-charges/


Ex-Girlfriend of Pastor Charged With Arson: 'He Wants to Kill Me'
Mark Lewis' accused of hiring transients to throw a firebomb into his ex’s home.
By LYNN REDMOND, BROOKE STANGELAND and ALEXA VALIENTEApril 25, 2014— — Apr 24, 2014 11:19 AM ET
https://abcnews.go.com/US/girlfriend-pastor-charged-arson-kill/story?id=23456987


Former pastor takes plea deal to end arson, stalking trial
By Jess Sullivan
https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/crime-solano-county-courts/former-pastor-takes-plea-deal-to-end-arson-stalking-trial/


Vacaville Congregation Selling Property To Pay Pastor’s Bail
By Derek Shore, February 21, 2014
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/02/21/vacaville-congregation-selling-property-to-pay-pastors-bail/


Former Vacaville pastor sentenced for arson, stalking ex
Mark Wayne Lewis pleaded no contest last month
Updated: 11:12 PM PST Feb 24, 2015
https://www.kcra.com/article/former-vacaville-pastor-sentenced-for-arson-stalking-ex/6420481


Pastor Accused of Repeated Vandalism Against Former Girlfriend
Posted 11:09 AM, January 12, 2014, by Sam Cohen, Updated at 11:13AM, January 12, 2014
https://fox40.com/2014/01/12/pastor-accused-of-repeated-vandalism-against-former-girlfriend/


Accusations Continue to Pile Up against Vacaville Pastor
Posted 10:05 PM, January 13, 2014, by Ian McDonald, Updated at 11:21PM, January 13, 2014
https://fox40.com/2014/01/13/accusations-continue-to-pile-up-against-vacaville-pastor/


Mystery in Vacaville, California–Who Killed Joanna Lynn Lewis?
Randolph Harris3508, February 23, 2015
https://randolphharris3508.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/mystery-in-vacaville-california-who-killed-joanna-lynn-lewis/


Calif. Pastor Exposed by Personal Drug Dealer in Midst of Allegations That He Firebombed Ex-Girlfriend's Home While Family Slept
By Jessica Martinez, CP Reporter, Thursday, January 16, 2014
https://www.christianpost.com/news/calif-pastor-exposed-by-personal-drug-dealer-in-midst-of-allegations-that-he-firebombed-ex-girlfriends-home-while-family-slept.html


California ‘firebomb’ pastor investigated for meth dealing: report 
By Philip Caulfield | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | Jan 24, 2014
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/california-firebomb-pastor-investigated-meth-dealing-report-article-1.1590404


Records tie Vacaville pastor to meth probe
By Jess Sullivan
https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/crime-solano-county-courts/records-link-vacaville-pastor-suspected-in-arson-case-to-undercover-meth-probe/


27. Email from Rev. Stephen R. Nichols, pastor of Regency Baptist Church, Orangevale, California. Received 31 January 2019
Repeated attempts were made to contact Roger Jimenez to afford him the opportunity to either confirm or deny that Mark Lewis actually ordained him and sent him out to start Verity. Jimenez has thus far ignored all requests. Therefore, we are left with two options. Either Mark Lewis, a meth-dealing, adulterous pastor ordained Jimenez and sent him out to start Verity (which would call into question such an ordination and sending considering Lewis was not qualified to be a pastor; or, Jimenez ordained and sent himself just as Steven Anderson did.


28. A search of real estate records revealed that Anderson's church is neighbors with a doctors office, an advertising firm, and a realty investment business.


29. Email from Steven Anderson to Victor Tey, dated 07 July 2017. Featured in Victor Tey's video series, “Response to Pastor Steven Anderson”:
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6OsfTpsNbk
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amjz3lmOCU
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 3) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6vi12tVts


30. www.faithfulwordbaptist.org Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


31. Paul Wittenberger IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1509561/


32. sanderson1611 https://www.youtube.com/user/sanderson1611
Steven Anderson https://www.youtube.com/user/truebornsons
Steven Anderson https://www.youtube.com/user/faithfulwordbaptist
and his churches YouTube channel: faithful word baptist church https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTh8KEvQAwMuJI0_zwdqVIg


In addition to his four YouTube channels, Anderson has three Facebook pages, two blogs, two Twitter feeds, and three Instagram feeds. Anderson may have more social media accounts, as these ten were uncovered with only a brief cursory internet search.
https://www.facebook.com/pastorstevenanderson/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Anderson/100031639953162
https://www.facebook.com/Faithful-Word-Baptist-Church-183465927963/
http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/
http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/page9.html
https://twitter.com/sanderson1611?lang=en
https://twitter.com/fwbclivestream
https://www.instagram.com/sanderson1611/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ84mkYh8HO/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/faithfulwordbaptist/?hl=en


Interestingly, Anderson wrote a blog article titled, The Green Grass of Social Media (http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-green-grass-of-social-media.html), where he outlines the deceptive nature of social media. With the massive social media presence he has, he should certainly know about that!
Due to the false doctrine being taught on these social media pages, visiting them is strongly discouraged.


33. https://teachallnations.net/ Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


34. kjvprophecy.com/ Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


35. www.hardpreaching.com/ Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


36. repentanceblacklist.com/ Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


37. https://www.truebornsons.com/ Due to the false doctrine being taught on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


38. www.wordoftruthbaptist.org/ Due to the false doctrine being contained in the statement of faith on this website, visiting it is strongly discouraged.


39. In light of his hate group status, and the messages of explicit hate which Anderson exports all around the world, PayPal and other online payment companies have refused to do business with Steven Anderson. This has not, however, dissuaded Anderson from doing business with them. He simply opens up another account in another name, with another address, and a different bank account. The company is none the wiser. Yes, it is deceitful, and therefore unbiblical, but as Mel Brooks said in History of the World, Part 1, “It's good to be the king.” Plus, this way Anderson continues to receive donations from around the world. According to one former employee who left Anderson's church in 2017, those online donations average, from a yearly perspective, approximately $20,000. Per week. Per week. That works out to $1,040,000 dollars in online donations (alone, not counting weekly offerings taken in at the church each week) coming in each year to the Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation, a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation, Steven L. Anderson, CEO; Steven L. Anderson, President; Steven L. Anderson, Chair and sole member of the Board of Directors thus granting Steven L. Anderson sole and complete authority over all aspects of this corporation, including all decision making authority, and all decision making authority with regard to the disbursement of all money coming into the his church. A donation to the church is really just a donation to Steven Anderson. Just so you know.


40. “Word of Truth Baptist Church, Prescott Valley, AZ” was initially started as a subsidiary church to Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church; started by his friend and protege David Berzins. Berzins later left to start his own church in Georgia, and Word of Truth reverted back to Steven Anderson who uses it as a sort of training academy for his cadre of up and coming protege pastors and evangelists. The church has very few attending according to neighboring business in its strip-mall location, though occasionally a few people are seen entering its doors, and they do have a sign up, so it must still be a church. Of sorts. However, when one visits the “church” website at http://www.wordoftruthbaptist.org/, all one sees is a front page with two buttons. One button to view a doctrinal statement virtually identical to Steven Anderson's doctrinal statement, and a second button marked “Donate” which redirects to a donation page. Those visiting are told they are actually donating to Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church, rather than to Word of Truth Baptist Church. In fact, there is no option presented to donate to Word of Truth Baptist Church, even on its own website. On January 23, 2019, the Word of Truth Facebook page was updated reflect a change in the churches address, which is now simply, “Prescott Valley, Arizona” (no street address given), and the telephone number is now a “Google Voice” telephone number, which relays straight to a prerecorded message giving service times and nothing more. It is also interesting to note that although Word of Truth is a subsidiary church of Steven Anderson's church, it does not appear on the church directory of Steven Anderson's church website. Curious, eh?


Part 1B:
41. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 25 January 2019
Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019
Telephonic interview #01 with Jonathan Shelley, pastor of Pure Words Baptist Church in Houston, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Stedfast Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Interview done on 27 February 2019
Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 24 Jan 2019
Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 Feb 2019


42. Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019


43. The term “Love Bombing” was originally used by members of the Unification Church, and was coined by the cults founder, Sun Myung Moon (remember the “Moonies”?) back in the 1970's. Moon insisted his followers smile. All the time. Every waking moment. He believed if a person was full of love, then they would be smiling. He referred to the practice of always smiling, and thus exuding love, as “love bombing.” The practice is not limited to cults, and can be and has been employed by manipulators and abusers in many different areas of life. Cult leaders such as Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, and others often utilize a form of love bombing, where they provide for the needs and often the desires of their followers and recruits. In doing so, they would gain their trust, loyalty, and obedience. They knew of they could control the relationship between them and their followers, then they could control their followers. In many cults, when a potential member arrives as a visitor, they will go out of their way to express their happiness at the visitor being there. The goal is to attract them to the friendliness of the group, with the goal of getting them to return. On each successive visit, the group will begin to supply for the visitors needs and so forth. Once the visitor is a member, the love bombing will often continue until such a time as the new member is not longer needed, wanted, or tolerated – usually because they question the leader. The leader will also use the threat of shunning a member, by kicking them out of the group and manipulating the remaining followers to avoid the newly shunned person at all costs. This can be especially traumatic when the all of the newly shunned persons friends are in the group, and no shun them as well. Many groups emphasize a radical separation from the world, teaching the world outside the group is a foul wicked place full of evil ready to pounce and victimize the group members should they ever find themselves outside the group. It can be a very powerful manipulative technique. For more information on love bombing and cults in general, the following articles are recommended:


How Cults Work
https://www.cultwatch.com/howcultswork.html


What's 'Love Bombing' And How To Tell If You've Been A Victim Of It
From showering you with gifts to messaging you non-stop throughout the day, we delve into the worrying behaviours of a 'love bomber', who might have convinced you they're 'the one'.
By Katie O'Malley - Elle/August 2, 2017
https://culteducation.com/group/798-abusive-controlling-relationships/30262-what-s-love-bombing-and-how-to-tell-if-you-ve-been-a-victim-of-it.html


The Danger of Manipulative Love-Bombing in a Relationship
Spot the warning signs of love bombing early and recover faster with these tips.
Dale Archer M.D, Posted Mar 06, 2017
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201703/the-danger-manipulative-love-bombing-in-relationship


44. Article: “Hyles: I'm no dictator. First Baptist leader defends,” by Debra Gruszecki – North West Indiana Times, May 28, 1993, https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/hyles-i-m-no-dictator-first-baptist-leaderdefends/article_fc79e105-a9e7-507e-bd03-d3834d335a1f.html accessed 17 March 2019


45. Telephonic interview #02 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 30 January 2019


46. Former members of Stedfast Fort Worth Steven Harper and his wife Jamie Harper, as well as a current Stedfast Fort Worth church member who has asked to remain anonymous, have reported such things as happening.


47. Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 Feb 2019


48. Sermon Transcription: Bastard Barry" - Sermon about Barrack Hussein Obama (KJV Bible Preaching), delivered Steven Anderson at Faithful Word Baptist Church on 02 November 2014, http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/transcript_bastard_barry.html accessed 17 March 2019


49. Article: Open Letter to the Person Protesting Verity Baptist Church, by Steven Anderson, Friday, July 1, 2016, http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2016/07/open-letter-to-person-protesting-verity.html accessed 17 March 2019


50. Email from Victor Tey to Steven Anderson, dated 06 July 2017. Featured in Victor Tey's video series, “Response to Pastor Steven Anderson”:
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6OsfTpsNbk
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amjz3lmOCU
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 3) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6vi12tVts


51. Email from Steven Anderson to Victor Tey, dated 07 July 2017. Featured in Victor Tey's video series, “Response to Pastor Steven Anderson”:
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6OsfTpsNbk
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amjz3lmOCU
Response to Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 3) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6vi12tVts


52. Facebook Messenger conversation with Pastor Gleb Glebov, Blessed Hope Church, Vancouver, BC Canada. 22 January 2019


53. Email received from Pastor Tyler Doka on 23 January 2019


54. Video: Resignation of Pastor Romero, with Steven Anderson, published by Stedfast Baptist Church Forth Worth, Texas on Wednesday night 02 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbWAhNxVcWo accessed 17 March 2019. This is the actual Wednesday night service where Donnie Romero resigns, and the Steven Anderson takes to the pulpit to field questions for the next 75 minutes.


55. Video: Pastor Donnie Romero Steps Down from Stedfast Baptist Church, with Steven Anderson, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on Thursday 03 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOkt4-gAkYc, accessed 17 March 2019. In this video Steven Anderson explains in detail why Donnie Romero resigned his pastorship at Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.


56. Text message sent to Adam Fannin by Steven Anderson, dated 04 January 2019. Retrieved from Adam Fannin.


57. Telephonic interview #01 with Jonathan Shelley, pastor of Pure Words Baptist Church in Houston, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Stedfast Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Interview done on 27 February 2019


58. Video: Jonathan Shelley: Stedfast Jacksonville & Adam Fannin, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on Friday 04 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_cu3TfbBjM accessed 17 March 2019. In this video Shelley claims he has kept Fannin in the loop regarding Donnie Romero's resignation, and he claims that Fannin was supportive of Shelley taking over. Adam Fannin claims Shelley is lying, saying Shelley never spoke to him a single time.


59. Video: Update on Stedfast Baptist Church (Texas/Florida), with Steven Anderson, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) (early in the day) on 05 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqjMOgCV6kM&feature=youtu.be accessed 17 March 2019


60. IBID


61. IBID


62. Benjamin “Ben the Baptist” Naim explicitly stated “LESLEY CALLED PASTOR ANDERSON FOR HELP….LESLEY asked for his help” [Emphasis in original] in the comments section of a YouTube video: “Righteous Indignation - New IFB vs. Andersonites” published by Law of Liberty (Adam Fannin) on 21 February 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eftT8FFHDs&feature=youtu.be accessed 17 March 2019


63. Telephonic interview #04 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 12 February 2019


64. Telephonic interview with Faithful Word Baptist Church Pastor, Steven Anderson, 09 March 2019
65. Telephonic interview #01 with Jonathan Shelley, pastor of Pure Words Baptist Church in Houston, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas; Stedfast Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Stedfast Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Interview done on 27 February 2019


66. Video: 501c3 Tax Status: An Excuse for Not Going to Church, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 29 September 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0l2EkAZwB8 accessed 17 March 2019


Sermon Transcript: 501c3 Churches, delivered by Steven Anderson at Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona on 13 July 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFqSUQNCx2A accessed 17 March 2019.


Article: Steven L Anderson: 501c3 Tax Status and False Accusers, by Steven Anderson, sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2014/07/501c3-tax-status-and-false-accusers.html accessed 17 March 2019


67. Faithful Word Baptist Church Articles of Incorporation, dated 04 January 2006
Faithful Word Baptist Church 2019 Annual Report, dated May 8, 2018


68. Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 February 2019
Telephonic interview #05 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 27 February 2019
Amount based on one-twelfth of the average yearly total offerings to Faithful Word Baptist Church for 2017. Tyler Baker revealed in these telephone conversations that he was responsible for maintaining all financial records, filing taxes, paying employees, gathering, recording, and depositing all donations and offerings related to Faithful Word Baptist Church.


69. Video: Pastor Anderson kicking out an unrepentant trouble maker, published by Craig Dohner (member of Faithful Word Baptist Church) on 16 November 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBGxGKmLZgg accessed 17 March 2019


Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Elliott Ray, 12 February 2019


70. New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement website, “Events” page, https://www.thenewifb.com/events accessed 07 March 2019


71. Telephonic interview #04 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 12 February 2019


72. Video: Used to be "New IFB”, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 01 December 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrCBAqSwGPY accessed 17 March 2019


73. Article: Over 300,000 Churches in America; Do We Really Need More Church Plants?, by Greg Stier, Christian Post Guest Columnist, https://www.christianpost.com/news/church-planting-growth-pastors-evangelicals-ministry-america.html accessed 17 March 2019


Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center, http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ accessed 17 March 2019


74. KJV Churches
Find Independent Baptist Churches Near You!
https://www.kjvchurches.com/


75. Video: A Great And Effectual Door Has Opened Up For Canada 9-16-18, published by Sure Foundation Baptist Church (Aaron Thompson) on 17 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch8kX75QbGI accessed 17 March 2019


76. Video: Sam Gipp Obsessed with Steven Anderson (Part 1), published by Steven Anderson on 15 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arKuouWIyok accessed 17 March 2019


Video: Sam Gipp Is Obsessed with Pastor Steven Anderson (Part 2), published by “The New IFB” on 17 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bJ2bZbXKTw accessed 17 March 2019


77. Video: There's Hope! You CAN Escape Anderson!, published by Sam Gipp on 18 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F5mHlfXS2c accessed 17 March 2019


78. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 24 January 2019


79. Video: There's Hope! You CAN Escape Anderson!, published by Sam Gipp on 18 March 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F5mHlfXS2c accessed 17 March 2019


80. Telephonic Interview #01 with Dr. Sam Gipp, 03 February 2019


81. Video: Sam Gipp acts like a child when called out, published by “KJV soulwinners” (Jeff Utzler) on 17 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kuUwWjg-1A accessed 17 March 2019


82. Video: Jeff Utzler- Championship Round Nogi absolute, published by “kruzer32” on 30 January 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPDkJVLS0s accessed 17 March 2019


Article: Cuyahoga Falls drug team the oldest in county, by Jess Saunders – Reporter, February 22, 2018, https://www.mytownneo.com/news/20180222/cuyahoga-falls-drug-team-oldest-in-county accessed 17 March 2019


83. Video: Why the Old IFB is So Threatened by the New IFB, published by Liberty Baptist Church of Rock Falls, IL (New IFB pastor Tommy McMurtry) on 06 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAHBtWgY6Yo accessed 17 March 2019. In this video, “Ben the Baptist” (Benjamin Naim) interviews New IFB pastor, Patrick Boyle.


84. Telephonic interview with Faithful Word Baptist Church Pastor, Steven Anderson, 09 March 2019


85. Video: America's 'Hate' Preacher: Pastor Steven Anderson - BBC Documentary, published by “Truth In Genesis” on 13 November 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4PvxG2Kh4E accessed 17 March 2019


Article: Hell's gonna be pretty hot for you: My summer with a Christian hate preacher by Hannah Livingston, 24 July 2017, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/2e465c60-cdd3-48f5-8944-e9b2786e3ce9 accessed 17 March 2019


Part 1C:
86. Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Kris Byrne, 06 January 2019


87. Paul Wittenberger IMDb page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1509561/


88. https://store.framingtheworld.com/


https://store.framingtheworld.com/t/auromre


89. Article: Framing the World by Steven Anderson, Pastor Anderson's Blog, September 29, 2016, https://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/bl_framing_the_world.html accessed 17 March 2019


Video: Paul Wittenberger is a Great Guy!, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 02 September 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcWGa01q4w0 accessed 17 March 2019


90. What are the Vedas? - Definition from Yogapedia, https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5007/vedas accessed 17 March 2019


91. What Is Ayurveda? Treatments, Massage, Diet, and More - WebMD
https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/ayurvedic-treatments accessed 17 March 2019


92. Integral Yoga page on the Auromere website, https://www.auromere.com/integral-yoga/ accessed 17 March 2019


93. Auromère “About” Website page, https://www.auromere.com/about/ accessed 17 March 2019


Auromère “Auroville” Website page, https://www.auromere.com/auroville/ accessed 17 March 2019


94. Auromère Ichapur School website page, https://www.auromere.com/ichhapur-school/ accessed 17 March 2019


95. Video: Hindu Moment #1 - Definition of Yoga, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 15 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ3oXmjfTBM accessed 17 March 2019


96. Video: The Lord" of Hinduism is Satan Himself! (The Devil), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 23 January 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGwExJYuhI accessed 17 March 2019


97. "Having Fellowship With Devils" (Baptist Preaching), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 06 March 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ShCUggWmFM accessed 17 March 2019


98. Article: Where Pastors Stand on the AIDS Sermon by Steven Anderson, December 15, 2014 http://sanderson1611.blogspot.com/2014/12/where-pastors-stand-on-aids-sermon.html accessed 17 March 2019


99. Email from Pastor Stephen Cox, pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC, dated 18 February 2019


100. Telephonic Interview with Pastor Bob Gray II, pastor of Longview Baptist Temple in Longview, TX, 22 February 2019


101. Video: Used to be "New IFB", published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 01 December 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrCBAqSwGPY accessed 17 March 2019


102. Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 February 2019. During this interview, Baker revealed that while he was employed by Steven Anderson as a church deacon, one of his duties was to manage the financial books for Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation. Baker stated he recorded the weekly tithes, offerings and donations brought into the church each week, as well as managing the online donations. He stated he did the payroll for all four employees which at that time included Steven Anderson, himself, Garrett Kirchway, and Chris Segura; and he also did the church's tax returns each year. When asked how much Faithful Word brought in each week, Baker stated, “If you look at it from a yearly perspective, the church averages about $10,000 per week in tithes and offerings at the actual church, and about twice that total per year from PayPal.” This would tally up to an average yearly total of $520,000 in tithes, offerings and donations taken in at the church itself, and another $1,040,000 taken in per year from online donation sources, for a total yearly income of approximately $1,560,000.


103. Email from Pastor Tim Coleman, pastor of 35th Avenue Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ, dated February 24, 2019


104. Article: What Is a Statement of Information? - Rocket Lawyer
https://www.rocketlawyer.com/article/what-is-a-statement-of-information-cb.rl accessed 17 March 2019


Article: What is a Statement of Information (California)? - Zenefits Help Center
https://help.zenefits.com/Getting_Started_with_Zenefits/Company_Documents_Required_for_New_Insurance_Setup/What_is_a_Statement_of_Information_(California)/ accessed 17 March 2019


105. Email from Matthew Ryan Stucky dated 17 February 2019 confirming he lives in Manilla, 15 minutes away from the church he pastors there.


106. Telephonic Interview with Oliver Gonzales, Corporate Secretary for Verity Baptist Church of Sacramento, California, a New IFB church pastored by Roger Jimenez, 16 March 2019


107. California Penal Code 115 PC - Filing False Documents, Shouse Law Group, https://www.shouselaw.com/forging-deeds.html accessed 17 March 2019


108. California Penal Code 115 PC - Filing False Documents, Shouse Law Group, https://www.shouselaw.com/forging-deeds.html accessed 17 March 2019


109. Video: "Trinity 101" (Throwing Out Oneness Heretics), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 27 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ZxB8_VsrY&feature=youtu.be accessed 17 March 2019


110. Article: Cuyahoga Falls drug team the oldest in county by Jeff Saunders – Reporter, 22 February 2018, https://www.mytownneo.com/news/20180222/cuyahoga-falls-drug-team-oldest-in-county accessed 17 March 2019


111. http://www.amendmentavenger.com/vigilant/


112. https://unftv.com/fall-2017/


113. Telephonic Interview #01 with Benjamin Knight (aka: Ben the Baptist / Benjamin Naim), member of New IFB church Stedfast Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, 23 February 2019


114. Such as his anti-Adam Fannin and anti-James White videos, for example:
I Will Have NO FELLOWSHIP With “Law Of Liberty” Cult Members https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtC0lB6dwAI
Stedfast Jax Reacts to Fannin Firing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR0J0LLsXZ8
James White Thinks He’s God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIE00U6u2nw


115. https://linkedin.com/in/benjamin-naim


116. United Methodist Church (UMC) Bishop Karen Oliveto is openly homosexual, as are more than 150 other UMC clergy. The UMC accepts openly homosexual people in their membership, and there have been some UMC clergy who have performed same sex marriages. This is common knowledge within the UMC, and is easily validated with only a Google search.


117. The name “Benjamin” is of Hebrew origin, being found in the Old Testament as the name of Jacob's youngest son in Genesis 35:18. It is from the Hebrew “Binyamon” and literally means “Son of the Right Hand” or “Son of the South. See: Benjamin at Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/benjamin
His middle name of “Elie” (pronounced Ay-Lee) is also a Hebrew name meaning “God is Great.” It is also a shortened version of Eliezar, a name familiar to readers of the Old Testament as belonging to Abraham's servant, the son of Moses and Zipporah, and also the name of the priest who helped move the Ark of the Covenant. See: https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/elie/ and http://www.name-doctor.com/name-elie-meaning-of-elie-33089.html
His surname of “Naim” (pronounced Nay-EEM) is both a Muslim and a Jewish (Sephardic Jew) name meaning “bliss” or “happiness.” In a discussion with several Lebanese people, the general consensus is that while Naim is sometimes associated with Muslim families, it is far more commonly associated with Jewish families, specifically Jewish families living in Lebanon. See: Dictionary of American Family Names © 2013, Oxford University Press


118. original at: https://bennaimblog.wordpress.com/about/


Archived at: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:c8v_sZNW50gJ:https://bennaimblog.wordpress.com/about/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us


119. Comments section on Adam Fannin's “Righteous Indignation” video, which can be found at:
Righteous Indignation - New IFB vs. Andersonites,
published by Law of Liberty (Adam Fannin) on 21 February 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eftT8FFHDs&feature=youtu.be accessed 17 March 2019


120. Telephonic interview #03 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member & Deacon Tyler Baker, 09 February 2019


121. Telephonic interview #01 with former Faithful Word Baptist Church member Elliott Ray, 12 February 2019


122. Video created by former Faithful Word Baptist Church member, Russell Bopst, titled, Russell Bopst says Pastor Anderson lies, Published on Jul 12, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE1SbEvTonE, accessed February 1, 2019.


123. Video: Why I Left Faithful Word Baptist Church - Josh Hall, published by Whole Armour Ministries on 29 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0d3Y4v4dc&feature=youtu.be accessed 17 March 2019


124. Video created by Steven Harper, titled, Stedfast Baptist Church Coverup Video #1 Donnie Romero 12-3-18, Published on Jan 13, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lON9TEvNLU, accessed February 1, 2019


125. Video: "Sheba the Son of Bichri" (Adam Fannin Exposed), published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on 09 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crCo4fYHSag accessed 17 March 2019


126. Telephonic Interview #01 with Benjamin Knight (aka: Ben the Baptist / Benjamin Naim), member of New IFB church Stedfast Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, 23 February 2019


127. Telephonic interview with Faithful Word Baptist Church Pastor, Steven Anderson, 09 March 2019


128. Video: "God Hates a Lying Tongue" sermon by Pastor Steven Anderson, published by sanderson1611 (Steven Anderson) on May 5, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEKUcBo_vq8 accessed 17 March 2019


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

There are numerous noxious weeds around the nation that self-propagate through the use of stolons, or runners. A few that come to mind are bindweed, goat heads, and creeping charlie. These weeds send out runners which will eventually take root and after a time separate from the host plant and send out runners of their own. In this way these weeds not only ensure their own survival and expansion, but in the process they can choke out beneficial plants. The New IFB is doing the same thing, to a certain degree. Beginning with Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church, the flagship church of the New IFB, it sent out its first “runner” north to Tucson, Arizona where it started Faithful Word North. Then a second runner to Prescott Valley, Arizona and the Word of Truth Baptist Church, and then a third “runner” into California where it started the Faithful Word Baptist Church in El Monte, California, led by Evangelist Bruce Mejia. Both Faithful Word North and Word of Truth are being used by Anderson to train his up and coming “pastors” and “evangelists.”
According to current and former members of Anderson's church in Tempe41 (and please bear with me as this sounds like a soap opera), one of the first to be ordained by Steven Anderson was David Berzins, who started out at Word of Truth, but then started his first “runner” to the Atlanta, Georgia area where he started Stronghold Baptist Church. Next, Anderson ordained Donnie Romero and he sent Romero and a new “runner” to Fort Worth, Texas to start Stedfast Baptist Church of Fort Worth. Then came Jonathan Shelley whom Anderson ordained and sent out on a new “runner” to Houston, Texas where he started Pure Words Baptist Church. In the mean time, Anderson ordained Tyler Baker as a deacon and Garrett Kirchway as an evangelist, and things started to collapse. Anderson's initial plan was to send Tyler Baker out to Jacksonville, Florida to start a church there, and to send Garrett Kirchway to Botswana, Africa to start a church there. When Anderson exploded on Baker (more on that later), and fired him from his position as deacon and kicked him out of the church; He was concerned Baker would head home to Ohio, have his father ordain him, and then move to Florida to start his own church there in Jacksonville. As Anderson could not abide this, he instructed Donnie Romero to send out a “runner” to Jacksonville before Tyler Baker could start his church there. Apparently Anderson wanted to be first. Or something. Out of this grew Stedfast Baptist Church Jacksonville, with Evangelist Adam Fannin preaching and handing the everyday pastoral duties, and Donnie Romero flying in on occasion to preach a sermon or two since he was the actual “pastor” of both Stedfast churches (Forth Worth and Jacksonville).
In the meantime, Garrett Kirchway and Steven Anderson were kicked out of Botswana, Africa due to Anderson's hate filled rhetoric. Anderson himself was deported and Kirchway went into Malawi, Africa to try and start a church there. Anderson got his passport stamped and approved to enter Malawi, however, when the Malawian government realized there mistake, the refused entry to Anderson. Kirchway remained in an attempt to start a church there (Anderson already started a Faithful Word “runner” in South Africa called Morning Star Baptist Church, before he was kicked out of that country as well), but eventually the Malawi church failed. Anderson also ordained Richard Miller and sent him and a “runner” to Nashville, Tennessee where he started Soul Winner Baptist Church. The church failed after three months, and Miller and his family packed up and moved to parts unknown.
Meanwhile, Donnie Romero sent out another “runner,” this time to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he started Stedfast Baptist Church OKC, installing “Bro. Bo Ballard” (say that five times real fast!) to run the day to day operations, with “Pastor” Romero paying the occasional visit. He was now the “pastor” of three churches separated by thousands of miles. As all of this was going on with Anderson and his four churches, plus the six churches he initiated (or instigated, take your pick); Roger Jimenez was doing the same thing, and sending out “runners” of his own. Beginning with his Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California; Jimenez has spread out to Verity Baptist Church in Vancouver, Washington where he installed Aaron Thompson to mind the store, and then Verity Baptist Church in Manilla, Philippines with “Bro.” Matthew Stucky, and then Verity Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho. In the meantime, Jimenez ordained Aaron Thompson as a pastor, and Thompson changed the name of Verity Baptist Church Vancouver, Washington to Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Vancouver, Washington, and he quickly sent out his first runner to Surrey, British Columbia, Canada where he started a Sure Foundation Baptist Church there.
Then things started to collapse again, when it was discovered that Pastor Donnie Romero (he of the three Stedfast Baptist Churches) had been dallying with prostitutes, gambling, and illegal drugs down in Florida. Resigning in disgrace and being quickly shown the door by his former mentor Steven Anderson; this left three churches without a pastor (although Fannin was already in Jacksonville and Ballard in OKC). Steven Anderson stepped in and took control of the situation. One of his first actions as a self-appointed interim pastor at Stedfast was to fire Adam Fannin while disparaging him of numerous unfounded accusations, not one of which he had any supporting evidence. He then “ordained” Jonathan Shelley (whom he had already ordained as pastor of Pure Words Baptist Church in Houston, Texas) to become the new pastor over all three of the Stedfast churches. Shelley was now pastor over four churches, two in Texas, one in Oklahoma City, and one in Jacksonville, Florida. That is a total of 17 New IFB churches started in full or in part by two men – Anderson and Jimenez.
Left to themselves, these two New IFB founders could conceivably establish New IFB churches in almost every state and a dozen countries should they so choose. But at the end of the day, they did not have to. They simply brought other churches into the New IFB fold. Some already established, some just starting out, and some they would help get started. The plan, of course, is for these churches to begin sending out “runners” of their own, and thus carpet as many of the populated areas of the world as they can. To date they have gotten off to a good start in achieving that goal. In addition to the seventeen churches (including the three failed churches) started by Anderson and Jimenez, there are sixteen additional New IFB churches located in South Dakota, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, two in Australia, and three more in the Philippines. The New IFB is literally growing like a weed.
During all the expansion of Anderson and Jimenez's churches, as well as the expansion of the New IFB movement/network; Anderson's flagship, Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, continued to grow. One of the primary factors leading to the growth of his church is, of course, his internet presence coupled with his presence in the news media which attracts like-minded devotees (who would have thought so many could share Anderson's anger and hate?), and his message to his viewers that they just might have to move and relocate to attend a good church (meaning his, of course). And move they have.
It has been reported that as much as 75% of Anderson's congregants have moved into the Tempe area for the express purpose of of attending the church of this “Malicious Moses”. Not surprisingly, or perhaps surprisingly, Anderson is ready for them. One former member who moved his entire family from another state just to attend Anderson's church said that when he arrived he had no place to stay, and no place to work. No problem. Anderson's church had them set up in an apartment building which already housed numerous families who had relocated to be with Anderson. He was handed the keys to his new apartment almost as soon as he arrived in Arizona. A church member handed them to him. Anderson and his church also found him a job, which was already employing numerous men who had relocated themselves and their families just to be with Anderson.42 There are some who would claim that such an outpouring of benevolence and affection from Anderson and his church to people who had moved from other states (some from as far away as Michigan, Alaska, Hawaii, and Florida, and some from other countries) to feed them, clothe them, house them, and find them employment is a tactic known as “love bombing.” It is a tactic employed by various cults to instill a sense of familial dependence on the cult and the cult leader, and thus ensure loyalty, often unhesitating and unquestioning loyalty.43 Much like Anderson's IFB hero Jack Hyles who once asked a junior pastor if he would drink poison if Hyles asked him to, and he replied yes.44
One former member of Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church said after he left, he began to reflect upon his time with Steven Anderson and Faithful Word Baptist Church, and he realized that he had, in fact, been part of a cult. He pointed out some practices that in retrospect should have been red flags. With how well they took care of the needs of his family (love bombing) when he arrived in Arizona, however, he failed to notice them.45 The practices related by this individual are as follows:
1. When Anderson removes someone from his church, it is never done quietly as the result of a one-on-one meeting between the person and Steven Anderson, with Anderson attempting to keep the person in the church. Instead it is done in front of the congregation, it is done with Anderson railing at the person from the pulpit at the top of his lungs, spewing vicious invectives and slander at the person, belittling them, humiliating them, shaming them, etc. The purpose of this over-the-top display serves a purpose that for Anderson is more important than simply kicking someone out of the church. It serves to put the others on notice, that they can expect the same shameful and humiliating experience in front of all their friends and family, if they cross Steven Anderson. Those being kicked out will also lose any and all friendships with people still in the church, as they will not be allowed to associate with them under fear of being kicked out themselves. They can lose their apartment, they can lose their job, and it just goes downhill from there. Everyone knows this, everyone understands this. This is why some people, especially those who who have loved ones still enamored with Anderson, feel trapped in the cult.
2. Disagreeing with Steven Anderson is strongly frowned upon. Publicly agreeing with someone who has been kicked out is grounds for being kicked out yourself. Anderson has an inner circle of members who monitor the other members outside of the immediate church environment. They monitor their social media activity (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc), they monitor their life in the apartment building where many of them live, and at the company where many of them work. Conversations, both spoken and written (such as on social media) are monitored. Anything that can be even remotely construed as contrary to Steven Anderson's teachings, or disloyal Steven Anderson himself, is reported directly to Steven Anderson. When Neo, the future wife of ordained Faithful Word evangelist Garrett Kirchway (later kicked out himself) agreed with a comment left on YouTube by a former church member, she was immediately warned by a current church member who had been monitoring the conversation. She told the future Mrs. Kirchway to watch what she was saying or it could go bad for Garrett. Coincidentally (or not) when Steven Anderson was kicking Garrett Kirchway and his family out of his church, during what has become a Faithful Word Baptist Church sacrament – the ritual excoriating chastisement given by Anderson from the pulpit, Anderson mentioned that he had been shown a comment made by Neo Kirchway on social media. It was that comment that resulted in Steven Anderson's unbiblical behavior toward Garrett Kirchway and his family.
If Anderson does not approve of a comment made by a church member, the member could be charged with “railing” and/or “backbiting,” general terms which cover a multitude of sins against Steven Anderson, and both are grounds for immediate expulsion from the church, and likely branded a “reprobate,” meaning they are not saved, they are not savable, they have been eternally rejected by God, and they should just go ahead and kill themselves. This is not an exaggeration. Anderson has repeatedly preached to his congregation that reprobates should just go ahead and kill themselves.
3. Everyone, or at least a majority of people attending Steven Anderson's church live in a constant state of fear of everyone else. Members do not truly trust other members, even though they all smile and act friendly toward each other, because they all worry who might be watching, or who might be listening, ready to take a careless word innocently misspoken straight to Steven Anderson which could result in being kicked out of Faithful Word Baptist Church. The former member who was interviewed for this article stated this was the standard mentality of people at Faithful Word Baptist Church. “Pastor Anderson has everybody on edge, feeling like, you know, the nice people are the ones you're going to watch out for.”
As will be noted elsewhere in this article series, this apparently happens at other New IFB churches as well. Former and current members of Stedfast Baptist church in Fort Worth, Texas, pastored by Jonathan Shelley, have reported this same method of controlling the congregation. One reported that people who leave the church are constantly harassed by current members, often showing up in groups near their house to make it known to those who left that they are still being watched. This often happens under the guise of “soul-winning.”46
4. Although members read their Bibles, and no doubt commit to memory passages after continued reading, there is a deliberate effort among the members of Steven Anderson's church to memorize the words that Anderson himself says. Almost as if his words carry the same weight as Scripture.
Steven Anderson has also exhibited some overtly dictatorial behavior at his church. Curiously, he does not answer to anyone in the church. He is accountable to no one. There is no church governance board, no group of elders or deacons to ensure he is handling the word of God and the congregation rightly. In fact, Anderson actually hires his deacons and evangelists as his hourly employees, rather than employing the biblical method of allowing the congregation to choose them.47
Acts 6:1-7 describes the process by which deacons are chosen and appointed. The passage reads, “6 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
It was not the bishop or elders (or pastor) who hired the deacon, but rather it is the congregation who chooses the deacons (plural. The number seven is given.). After they are chosen by the congregation, and appointed by the pastor, their job is to serve the congregation. Not serve the pastor, but serve the congregation so the pastor is free to shepherd the congregation. Steven Anderson, for all of his self-proclaimed adherence to the King James Bible, apparently is fairly subjective in his obedience to God's word.
Another example of the dictatorial control Steven Anderson wields over his congregation can be found in one of his anti-Barack Obama sermons. During the sermon he asked for someone to help him remember an insignificant part of a story he was telling. The following exchange between Steven Anderson and a church member by the name of “Trent” took place during that sermon:
Steven Anderson: “Christians don't blaspheme the word of God like that and make fun of it and so on and so forth. You know as well as I do, he doesn't believe the bible, he doesn't believe in creation. He doesn't believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He does not confess these things. The church that he goes to, United Church of Christ, is a church that's filled with Sodomites and freaks and perverts. I mean, they have Sodomites as pastors. Who was it... Did somebody just tell me? Who was that? Trent. Give your testimony, Trent.”
Trent: “Well, at the corner by my house there's one of these United Methodist churches, and on their sign out front it's advertising the church and there's a little banner above it that says, "We stand on the side of love," with two men.”
Steven Anderson: “Yeah, so last time you told that story it wasn't United Methodist, it was United Church of Christ.”
Trent: “Oh, yeah, yeah.”
Steven Anderson: “Yeah, it was United Church of Christ, sorry. Get that story straight.”48
At first glance this exchange seems as trivial as the denomination of the church involved. However, this little bit of audience participation seems to be a bit contrived since he knew and mentioned the United Church of Christ (then pastored by Jeremiah Wright), and he was trying to tie it in to a local UCC church. Trent, however, apparently forgot his line and said United Methodist Church. Anderson's response is interesting. He had to correct the man who lives on the same street as the church in question. It leaves one to wonder if Trent had been coached prior to the sermon, and when he flubs his line, is not only corrected by Anderson, but rebuked by Anderson as well, who tells Trent, “Get that story straight. A bit later in the sermon Anderson seems to be trying to smooth over what was no doubt an awkward glitch in his sermon when he makes an off-handed comment that the United Methodist Church has a “similar sign.” A strange exchange that given his dictatorial manner toward his congregation, tends to support this conclusion.
False Autonomy in the New IFB Movement




In theory the New IFB movevment is made up of independent churches, hence the name, Independent Fundamental Baptist. In theory each New IFB church is completely autonomous, governing itself, with each New IFB church pastor being the sole authority for his particular church. There is no denomination, no national or international governing body. Each New IFB church answers only to Christ and to itself. This was very clearly stated by Steven Anderson in a blog post he wrote for his website, when he wrote, “It's laughable how many comments I’ve seen where people have threatened to get Pastor Jimenez fired for preaching on unpopular passages in the Bible. Independent Baptists are not part of a Baptist denomination such as the Southern Baptist Convention or the American Baptists. We are sent out by other independent Baptist churches, and each church is autonomous. The pastor is the leader of a biblical, New Testament Baptist church.”49
The independence and autonomy of the New IFB church is, however, only a theory, not a reality. In practice, the churches and pastors within the New IFB movement remain in the New IFB only as long as Steven Anderson allows them to be. Once he says you're out, you're out. For example, in summer 2017, Steven Anderson unceremoniously kicked Victor Tey and the Church in Punchbowl of NSW, Australia out of the New IFB movement. If each church is autonomous, then by what authority did Anderson expel Tey and his church? Of course, he had no authority to do so. It should be noted that although Anderson took it upon himself to expel Tey and his church from the New IFB, Victor Tey and the Church in Punchbowl were not actually part of the New IFB movement. They were kicked out of a movement they did not belong to; simply because Steven Anderson wanted to somehow make an example of them, in essence saying, this is what happens when you disagree with my doctrines (Tey held a different view of the Trinity than that of Steven Anderson).
In an interesting exchange of emails between Victor Tey and Steven Anderson, Tey actually points this out to Anderson, saying, “You misrepresent my church as 'trying to portray itself as part of your movement'. There is no evidence of this. You even admit in your video how different we have been from the very beginning since the church's inception. We are not the same name, style, etc. I have never claimed to be part of your movement, nor asked you to endorse me or the church. I am aware of our differences albeit until this current issue, and these have been secondary. I think we both acknowledge that fact, which is why we have not crossed paths like this previously.”50
Anderson's response to Victor Tey confirms he had wrongly attached Church in Punchbowl to his movement, thus demonstrating he had no authority of any kind in taking action against Victor Tey. Anderson replied to Tey writing, “I know you personally haven't tried to portray your church that way, but your members have promoted your church that way. It's obvious that you personally aren't pretending to be a part of our movement and never have. However, your church members and many others around the world seem to see it that way, so I just wanted to make that clear. As far as taking back my words, I will gladly clarify that you personally have never tried to portray your church is being likeminded with FWBC because I've personally never heard you do that. In my video, I never said that you did. I said that your church did.”51
This is typical Anderson deflection: “I never said that you did. I said that your church did.” It would appear that Steven Anderson has a difficult time accepting responsibility for his actions.
Bill MacGregor of Trinity Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada is another example of Anderson's overreach, as he kicked MacGregor and his church out of the New IFB as well. When Gleb Glebov, a pastor under Bill MacGregor formed Blessed Hope Church in Vancouver, BC, Canada; Anderson rejected Pastor Glebov's request to be affiliated with the New IFB, and then had Aaron Thompson, one of Roger Jimenez's pastors, open a new church in the same area claiming there were no actual churches there. When Pastor Glebov was contacted and asked for his thoughts on being kicked out of the New IFB movement by Steven Anderson, Pastor Glebov responded, “Blessed Hope Baptist Church has never been a part of the New IFB, and has always been an independent church. We believe and preach similar doctrines, but we don't identify with Pastor Anderson, nor condone his behaviour.”52
Such behavior on the part of Steven Anderson might cause one to wonder if perhaps Anderson simply has an insatiable need to wield control over people. Pastor Glebov's statement that his church has “always been an independent church” could be an indication that he refused to bring himself and his church under Anderson's authority; and when he refused to do so, Anderson retaliated by rejecting what amounted to a request that was never made, and ejecting a church from his movement that was never a part of his movement.
The situation with Pastor Tyler Doka, while dissimilar from the others mentioned here in that he and his church actually were part of the New IFB, is nonetheless interesting due the why behind his expulsion from the New IFB. Pastor Doka believes the earth is flat rather than spherical. That simple fact was enough to send Anderson racing to his eject button just as fast as he could, insisting he could have no fellowship with Pastor Doka. Since Steven Anderson's decision to ostracize and condemn Pastor Doka, there have been several New IFB people such as Benjamin “Ben the Baptist” Naim, who have made it a point to further criticize, ostracize, and humiliate through YouTube videos, Google hangouts, social media and more. All because Pastor Doka believes the earth is flat.
A careful search of Scripture will reveal that there is not a single explicit passage anywhere stating the earth isn't flat. Furthermore, there isn't a single passage anywhere in Scripture that condemns someone to hell because they believe the earth is flat. This is not to say that the earth is flat or not flat (I personally do not believe it is), but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. It is not a doctrine that is essential to ones faith or salvation. To severe fellowship with a fellow Christian over something as insignificant as the shape of the earth is to be deliberately and intentionally divisive. To treat them in the manner that Pastor Doka has been treated by the New IFB exposes just how petty and small and mean they are.
When Pastor Doka was asked about the New IFB and his expulsion from the movement by Steven Anderson, Pastor Doka stated, “it is widely accepted and spoken of throughout the movement that yes Pastor Anderson was the start of it [the New IFB], and then churches began to be added to the movement. At first I believe churches were added due to their agreement in doctrine with Faithful Word and other like minded churches, however, it eventually just became if Pastor Anderson says you're in the movement, then you're in the movement. If he says you're out, then you are out.
“There is no independence in the New IFB Movement, what the leader says goes, this can be seen by any outsider by the way the movement reacts to anyone preaching something different than what they believe. They immediately deem them unsaved, and reprobate which means they believe because the New IFB rejected that person, that God himself did as well.”53
Perhaps the most obvious example of Steven Anderson's overreach in the New IFB movement is the Donnie Romero Scandal. By way of a very brief overview since this issue will be addressed elsewhere in this series:
1. On Wednesday night, January 2, 2019, Donnie Romero resigned as pastor of the three Stedfast Baptist Church locations in Ft. Worth, Texas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Jacksonville, Florida. Steven Anderson was on hand to field questions after Romero left the pulpit.54
2.On Thursday, January 3, 2019, Steven Anderson took to YouTube to tell everyone exactly why Donnie Romero resigned. Not that it was anyone's business other than those in his church, but apparently Anderson thought he would just tell the world.55
3. On Friday, January 4, 2019, at 12:10pm Eastern Time (11:10am Central Time – Texas time), Steven Anderson fired Adam Fannin via text message. Note the image below is a screen shot of Adam Fannin's cell phone in Jacksonville, Florida noting the date and time Fannin received Anderson's text in Florida.56

When Jonathan Shelley was asked about Anderson's firing of Adam Fannin, Shelley very quickly exclaimed, “Woah! Woah! Pastor Anderson did not fire Adam Fannin. That is an incorrect statement.”57 Either Shelley is completely unaware of what Steven Anderson had actually done, or he is ready and willing to lie to protect Anderson.
4. On Friday, January 4, 2019, a few hours after Anderson fires Adam Fannin, Jonathan Shelley uploads a video to YouTube wherein he states that he has kept Adam Fannin “in the loop” regarding the situation with Donnie Romero (Fannin denies this), and that Fannin was supportive of Shelley taking over (Fannin also denies this). Shelley goes on to claim that now Fannin is not cooperating. Shelley then begins the excoriation of Adam Fannin via YouTube, a practice that will be followed by Shelley, Anderson and other New IFB folks for months.58
5. On Friday, January 4, 2019, from 7pm until just after 10pm Central Time – eight hours after Anderson fired Adam Fannin, and several hours after Shelley's video – Anderson and the men of Stedfast Ft Worth meet to discuss the future of Stedfast, as well as who would be the new pastor.59
6. On Saturday, January 5, 2019, Steven Anderson uploads a video stating that during Friday nights meeting with the men of Stedfast Fort Worth (see #5), the men decided they wanted Jonathan Shelley to be their new pastor. Anderson then goes on to explain “I guess they had a similar meeting over in Jacksonville, Florida and from what I heard, and again I'm getting this second hand because I wasn't there.”60
Let's do a quick review. Romero resigned, Anderson shows up and within sixteen hours fires Adam Fannin in Jacksonville, then eight hours later, that night, Anderson meets with the men in Fort Worth to discuss who the new pastor will be, they decide on Shelley, and Anderson never bothered to ask Jacksonville for their input. Never asked them who they wanted to be their pastor. Okay. Moving on.
6. Anderson states in his video of the morning of Saturday, January 5, 2019, that he will address the issue of Adam Fannin, and he will do so publicly via YouTube videos because, “this is the only way that we have to communicate with the people out there in Florida.” YouTube is the only way. The only way to communicate with people in Florida. Do they not have telephones in Florida? No land lines, no cell phones, no internet connection? Mr. Anderson couldn't just do a conference call with the church? Couldn't just set up a time for the meeting, announce it and allow everyone with Stedfast to have their say? Couldn't Skype or FaceTime? Couldn't do a Google Hangout? Couldn't use Jitsi, ooVoo, or WeChat? Couldn't do a Facebook live video chat? This seems a bit much for even the most gullible of people to believe, and yet this is precisely what Anderson expects people to believe. More importantly, this is exactly what Steven Anderson expects the people of Stedfast and the New IFB to believe.61
Anderson tries to justify not using any of the dozens of available methods that would allow the inclusion of everyone from all three Stedfast churches in on the meeting by saying, “we don't have everyone's phone number, and we're dealing with other things.” His dismissive excuse is just his way of saying to the people of Jacksonville and Oklahoma City, “you don't matter, you don't count, just sit down, shut up and do what I tell you.” Plus, it probably wouldn't play very well if during the decision making process to decide on a new pastor Adam Fannin brought up the fact that he had been fired nine hours previously. By Steven Anderson. Who had no authority to do so. Anderson, however, knew full well he could get away with firing Adam Fannin, he knew full well that he had full authority in an ostensibly autonomous independent church where he was not the pastor. He knew this because he is, after all, Steven L. Anderson; and the New IFB is HIS movement.
There is another aspect of this incident as well, something that Anderson himself brought up in his video dated January 5, 2019. In that video he states that he met with the men of Stedfast Fort Worth to discuss Donnie Romero, the church moving forward, a new pastor, and so forth. This, of course, begs the question “Why weren't the men of Stedfast Fort Worth consulted in the beginning?” As several New IFB people have pointed out, Steven Anderson was there in Fort Worth because he was asked to be there. Not by the church, mind you, and not by the men of her church, the ones who would be making the decisions; but rather he was contacted by Leslye Romero, the wife of Donnie Romero. When his sins were discovered by her she did not contact the men of the church for help, she contacted Steven Anderson, the pastor of a church over one thousand miles away.62 And when she contacted Anderson, he did not explain to her that he did not have any authority over Stedfast because it was not his church and it was its own independent church, and he did not explain to her that she should be talking to the elder men in the church. No, he simply hopped the soonest flight to Fort Worth, and took over as soon as he arrived.
As one former New IFB follower said, “[Steven Anderson has] created a cult-like atmosphere, and that's why [Leslye Romero] knew who she should contact within the movement, and brought him in and all of that. It's a terrible situation, and I think he took advantage of the situation, and this was the perfect opportunity to put in the biggest yes man that he has, and that's Jonathan Shelley.”63
Steven Anderson himself seemed to corroborate this when he related his account of the events. When asked how he, as an independent and autonomous church pastor in Arizona had the authority to fire an ordained member of another church that he is not affiliated with – speaking of Adam Fannin and Stedfast Baptist Church, Anderson claimed that at the point in time, he was “acting as the pastor of Stedfast de facto for those four days...So, I was exercising authority, and so, that's what I was doing. And I was also respecting the wishes of the incoming pastor, who was pastor Shelley….and so that's the decision that I made, and Pastor Shelley was right there with me.” We see here that Anderson is corroborating the fact that Shelley was considered by Anderson to be the new pastor of Stedfast all along, even before the men of Stedfast had even been afforded the opportunity to decide who they wanted for a pastor. Anderson decided for them, choosing another “yes-man” rather than risking Stedfast choosing their own pastor who might possibly resist being under Anderson's thumb.64
When Jonathan Shelley was asked if there were other candidates for the position of pastor over the Stedfast church, if there were other men from whom the church could choose a pastor. He was uncomfortable with the question, and seemed unable to provide a clear answer. When pressed, however, he finally admitted that no, there were no other candidates. Steven Anderson gave the men of Stedfast Fort Worth only one option, and that was Jonathan Shelley. When Shelley was asked about the autonomous nature of New IFB churches, he became “confused,” claiming he did not know what the “New IFB” was, therefore, “that would be a difficult question for me to answer.” Ignoring his obvious evasiveness, the point was pressed and suddenly his memory returned and his mind cleared and he was able to state that Stedfast and Faithful Word and Pure Words Baptist churches are all independent baptist churches” and that “the pastors of those churches are the sole authority over those churches.” When he was also asked if the three Stedfast churches and the Pure Words church were all independent of one another, of, if they were all satellites of a larger church, Shelley blurted out, “No! No! Stedfast Baptist Church is still Stedfast Baptist Church. They're a completely different entity. There's no crossover!” He then paused, and apparently thought about what he had just said. After a few seconds of silence, Shelley continued quietly, “Except for the fact that I'm technically the pastor of both.”65
Jonathan Shelley's comments serve to confirm what is really already known about the New IFB. First, there is no independence, no autonomy within the movement. All New IFB churches bend the knee to Steven Anderson, capitulating to his authority over them; and second, Steven Anderson is not just the founder of the New IFB, but he is the undisputed leader of the movement.


The Actual Leader of the New IFB



Steven Anderson is the undisputed and solitary leader of Faithful Word Baptist Church, the New IFB flagship church in Tempe, Arizona which Anderson founded in 2005. The church has no elder board, no governing board, nor anything at all like it. Anderson answers to no one. He has no accountability of any kind, not even within the New IFB movement overall. This is not something one would be likely to hear Anderson preaching about in his church, nor even talking about in front of his congregation – and make no mistake, it is his congregation.
To be sure, Anderson does tell his congregation that they are the church, that they are Faithful Word Baptist Church. He even goes so far to tell them that he is not Faithful Word Baptist Church but rather the whole church, as a body, is Faithful Word Baptist Church.66
However, when he tells his congregation this, he is not being completely truthful in what he is telling them. You see, Faithful Word Baptist Church is a corporation, a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation, that is how Anderson set the church up back in 2005. Not that this is bad, because it isn't. Many churches are set up as corporations. It's no big deal. It doesn't matter. What does matter, however, is how he set the corporation up. According to the Articles of Incorporation filed by Steven L. Anderson when he established the Faithful Word Baptist Church Corporation, he made himself the President of the corporation/church. He also made himself the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the corporation/church; and, he also made himself the sole member of the Board of Directors of the corporation/church.67 With the authority he has given himself, Steven Anderson is the sole authority in Faithful Word Baptist Church, and the only person authorized to make any and all decisions regarding Faithful Word Baptist Church. This includes how much the pastor is to be paid, how the funds coming into the church (approx $120,000 per month68) will be dispersed, what charitable works (if any)
Faithful Word Baptist Church will engage in, what hymnals to use, what doctrines will be taught by himself or others, etc. Faithful Word Baptist Church cannot discipline, censure, or fire Steven Anderson without first getting his permission. Steven Anderson has sole authority and sole authorization regarding every single aspect of Faithful Word Baptist Church. In short, Steven Anderson is Faithful Word Baptist Church, regardless of what he tells his congregation. Anderson further ensures his monocratic role over Faithful Word Baptist Church by adopting an unbiblical method of church governance.
As many people are aware, there are two basic offices within the Church: elder and deacon. Often there will be a head elder, also known as a bishop or overseer, who acts as the pastor of the church. The other elders might also preach from time to time, however, their primary role is to shepherd the local flock, protecting it, nurturing it spiritually, etc. The deacon is assigned to serve the flock, to ensure its needs are being met. We see these offices in Acts 6, 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1. Initially, it was the Apostles who appointed elders to the various churches, often several to each church. It was the elders in a local church who were responsible for governing their local church. While there is no clear biblical example of how elders were selected after the period of the Apostles, in many churches it has been the congregation who selected and elected their elders. With regard to deacons, in Acts 6 we see that it is the congregation who is responsible for selecting and appointing deacons. Steven Anderson, however, eschews the biblical model, and prefers to select his own deacons, and then hire them as his employees.
Anderson has ensured that he is accountable to absolutely no one, and as such, he is given free reign to ignore Scripture whenever it doesn't agree with him. An example of this was Anderson's expulsion of former member Kris Byrne and his family. According to Scripture the purpose of discipline is to restore an offending brother or sister to a right relationship with God and the Body of Christ; and there are steps to be taken which are set forth in Scripture. The first step is to go to your brother and tell him how he has offended. If he does not repent of his sin, then take two or three with you to speak to him and attempt to get him to repent. If after this he still doesn't repent, then the situation is to be taken before the church. This is all very clearly set forth in Matthew 18:15-17. If after all of this the individual continues to refuse chastisement and exhortation, and continues to refuse to repent, then, and only then, is he to be put out of the church according to Matthew 18:17 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, specifically verses 11-13, which state “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”
Although Scripture is very clear on this, Steven Anderson apparently feels he is above Scripture, and allowed to do whatever he wants. When he ejected Kris Byrne and his family it was not for fornication, nor covetousness, nor idolatry, nor railing, nor being a drunkard or extortioner. It was because Mr. Byrne had text conversations with two friends, without Anderson's permission. Anderson addressed the congregation while pointing at Kris Byrne, saying, “Right here, has texted people without coming to me!” A careful examination of Scripture will reveal there is no biblical command to consult with leader in the church before having a conversation with friends. For this imaginary infraction, Anderson decided to completely ignore God's standard for church discipline, and impose Steven Anderson's version instead.
As he began to work himself up into a full blown tirade, Anderson began by leveling false accusations against Mr. Byrne, accusing him of seeking out church members who had defended Anderson and rebuking them; sowing lies about Anderson; and trying to split the church. Of course, none of these accusations were true, but adhering to the truth was not apparently important to Anderson. Anderson then launched into Mr. Byrne with both barrels, calling him a “coward,” a “railer,” a “Judas Iscariot” (apparently Anderson likens himself to Jesus), and using homosexual slurs to refer to Mr. Byrne's friends. Anderson then orders Mr. Byrne and his family out of the church. “I want you to get up and get out of this church right now!….Get out of here idiot!….Pick him up and take him out if he won't leave!….Take him out, hey, get out of here!….Pick him up and get him out of here!” And remember, Anderson did all of this in front of the congregation, and in front of Kris Byrne's small children. Another church member recorded the event and posted it to YouTube for posterity, believing he was showing the world how solid his pastor is. What he ended up doing, however, was showing the world how unhinged his pastor can become.
Once the Byrne family had left the church building, Anderson then turned his attention to his congregation. The cell phone videographer continued to record Anderson's antics. Apparently it was not enough to kick the Byrne family out of the church, as Anderson then proceeded to turn the congregation against him as well. Anderson shouted lie after lie, ranting and railing that Kris Byrne had insulted everyone in the congregation, going so far as to falsely claim that Mr. Byrne specifically stated “everyone” in his alleged verbal assaults against Anderson and his church. Anderson claimed he had seen the cell phone text messages with his “own eyes” (if he actually did, he was misrepresenting them. They are available for examination to any who wish to read them), and he told the congregation Mr. Byrne had admitted to Anderson that he had done all the things Anderson had accused him of. In reality, Mr. Byrne admitted no such thing, and was never afforded the opportunity to either admit or deny any of it. Anderson then claimed Mr. Byrne had an insincere heart and was someone who wanted to “go around stabbing people in the back.” His impassioned speech to his congregation had the effect that Anderson desired, and it wasn't long before more and more members in the congregation could be heard shouting their own invectives against the Byrne family. Anderson had successfully managed to infect his congregation with his own personal hatred of Kris Byrne and his family.69
By maintaining this form of church leadership and church governance, Steven Anderson ensures a total monocratic role over his church; and as the founder of the New IFB movement, Anderson employs the same monocratic mindset over the other New IFB pastors and churches. This is seen repeatedly throughout the New IFB. Steven Anderson's immediate involvement in the Donnie Romero scandal and the subsequent firing of Adam Fannin, when Anderson technically had no authority in either of those situations, demonstrates the capitulative deference the other New IFB pastors and churches extend to Anderson.
This can be further seen when looking at the New IFB website events page. Here the various New IFB events occurring between February 21 – August 24, 2019 can be seen. Of the nineteen events listed, more than half of them are dates where Steven Anderson is preaching at a New IFB church other than his own. This is significant since the various New IFB pastors regularly preach at one anothers churches. The exclusion of their names on this events list, while emphasizing Anderson, demonstrates the importance of Steven Anderson to the New IFB.70
Nor is Anderson shy about asserting his authority over other New IFB pastors. Steven Anderson's former deacon related an incident involving New IFB pastor Manly Perry of Old Path's Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas: “Manly [Perry] explained how Steven Anderson called him and told him that he [Perry] was wrong about what he believes about the Trinity, and he [Anderson] explained to him his new view, because there's no doubt Steven Anderson viewed things differently. But he called him and got him [Perry] to change his position over the phone in about an hour. That just shows the power [Anderson] wields over these other men. What's dangerous is these churches are growing, and what you have is you have one man that has the power over all of these other pastors, who are pastoring churches of, some of them hundreds of people. The possibilities could be serious for sure, with the power that's there.”71
One of the results of Anderson's role as the founder and undisputed leader of the New IFB movement, is that through his meddling in the affairs of the other New IFB churches, he has caused the movement to move away from its stated independent and autonomous nature. If the movement remains on course, it will potentially morph into one single church – a home church, and all other New IFB churches will be nothing more than satellites of the home church. In examining the various pastors and churches of the New IFB, these pastors are seemingly emulating Anderson, and are apparently quite comfortable with the lack of autonomy and independence. In their zeal to be more Anderson-like (as opposed to being more Christ-like) the New IFB pastors have apparently started to model themselves after Steven Anderson. Apparently, the saying is true, “as goes the Anderson, so goes the New IFB.”
Even a cursory comparison of the various New IFB churches will reveal they all have pretty much the same doctrinal statement; many of them have a personalized version of the same “Bible Way to Heaven” video on their YouTube channel; many of them have adopted Anderson's practice of setting up church in a strip mall or shopping center; and many of them have adopted Steven Anderson's look – short, short hair, and a scruffy beard. It's like having a herd of Ander-Clones running around!
When Anderson becomes upset with someone, you can be sure the rest will hate them too. When Anderson makes and posts a negative video about someone on YouTube, before long there will be numerous New IFB church video tapes flooding the internet, all railing against whomever Anderson has a beef with. When Anderson turned his sights on Adam Fannin, and began producing anti-Fannin videos, the rest of the New IFB pastors began stepping all over themselves to do likewise. The same thing happened when Anderson began making anti-Tyler Baker videos, and anti-Sam Gipp videos. Steven Anderson clone Jeff Utzler even began producing what he calls “documentaries” about these people (although they are little more than false slanderous accusations and poorly edited video). When Anderson produced a series of anti-Calvinism videos, New IFB pastor Joe Major claimed to be producing a “documentary” on the subject, and Brother Matthew Stucky was soon creating his own anti-Calvinism videos as well. It is an amazing phenomenon to witness, similar to lemmings running headlong off a cliff while playing follow the leader. Dozens of seemingly rational adults simply cast all rationale to the four winds as they go out of their way to be just like their leader, Steven Anderson.
The loyalty of his movement is important to Anderson as he moves closer to achieving his stated goal, which is to have his New IFB movement replace the traditional IFB, with Anderson apparently coming out on top as the new Jack Hyles.


The Goal of the New IFB




One would think the goal of a church would be to worship God, learn God's word, equip Christians to live their faith in God, and spread the gospel; and with regard to at least most Christian churches this would be true. But not for the New IFB, at least according to its founder, Steven Anderson. Anderson has publicly stated that the goal of the New IFB is to take over and replace the Old IFB, and the practices and statements of several New IFB pastors and members seem to support Anderson's goal.
As recently as December 1, 2019, Steven Anderson uploaded (or authorized to be uploaded) a video to his YouTube channel titled, “Used to be 'New IFB'”. In this video Anderson lays out for his congregation (and the rest of the IFB via this video) his goals for the New IFB movement that he founded in 2005. He says, “Now one of the things I've been attacked for by our Independent Fundamental Baptist brethren who are a little nervous about people like us and our friends, they said this, and I've heard this many times, 'He's trying to change what it means to be a fundamental baptist.' A lot of people have said, you know,'Pastor Steven Anderson is very dangerous, he's trying to change what it means to be a fundamental baptist.' Let me tell you something, that is exactly what I'm trying to do. You see, my goal is that someday when people hear the term fundamental baptist they're gonna think of us. They're gonna think of churches like Faith Word, Stedfast, Verity, Old Path, they're gonna think of churches like us, and we are gonna change what it means to be a fundamental baptist.
“And you know, a lot of times we're called the New IFB and we call other IFB churches – IFB stands for Independent Fundamental Baptist, we call them the Old IFB. But you what, eventually we're gonna stop calling ourselves the New IFB, because eventually the newness is gonna wear off, amen? So we can't call ourselves the New IFB forever. Eventually you know what we're gonna be called? 'Cause a lot of people are like, 'What are ya gonna call yourselves?' ya know? Ya know what we're gonna call ourselves? Independent Fundamental Baptists. Because we're gonna change what it means, yep! Your fears..oh, be very afraid! Be very afraid because we are changing what it means to be an Independent Fundamental Baptist, because while the rest of the Independent Fundamental Baptists are afraid to put their sermons out on YouTube, they're afraid to preach from the housetops, they're afraid to get arrested, they're afraid to preach hard and get in the news, and get in the face of this world and point our finger and say, thus saith the Lord. Look, they're afraid of that they're going to become irrelevant. You know that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away, and pretty soon, we're just gonna be the IFB. There's gonna be hundreds of us, that's what I believe is gonna happen. There's gonna be hundreds of churches like ours, and their churches will be forgotten.”72
According to an article on the Christian Post website, there are more than 300,000 Christian churches in America.73 Of these, more than 10,000 of them are Independent Fundamental Baptist churches.74 Clearly, Steven Anderson and his group will have their work cut out for them to reach his goal of doing away with all of the Old IFB churches and pastors. They are not, however, remaining idle in this, as they are currently actively working against the Old IFB. One method they have begun to use is to plant a New IFB church in the same vicinity as Old IFB church plants, announcing their New IFB church plant is needed in the area because there are no Bible-believing Christian churches in the area, thus painting the Old IFB church plant in that same area as not believing in the Bible and not Christian. This was the tactic used by New IFB pastor Aaron Thompson of Sure Foundations Baptist Church, when he opened a church plant in Vancouver, BC, in the same vicinity as Blessed Hope Baptist Church, an Old IFB church plant pastored by Gleb Glebov. Blessed Hope opened its doors in July/August 2018. The very next month, on September 16, 2018, Aaron Thompson announced his church would be opening a satellite New IFB church in the same area. His reason? Because people there asked him to please start a church there because there was no Independent Fundamental Baptist church for them to attend.75 Except that there was. Is Thompson lying? We don't know, nor should we speculate. However, there is no reason Thompson could not have looked at the area, and upon discovering Blessed Hope Baptist Church, recommended that (Old) IFB church to those seeking an IFB church. But he did not. In keeping with Steven Anderson's goals, Thompson decided to start a New IFB church in the same city.
Other methods include intimidation and harassment. Old IFB preacher Sam Gipp seems to be a favorite target of the New IFB pastors and members. In fact, Steven Anderson seems to be obsessed with Gipp for some unknown reason, although Anderson claims it is Dr. Gipp who is obsessed with him.76 However, a simple look through the various YouTube videos for both men soon shows that Dr. Gipp has made a total of two videos regarding Steven Anderson, as contrasted with the 32 videos Anderson has uploaded to his YouTube channel, that directly attack Dr. Gipp.
Anderson and the New IFB go much farther than simply posting YouTube videos in their harassment and intimidation of Dr. Gipp. For some time Dr. Gipp has claimed that Steven Anderson was having at least one individual telephone the various churches Dr. Gipp was scheduled to speak at, and make disparaging and slanderous comments about Dr. Gipp to the pastors of those churches, in an attempt to convince those pastors to cancel Dr. Gipp's speaking engagements.77 As noted elsewhere, Steven Anderson has posted some thirty-plus anti-Sam Gipp videos to his personal YouTube channel – videos that disparage and slander Dr. Gipp. Is it too much to think that Anderson would stoop so low as to have his employees actually call around and personally slander and disparage Gipp to other pastors?
We no longer need to ponder this question. A former employee of Steven Anderson, a deacon of his church, in fact, has come forward and admitted that he did make those telephone calls, that he did make slanderous and disparaging comments about Dr. Gipp to those host pastors, and that he did these things under the direction of Steven Anderson who ordered him to make those calls.78 The question we must now ask ourselves, is are these the actions of a Christ-like man of God?
Dr. Gipp has also noted that New IFB people will attend an Old IFB church service, and then disrupt that service by handing out Steven Anderson DVDs and fliers to attend a New IFB church, all in an attempt to draw people away from the Old IFB churches. Dr. Gipp has revealed that other Old IFB pastors have experienced this as well.79 When Dr. Gipp witnessed a young man enter his church and begin to disrupt the service by handing out Steven Anderson material, he soon fell victim to New IFB intimidation tactics, when eight cars pulled up on the edge of his lawn, and sixteen men unloaded from those vehicles and descended on Dr. Gipp's home.
Now, bear in mind that Dr. Gipp lives with his wife, both are in their 70's. Their home sits on a parcel of land owned by his church, which also sits on that same parcel of land, several yards away from the Gipp home. There are no other homes on that block. None. Since Dr. Gipp was not at home at the time, and Mrs. Gipp was alone, the church caretaker became concerned to see eight strange vehicles and sixteen strangers all descending on the Gipp home. So he decided to investigate. When he approached the Gipp home, the men had crowded onto Dr. Gipp's front porch. One was knocking on the front door, while another stood poised with a video camera at the ready. When the caretaker called out and asked them what they wanted, they all came over and surrounded the caretaker, cutting off any avenue of escape. The caretaker stood his ground, and eventually the men left, but not before leaving fliers on the front porch of Dr. Gipp's home. Fliers that identified them as belonging to Verity Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho. Roger Jimenez, the close friend of Steven Anderson, is the pastor of Verity church in Boise.80

With numerous vehicles parked on his lawn, a group of 16 New IFB members from the Verity Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, prepare to descend on the home of Dr. and Mrs. Sam Gipp.

Recently, New IFB celebrity YouTuber Jeff Utzler, thought it would be funny to make prank telephone calls to Dr. Gipp, and make a digital video of at least one of these prank calls. During the video Mr. Utzler displays Dr. Gipp's home telephone number to the camera, for what purpose we aren't told. When Dr. Gipp answers the call, Utzler has his phone on speaker for his viewers to be able to listen. As Mr. Utzler harasses Dr. Gipp, Gipp becomes upset, which encourages Utzler to persist in his harassment, all while trying to stifle his almost uncontrollable giggling. Utzler finally hangs up.81 Jeff Utzler, a grown man, a medal winning Jiu Jitsu grappler, a professional firefighter and EMT,82 as well as ostensibly a Christian, behaving like a twelve-year old juvenile delinquent.

The three faces of Jeff Utzler. At left, winning a medal at the Championship NO GI Jiu Jitsu tournament. Center photo is Utlzer as a professional firefighter and paramedic in Ohio. At right is Jeff Utzler giggling like a little girl as he prank calls an elderly gentleman. Jeff Utzler neither behaves as a professional, nor an adult, nor a Christian as he claims he is.

Not only did Utzler demonstrate his lack of Christ-likeness by this stunt, but Steven Anderson expressed his approval of such worldly behavior when he posted it to his personal YouTube channel.
According to New IFB pastor Patrick Boyle, the Old IFB feels threatened by the New IFB because of the New IFB's theological positions as well. In an interview with another New IFB celebrity YouTuber, Benjamin “Ben the Baptist” Naim, Boyle claims the Old IFB becomes so upset by the New IFB eschatalogical teachings because they are “under conviction” by God, because they will not compromise on these doctrines and admit they are wrong and the New IFB holds the proper and biblically correct position. Boyle goes on to say the Old IFB is unable to refute New IFB doctrine, and so they feel insecure and under conviction from God, they are unable to deal with this and so feel threatened by the New IFB.83
This sort of over confident braggadocio is mirrored by Steven Anderson who claims the New IFB is the “only game in town”,84 and it seems to be very common among the New IFB pastors and their congregants, and results in all sorts of attacks by the New IFB against the Old IFB.
When one peruses Steven Anderson's personal YouTube channel, as well as the YouTube channels and blogs of other New IFB folks, one soon discovers a plethora of anti-Old IFB videos, with Anderson and others slandering and disparaging the Old IFB and Old IFB pastors and churches. These are all tactics employed by Anderson and his New IFB in their attempt to harass and intimidate the Old IFB out of existence, this leaving a void that Anderson intends to fill, apparently becoming the new Jack Hyles. As he has stated, he does enjoy the power he wields over people and his ability to influence (read manipulate) them.85
At this point, the reader has to ask him or herself, is the New IFB really behaving like biblical Christians? Of course, the only way to tell is to compare this behavior to Scripture. What does God say regarding the treatment of Christians – in this case the Old IFB, by other Christians – in this case the New IFB?
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
and,
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:9-18) [emphasis added].
And to these could be added innumerable other passages such as 1 Timothy 5:1-2; 1 Peter 2:17; Philippians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 13:4-13; Hebrews 10:24; Galatians 5:14; Luke 6:35-36; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 John 3:11; Ephesians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; and the list could easily go on and on.
God has made it very, very clear that Christians are to love one another. Not simply have warm and fuzzy feelings about each other, but to love one another in the same way that God has love us! That means we are to forgive our Christian brethren for any and all sins they commit against us, just as God has forgiven Christians for their innumerable sins which they committed against God. It also means that Christians are to sacrifice for one another. That does not mean Christians are to run down and offer up a slaughtered cow for their brother or sister's sake. But rather, just as Christ gave up His life for each and every Christian, each and every Christian should be ready and willing to give up their life for their brethren – as well as ready and willing to give up anything they have in their possession for their brethren if doing so would relieve their suffering and need.
Take another look at Romans 12:9-18. A close look. Our love for our Christian brethren is to be “without dissimulation.” It is to be sincere and genuine. We are to be “kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.” We are to be of such a mind that whatever we do for (not to, but for) our brethren is done willingly and joyfully, with all gladness. We are to distribute to the “necessity of the saints.” If our Christian brother or sister has need of anything, and it is within our ability and means to provide it, we should not only do so, but do so willingly and joyfully, without grumbling or complaining; and we are to “be of the same mind one toward another” doing all we can to “live peaceably with all men.”
Now compare these traits to what you have just read of Steven Anderson and the New IFB. He wants to eliminate all Old IFB churches and pastors, and replace them with his New IFB churches and pastors. He wants them gone and forgotten. Does this demonstrate a biblical love for Christian brethren that is “without dissimulation”? Ordering a deacon to call around and attempt to disrupt and disparage a fellow Christian pastor. Does this demonstrate being “kindly affectioned to one another with brotherly love”? Disrupting the services of Old IFB churches; harassing Old IFB pastors by sending car loads of New IFB people to intimidate them at their home, or making prank telephone calls to them, or uploading video after video after video to social media disparaging Old IFB pastors, does this demonstrate loving Christian brethren in the same way that Christ loved us?
Do we see any redeeming, biblical, grace-filled, Christ-like behavior or attitude in Steven Anderson and the New IFB in his/their behavior toward the Old IFB; or do we see the exact opposite? In comparing the actions and words of the New IFB with truths of Scripture, do we see biblical Christianity, or do we see signs of a pseudo-Christian cult? Now, don't answer this question just yet, as it will be asked several times during the course of this series, and you may find yourself changing your mind from one view to another. So wait until you read the entire article series, and have all the evidence necessary to give an informed answer to this question. You may be surprised by your answer!


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

In January 2019 a YouTube video was sent to me regarding Steven Anderson and the New IFB movement. As I began to watch this video, and other New IFB videos, I realized that the New IFB is not simply another fringe group of Westboro-like hate mongers who have co-opted the term “Christian” as a license to hate publicly. In fact, to simply label Steven Anderson and the New IFB as “just another Westboro” would be a dishonest oversimplification. There is far more to Steven Anderson than his aberrant beliefs about homosexuals. Far more.
As I prepared for this article, I made it a point to contact each and every pastor involved in the New IFB – including Steven Anderson. Some responded, such as Jonathan Shelley, Tommy McMurtry, Tim Delello, Manly Perry, Matthew Stucky, Benjamin Naim, and even Steven Anderson; while some chose not to respond. Videos, blog articles, sermon transcripts, and interviews were examined as well. In addition to those resources, former New IFB folks, and some Old IFB pastors and members were also contacted, such as Tyler Baker, Tyler Doka, Donnie Romero, Adam Fannin, Sam Gipp, Bob Gray II, Stephen Nichols, Kris Byrne, Tim Coleman, Steven Harper, Stephen Cox, Joshua Gregg, and Elliott Ray (among others).
Many of those who have been contacted and who have responded have expressed a concern that this article will be honest and not just another “hit piece”. If anything it will be honest. Brutally so. I am not interested in sugar coating anything, or soft peddling, or glossing over any theological warts that I might come across during my research for this article. At the same time, I also have no interest in simply bashing anyone for the sake of bashing them.
Some of those whom my friend Todd and I have communicated with while researching this article series, are laboring under the notion that this will be a vindication of something they have been falsely accused of. In some cases it may very well be. In some cases it will not. I am driven by the truth of Scripture. If what you teach is in line with the clear and explicit teaching of God's word, then I will back you without hesitation. If what you teach is not in line with the clear and explicit teaching of God's word, then I will, without hesitation, call you out on it. And that is the basis of this article. It is a comparison of the beliefs, teachings, and practices of Steven Anderson and the New IFB with the clear and explicit word of God.
I must also say, right from the beginning, that I believe the New IFB is comprised of Christian brothers and sisters. I believe it is also comprised of the unsaved, and in some cases, unsaved and actively anti-Christian in their beliefs. I believe there are some New IFB teachers who are solid in their doctrine, and there are some who teach heresy. In the interest of full disclosure, I fully believe Steven Anderson falls squarely within the latter group. If that bothers you, stop reading now lest you become so angry that you sin. And please understand, I do not make this statement lightly or flippantly. It is based on a thoroughly researched examination of his public teachings and beliefs as compared to Scripture. Footnotes are included in this article series (located at the end of each part or section, i.e. after all section 1 articles, after all section 2 articles, etc.) so the reader can view the supporting evidence for themselves. Every document, news article, video, sermon, etc., that is referenced in the footnotes is readily available both online and in the authors archives. As we all know, sometimes embarrassing moments have a habit of disappearing from the internet, or so we tend to think. Many of Steven Anderson's have been “removed” from their original slot on the internet shelf. Many have not, however, escaped Google cache and the Internet Archives Wayback Machine.
Note also, if, after this article series comes out, Steven Anderson or any other others who are called out herein publicly repent and disavow any false teachings they may have previously held, I will not hesitate to note that and update this article series accordingly as soon as I am made aware of their repentance. After all, one of the reasons for this article series is to point out error in the hope that people will repent and either turn back to Christ, or turn to Him for salvation.
There is a question that needs to answered before we begin, and that is, is the New IFB a cult, and is Steven Anderson its head? The answer is both yes and no. On the one hand, there is an aspect to the New IFB that is very cult-like, and very unchristian – even anti-Christian, and Steven Anderson is the undisputed leader of that cult, and his followers can best be described as “Andersonites.” On the other hand, the New IFB is a movement comprised of a loose association of churches, pastors, and adherents who share a set of common beliefs. In this group, Steven Anderson is just another pastor in the movement. Some may turn to him more than other pastors in the movement, but this can be attributed more to the fact he is better known due to his internet presence than any position of mutually agreed upon leadership within the group. It is the first group that this article series will be more concerned with, however, because doctrinal beliefs will encompass both groups, both will be addressed in that regard.
And finally, I must give a shout out to my good friend and brother in Christ, Todd Ferguson. The research project that was necessary to write this article was daunting to say the least. The number of interviews Todd conducted, and the shear number of hours he spent reviewing audio and video recordings is simply phenomenal. Of course, the article series would have still have been done without his help; it just would have taken well into the next century! Thank you so much Todd!

Benjamin Naim and Jeff Utzler do not pastor New IFB churches, they do have a substantial following among New IFB adherents, including several New IFB pastors. Because of their influence and minor celebrity status in the New IFB, they are included here.

What is the New IFB?The New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement, or, New IFB, is an affiliation of churches situated around the world that hold to a core set of doctrines which they believe are important and essential. These doctrines include: Salvation by Faith Alone; Once Saved Always Saved; The King James Bible is the Preserved, Inerrant, Infallible Word of God; The Trinity; Soul-Winning; Hard Preaching; Anti-Worldliness; Anti-Calvinism; Anti-Dispensationalism; Anti-Zionism; and the Post-Tribulation, Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church.1

While these New IFB core doctrines may not seem too far removed from biblical Christianity – at least for the most part, in reality, they are. Although they will be discussed more in depth elsewhere in this series, some brief examples would include:
1. Anti-Calvinism. While not subscribing to Calvinistic or Reformed theology is not something to divide over, in the New IFB mindset, it is. According to New IFB theology, Calvin and every Calvinist or Reformed Christian since him are not, nor have ever been, saved. The New IFB rejects out of hand the “Five Points of Calvinism – TULIP” (otherwise known as the Doctrines of Grace), claiming they are doctrines of devils. When one presses those in the New IFB to describe exactly what Calvinism entails, most are unable to say, and those who try will generally describe something other than historic Calvinism. In other words, although they condemn Calvinism, they do not understand Calvinism.
2. Once Saved Always Saved. An interesting choice for a core doctrine to be sure. At its essence, Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS) teaches that once a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation. They will persevere until the end, at which time they will go to be with the Lord for all eternity, God will preserve them. In Calvinism, this same doctrine is known as the “Perseverance of the Saints,” the “P” in TULIP, which the New IFB rejects out of hand, without understanding it, and without recognizing that they actually consider it a core doctrine. Score one for Calvinism.
3. The King James Bible is the Preserved, Inerrant, Infallible Word of God. This is what they say they believe, but what they really believe is that the King James Bible is the ONLY Preserved, Inerrant, Infallible Word of God. They believe all other translations and versions of the Bible are corrupt, false, perversions designed to lead people away from God and straight to hell. The New IFB is strictly a “King James Version Only” movement. Addressing the plethora of problems and fallacies with such a position is far beyond the ability of this article. The best sources available that completely refute not only King James Onlyism, but the New IFB extreme brand of KJVOnlyism are: 1) The King James Only Controversy by James R. White (the very best book there is at exposing and refuting KJVOnlyism) and a group of YouTube videos titled, “Refuting 'The King James Only Controversy'” by Steven Anderson, the founder and de facto leader of the New IFB. His “refutation” of James White's book is so woefully inadequate, however, that it actually ends up supporting every argument that James White makes against KJVOnlyism.
4. The Trinity. This is an essential doctrine in the Christian Church. If you get it wrong, then you do not understand who God is, and you end up worshiping a false god.
5. Soul-Winning. This is the practice, often mandatory in the New IFB (as well as the Old IFB), wherein members will go door-to-door sharing the gospel. As commendable a practice as this is, in the New IFB, however, there are some rules involved that make it a somewhat less than biblical practice.
6. Hard Preaching. In the New IFB this is a buzz word which means screaming, yelling, slapping, banging, punching, pounding, kicking, and sometimes jumping on the pulpit. It often involves vociferous “preaching,” shouted invectives and derogatory words and terms; and quite often slander, libel, and defamation of character. It can also entail threats, intimidation, and public humiliation.
7. Anti-Zionism. Read this as anti-Semitism. The New IFB insists it is not anti-Semitism, and rationalizes this by claiming there aren't in actual Jews in the world, so their anti-Semitism isn't really anti-Semitism.
8. the Post-Tribulation, Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. Why this is a core doctrine for the New IFB is a mystery. Every Christian knows that Jesus will return. We simply have different ideas as to when that will be. Certainly nothing to divide over, and Christians do not divide of this. The New IFB is an exception to that, however, as they consider anyone who is not post-trib/pre-wrath to be a dyed-in-the-wool God-hating, heretical reprobate. As you will discover in reading this article, the New IFB slings the term “reprobate” around like it was a frisbee at a beach party. But more on that, and the rest of these “core” New IFB doctrines, as well as many other doctrines and practices found in the New IFB will be discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this article series.
In The Beginning...

The first churches in the New IFB Movement were Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona which Anderson founded in 2005; and, Roger Jimenez's Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California, which he started five years later in 2010.2
Although these two pastors and their churches form the foundation of the New IFB, its roots go back much further in time, and farther east geographically. All the way back to the 1980's and '90's; and east to Hammond, Indiana and Pastor Jack Hyles of the First Baptist Church of Hammond. Jack Hyles was, if not the first Independent Fundamental Baptist, he was certainly one of the first, and probably the most influential. In fact, his influence continues to be felt even today, almost twenty years after his death, and in spite of the numerous scandals surrounding his name, his church, and the college he founded, Hyles-Anderson College.
Steven Anderson
In about 2003, Steven Anderson approached his then pastor, Stephen Nichols, and told him he wanted to attend Bible college, specifically Hyles-Anderson college in Crown Point, Indiana. Although Pastor Nichols told Anderson he could not recommend Hyles-Anderson due to Nichols' misgivings about its president Jack Schaap, Anderson decided to enroll in the college, which he soon did, moving his young family to Indiana.3

Hyles-Anderson college was founded by Independent Fundamental Baptist preacher, Jack Hyles in 1972 as a ministry of his church, First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana.4
Although Hyles was not the original pastor of First Baptist, he nevertheless viewed the church as his own personal fiefdom and he ruled it as such. Many who attended First Baptist during Jack Hyles' tenure, describe the atmosphere of the church as tense and on edge. Hyles demanded complete and total obedience and loyalty from his congregation, and there were those in the congregation who were more than happy to let him know when others were not maintaining those standards that he set. He enforced rules which he had implemented, that governed what type of clothing could be worn by his congregants – both in and out of church, hair styles, and more. There were some who claimed that members would not even rearrange the furniture in their homes without his permission and input, such was the totality of his iron-fisted rule.
Hyles also demanded the women of his congregation to be completely submissive and subservient to the men in their lives, beginning with their fathers, then their husbands, and finally the male leadership of the church. Hyles placed so much emphasis on the leadership of the man of the house, that if one of the men of his congregation was discovered to be in an adulterous relationship, Hyles looked first to the wife as the one to blame. Hyles felt certain that either the wife had driven her husband to do such a terrible thing, or, the other woman (or girl as the case sometimes was) did something to lure and trap the man into such a relationship. This enforced submissiveness and subservience served to open the door for all manner of sexually immoral behavior, including pedophilia.5
One former member who attended First Baptist Church when Hyles was pastor, described Hyles as having a terrible temper which exploded at times in outbursts of anger. The former member said Hyles used this to control those in his congregation. They were, to be blunt, afraid of him. In fact, Hyles wielded such control over his congregation that during a sermon given in 1990, Hyles pretended to pour poison into a glass. He then asked one of his associate pastors, Johnny Colsten, if he would drink it. Colsten said that he would. Reporters featured in a 1993 documentary on Jack Hyles and First Baptist said the whole thing had the “ring of Jonestown to it.” Jonestown, Guyana was the site of a 1978 mass suicide of the followers of Jim Jones, by drinking poison laced Kool-Aid. Hyles later claimed during an interview that the poison stunt was nothing more than a joke.6
Hyles' daughter Linda Murphrey, has spoken out about her father and what she calls the “cult” which he led, calling her life with him and in his church a “bizarre world.”7 During one interview she related that his followers were like “zombies” who were unhesitatingly “willing to believe and obey whatever he said.” Murphrey continued, saying, “He [her father Jack Hyles] used to joke around about 'drinking the Kool-Aid,' but that was never funny to me because I knew that those people really would have done anything he told them to do. Anything.”8 She reiterated this during a TEDtalk, stating very clearly that if Jack Hyles told his staff and congregation to do so, “they would drink the Kool-Aid,” and do so without hesitation.9
British historian John Dalberg-Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Jack Hyles was a living example of just how true this saying is. In 1989 a letter written by Judy Nischik Johnson, the daughter of Victor Nischik (an elder at Hyles' church), and Jennie Nischik (who also worked for Jack Hyles as his secretary) was sent to The Biblical Evangelist publication who in turn published the letter. It was a bombshell. In her letter Mrs. Nischik Johnson revealed that Jack Hyles and her mother Jennie had been in a decades long adulterous relationship.10
Although Hyles always denied the accusation (as his supporters continue to blindly do so), even his own family has admitted it was true. Hyles' daughter Linda has revealed that behind closed doors and away from the eyes and ears of his supporters, Jack Hyles hated his wife and taught their children to hate her as well. He flaunted his relationship with Jennie Nitschik by purchasing a large house for the Nitschiks just around the corner from the Hyles home. Linda Hyles Murphey has described how they could stand on their back porch and look directly into the back yard of the Nitschik home.11
Hyles was also known to call Victor Nitschik and tell him to send his wife Jennie to Hyles office, ostensibly for dictation, but more often where they would engage in their trysts. One wonders if Hyles took some sort of perverse pleasure in this.
News of the scandal resulting from Judy Nitschik Johnson's letter spread throughout Hyles-Anderson college, First Baptist Church, and around the country, and it followed Jack Hyles to his death in 2001.
One of the results of scandals such as the Jack Hyles scandal is that it effects so many people. Not just the families of those involved, but also tending to effect anyone with a connection to those involved. The Jack Hyles scandal was no exception.
In 1998 Pastor Joseph Combs and his wife were charged with “kidnapping, aggravated assault, perjury, and seven counts of rape” all perpetrated on their adopted daughter Esther over a period of 20 years. They were convicted in 2000 and sentenced to 179 years. Pastor Combs was a professor at Hyles-Anderson college, and both were faithful members of Hyles' church, First Baptist Church of Hammond. The story made national news.12
Jack Hyles son, David Hyles, a pastor himself, was also discovered to have been having adulterous relationships with dozens of women. He too fell in disgrace.13

Like father like son.

Jack Hyles' hand picked successor was his son-in-law Jack Schaap (pronounced Skop, rhyming with hop). He was in charge of both Hyles-Anderson college and First Baptist Church of Hammond as its pastor. Schaap became known for his flamboyant preaching style, often employing sexual innuendo and off-color comments. He was also known for employing the same or similar tactics Jack Hyles had employed in managing First Baptist Church, and he was known for being overbearing and controlling. In 2012 it was revealed that Schaap had been having adulterous relationships beginning at least in 2004 – the year after Steven Anderson enrolled in Hyles-Anderson. In 2013 Schaap was convicted of transporting a 16 year old girl across state lines for the purpose of having sex with her. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.14
Initially Schaap blamed his ignorance of the law, claiming he didn't know it was illegal to have sex with minor children. Then he actually blamed Christ Himself, saying Jesus wanted him to have an adulterous relationship with a young underage girl. Later he relied on one of Jack Hyles' teachings, and he blamed the girl, saying it was all her fault.15
In total, at least 18 people connected with Hyles-Anderson college and First Baptist Church of Hammond have been convicted of pedophilic molestation charges.16
In addition there have been several others who have been publicly accused by their victims, but managed to escape prosecution, such as one Hyles-Anderson graduate who managed to hide incriminating evidence until the statute of limitations expired, and another who avoided being charged by committing suicide in his jail cell. And then there is one of the most notorious Hyles-Anderson alumnus, David Hyles, the son of Jack Hyles. Although he has never been convicted of child molestation, several of his victims have come forward naming him as their rapist. He was also investigated during the mysterious deaths of his girlfriends infant son, and their 5-year old son. David Hyles has also been discovered to have engaged in dozens of adulterous relationships.
It is important to note that none of this is to say or imply that Steven Anderson has been involved in anything like the scandals noted here, especially since there is no evidence to say he has. It does, however, demonstrate the fallen nature and the anti-Christian environment of the school where Steven Anderson learned to be a pastor. Given his anger issues, his temper and outbursts, his demand for loyalty and petulant puerile tantrums when he doesn't get it, the manipulation through public shaming and condemnation he employs to control his congregation (as well as other pastors in the New IFB) are all tactics employed by Jack Hyles and Jack Schaap. Recently, in the midst of the Romero/ Fannin/ Anderson/ Shelley debacle (more on that later in this article series), Steven Anderson's new, up and coming protégé (read that as “yes man”), Chris Segura, preached a sermon titled, “God, the Pastor and You.” In this sermon, Mr. Segura emphasized the importance of agreeing with the pastor even when the pastor is wrong. This would, of course, include if and when the pastor teaches heresy. After all, Mr. Segura reasoned, since God placed the pastor into that church, even when he is wrong, he is still God's chosen servant; or, as in Steven Anderson's case, God's chosen prophet.17 While Chris Segura has been with Anderson for some years now, he still had to wait his turn in the queue so to speak, to be moved into the “current protégé” spot. He's in that spot now, and given the subject matter of his sermon, Anderson should be pleased, as he is teaching and reinforcing Anderson's desire for complete and total loyalty within his church.18 Note: HIS church.
Clearly, Steven Anderson learned quite a bit during his time at Hyles-Anderson and First Baptist Church of Hammond. Although he died before Steven Anderson attended his school and church, it is clear Jack Hyles was a huge influence on Steven Anderson (further supported by Anderson's inclusion of Hyles' articles on some of his websites, and videos of Hyles on his YouTube channel), and if he could see Anderson today, he would be proud.
It's difficult to believe that Steven Anderson was oblivious to the environment he had placed himself in back in 2003 when he enrolled in Hyles-Anderson college. Jack Hyles had passed away only 2 years earlier, and it had been only 3 years since Joseph and Evangeline Coombs were sentenced. Not only was the college still run the way Jack Hyles had run it, but the church, First Baptist, was as well under the leadership of Hyles' son-in-law, Jack Schaap. Like Hyles, Jack Schaap was domineering, manipulative, and used his outbursts as a method of controlling his congregation. Schaap was also known to interject highly sexualized analogies and demonstrations into his sermons.
As a student at Hyles-Anderson, Steven Anderson would have been mandatorily required to attend services at First Baptist where he would have been exposed to the worldly preaching style and manipulative techniques of Jack Schaap from his first Sunday there. And yet, all Anderson will say is that when he was in his senior year, with only a couple of months before his graduation, with cap and gown already ordered, he began to notice something wasn't right and that things were “getting weird.” Steven Anderson would have us believe that it took 26 months of constant exposure to the sexually immoral history of Hyles-Anderson, which included over 100 Sunday morning sermons (not to mention Sunday evening sermons) by Jack Schaap, before Anderson noticed something wasn't right, and that things were getting weird. That in itself is a hard story to swallow. But be that as it may, in November 2005 Anderson then made the decision to leave Hyles-Anderson college. He returned briefly to Sacramento, California, before moving himself and his family on to Tempe, Arizona where he started Faithful Word Baptist Church.19
Roger Jimenez
Roger Jimenez's ministry beginnings were every bit as controversial as Steven Anderson's. Both had pastors during those formative years that were anything but Christ-like. Jimenez left Regency Baptist church after meeting Steven Anderson there when Anderson was 20-years old, and Jimenez was an impressionable 16-year old teenager.20 Jimenez became infatuated with Anderson and his beliefs, and began to look up to him as a hero-figure.21 Anderson has said that he taught Roger Jimenez a lot of what he now believes as well as exerting a strong influence on him.22 So when Anderson left Regency Baptist, it was not surprising that Jimenez left as well, after strongly criticizing the church and its pastor, slinging accusations against them that in retrospect can be seen as strongly Anderson-like. According to Jimenez's former pastor, Jimenez also began speaking negatively about him to other pastors,23 no doubt in an attempt to discredit him – a practice that has also been attributed to Steven Anderson.24

Jimenez found his way to Vacaville, California where he attended Fellowship Baptist Church, an Independent Fundamental Baptist church led by Pastor Mark Lewis, an ex-con who “got religion” and started a church. It was Mark Lewis who became the primary influence in the life of a young Roger Jimenez, and it was Mark Lewis who sent Jimenez out to start his own church, Verity Baptist in Sacramento, California.25
Just as Anderson's spiritual hero Jack Hyles, his hand picked successor Jack Schaap, and other Hyles-Anderson alumni had done; Lewis was leading a double life where he pastored a church on Sunday, and engaged in illicit activities during the remainder of the week.
Just as it is important to understand the environment of Hyles-Anderson where Steven Anderson learned to be a pastor, it is also important to understand the environment where Roger Jimenez underwent his pastoral training.
Joanna Lynn Hunter met Mark Lewis in the early 1990's when they were in High School together. It wasn't long before they became an item. In 1997 Lewis was convicted of felony domestic violence after he attacked Joanna, and he served some time as a result. The two were married in 2000, and life with Mark Lewis was filled with repeated, documented, violence against her, including two separate incidents where he beat her so badly she had to be hospitalized. In one incident, Joanna related she was “hung up on the wall, choked, slapped, punched, kicked, thrown and badly beaten up by Mark.” Eleven years after her wedding to Mark Lewis she was dead. She was found “hanging” in a closet by her husband.
It was later revealed that during their marriage Mark Lewis had been involved in at least one adulterous relationship, and there were hard questions being asked by outsiders regarding financial improprieties. To top it all off, Joanna had made it known that she planned to leave him. Not long after making that decision, Joanna's body was found in a closet. One end of a terry cloth robe tie wrapped around her neck and the other end to a closet clothes rod. Her feet were touching the ground. Lewis said he was outside playing basketball with a friend when it happened, claiming he found her later. Instead of cutting her down, however, and instead of trying to resuscitate her, instead of calling 911 as any normal person would do, Mark Lewis called a friend. Surprisingly, Joanna Lewis' death was ruled a suicide. However, after Lewis' attacks on his girlfriend, police reopened the case, investigating her death as a homicide.
Within 24 hours of his wife's death, Lewis was on the phone to his girlfriend, a divorced former Sunday School teacher from his church, Fellowship Baptist. It wasn't long, however, that this relationship was also foundering. When his girlfriend discovered Lewis was sending lewd texts and nude photos of himself to female congregants, including a minor teenage girl who had been attending the church since she was 5, his girlfriend ended their relationship. That is when her Mark Lewis nightmare began.
Lewis began what can only be termed a campaign of terror. His basic pattern consisted of phoning or texting his former girlfriend asking to see her, she would refuse, he would then threaten her, and then some act of vandalism would happen to her property. These things occurred all while Mark Lewis pastoring Fellowship Baptist Church. First she found her car windshield smashed. Then another car window, then a window of her sister's car suffered the same fate. When smashed car windows didn't produce the desired results, the attacks escalated; and one night the bushes in front of home were set on fire. Lewis' threats and vandalism finally culminated in the firebombing of her home one night, while she, her children, and her parents were asleep inside. Although the home did catch fire, it was quickly extinguished and no one was physically injured. It was later revealed that Lewis had hired a fellow ex-con to do the firebombing for $300.
At the time when Mark Lewis hired his friend to firebomb his ex-girlfriends home, he had already been the subject of a two-year undercover investigation by the Vacaville Police Department, on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine after several confidential informants revealed to police that he had been both dealing and using the drug. The ex-con he hired to firebomb his ex-girlfriends home also confessed that he had smoked methamphetamine with Mark Lewis the night of the attack. And, when he was arrested, a subsequent search of his huge five-bedroom, five-bath home turned up an illegal handgun as well as methamphetamine. Police later filed documents linking Mark Lewis to numerous other crimes including burglaries, acts of vandalism, and witness intimidation.
Agreeing to a plea arrangement with the prosecuting attorney, Lewis pleaded no contest to arson and stalking. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Several people have come forward revealing that Mark Lewis was highly manipulative, using his position of church pastor to intimidate, influence and use people to do his bidding and gain their loyalty. They revealed that Lewis would provide these people with food, shelter, cars, cellphones, and money, and then pressure them to commit crimes for him such as purchasing methamphetamine, vandalizing property, and terrorizing those who either left, or tried to leave him. This is a common tactic used by prison inmates, and something Lewis no doubt learned and perfected during his previous incarceration.
After he was initially arrested, Lewis quickly posted a $500,000 bond using his church as collateral, and was released from jail. However, when it was discovered he had fraudulently registered his church in the first place, he was rearrested with a more than $1 million bail imposed. Since his rearrest, his unbelievably loyal and dedicated followers began selling off Lewis' belongings from his home, as well as pieces from his church, in an effort to raise enough to have him again released on bail. They also planned to sell his house if need be. Claiming they must help their leader, and the extent to which they are willing to go in order to do so, demonstrates the cult-like atmosphere, similar to that at First Baptist Church of Hammond, that Mark Lewis created, cultivated, and used to his advantage.26
When looking at Roger Jimenez, it is important to note that the unbiblical, anti-Christian behavior of his pastor, Mark Lewis, concerning Lewis' wife; as well as the documented manipulative, controlling, and cult-like manner in which he managed his congregation, was all occurring while Jimenez attended Lewis' Church. It was in this environment that Jimenez received his pastoral training. And as noted, it was Mark Lewis who sent Roger Jimenez out to start Verity Baptist Church.27
Again, none of this is to say or imply that Roger Jimenez is involved in any of the crimes his former pastor and mentor was involved in. But as with Anderson and Hyles-Anderson College, it does demonstrate the depraved cult-like environment that Jimenez placed himself in, and the cult leader that he placed himself under. No doubt, Mark Lewis was a strong and aggressive personality, much as Steven Anderson is; and no doubt Roger Jimenez was as submissive and subservient to Lewis as he seems to he seems to be around Steven Anderson.
Thus began the New IFB movement. First with Anderson in Tempe, Arizona with Faithful Word Baptist Church, and then with Roger Jimenez in Sacramento, California with Verity Baptist Church. Steven Anderson is the acknowledged founder and leader of the New IFB Movement. Between Steven Anderson and Roger Jimenez, Anderson is far more outgoing with an aggressive “in-your-face” demeanor and method of preaching; as if he perpetually carries a chip on his shoulder, ready to confront anyone from congregants who discuss things behind his back without his permission, to the inevitable protestors outside of his strip-mall church. One has to wonder how those protests have affected the businesses around him.28
Jimenez, on the other hand is far more subdued in his interactions with others. While he tries to emulate Anderson's fever-pitched pulpit rantings, he just doesn't quite match Anderson's manufactured fury. One might attribute this to Jimenez's spiritual upbringing under the outgoing, domineering, manipulative and controlling Mark Lewis, while attributing Anderson's confrontational over-the-top showmanship to his exposure to Jack Schaap and the teaching and methodology of Jack Hyles. Hyles, Schaap, and Anderson are very similar in their styles of preaching and church management, while Jimenez seems to be in a subservient role to Steven Anderson, just as he likely was to Mark Lewis. Anderson does have a soft spot for his friend Roger Jimenez, however, as he demonstrated when he became enraged and screamed insults at his deacon before firing him and kicking him out of the church simply because the deacon had been discussing with some friends a modalistic view of the Trinity; while only quietly and mildly “disagreeing” with Jimenez when it became known that he was actually teaching modalism from his pulpit.29 More on that later.
Due to his seemingly insatiable need to be constantly in the public view – something he can't very well do in a suburban strip mall – Steven Anderson has branched out to the World Wide Web, where he now commands a global audience. Although Roger Jimenez, and the other New IFB pastors also place their videos online for all to watch, and the movement has developed its favorite New IFB “celebrities” such as “Ben the Baptist” (a pseudonym for Benjamin Naim) and “Brother Jeff” (who is actually Jeff Utzler, or Jeff Kutzler, as he uses both names). None of the New IFB “celebrities” however, can match the showmanship of Steven Anderson, the superstar of the New IFB Movement.
It is a sad thing to watch as these New IFB pastors and members struggle to outdo one another other on YouTube. They all try to be just a little more over-the-top, just a little more controversial, and hopefully become more popular than the others, hoping to possibly become the next Steven Anderson. They all scream at the congregations they preach to – just like Steven Anderson (they call this “hard preaching”), just not quite as forcefully as he does. They all pound their pulpits like Steven Anderson, just not quite as hard as Anderson does. They all employ the use of disparaging language like Steven Anderson, just not with the same intensity as Anderson. Judging from Anderson's multiple internet venues, as well as his popularity and influence among several different segments of society ranging anywhere from those in the “Patriot” Movement to “Neo-Nazis”, these other New IFB pastors have quite a task ahead of them to even come close to the top dog. But they do try. Oh, how they try.
Steven Anderson's internet empire is actually something to behold, as the many websites and venues he manages are quite impressive given the wide variety of belief systems they cater to. Not only does Anderson have his strip mall church with a weekly average of 350 people attending his Sunday morning services; but he also operates a church website which features hundreds of free videos ranging from sermons to full length “documentaries”30 he has produced with his friend Paul Wittenberger, a former Hollywood electrical technician best known for his work on low budget horror films and soft core homosexual pornographic films.31
Many of Anderson's sermons and “documentaries” are also available in a multitude of languages capable of spreading his message around the world. He also manages several YouTube channels32 and a separate website called “Teach All Nations” which claims to offer “Full Length Documentaries, Bible Preaching, and Other Bible Videos” with “Content Translated Into Over 100 Different Languages.” This website and his multiple YouTube channels serve to expose the world to Steven Anderson and his decidedly unbiblical worldview.33
Anderson also runs the “KJV Prophecy” website which caters to those who want to hear Anderson's preaching on prophecy as well as his “Pre-Wrath Rapture” views.34
He runs the “Hard Preaching” website on which he has promotes those pastors within the New IFB whom Anderson feels are “hard” enough in their preaching. Namely, himself, David Berzins, Donnie Romero, Roger Jimenez, and Manly Perry. The site advertises itself as featuring, “Only the hardest preaching will be featured on this site. No boring preaching will be tolerated. Not even a little bit. None. NEVER! It's Not Going To Happen!”35
Anderson also runs the “Repentance Blacklist” website which panders to those who refuse to repent of their sins, refuse to accept the fact that Jesus is their Lord, and yet still want to call themselves Christians. It also serves to condemn numerous unbelievers and pseudo-Christians, as well as several Bible believing Christians. These are added for no reason other than they preach the Bible while disagreeing with Anderson.36
He also operates the “True Born Sons of Liberty” website which advocates for, among other things: shutting down and doing away with the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Homeland Security, and all Child Protective Services; ending all Social Security, Medicare, Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC and other programs that help the poor; and restoring “individual sovereignty.” This website panders to several groups including the so-called “Patriot” groups, the “Sovereign Citizen” movement, the Anti-Tax groups, Neo-Nazi's, and other Nationalist type groups.37
Anderson also operates the “Word of Truth Baptist Church” website38 which seems to have only one function, and that is to funnel online donations to Steven Anderson after PayPal deactivated his and his church's account and he was banned from using the service.39 This website features only two buttons. One which takes the visitor to a list of doctrinal beliefs (which not surprisingly they are the same as Anderson's church) and the other to a donate page. Many, if not most of Anderson's YouTube videos also contain a link which states “click here if you wish to donate to Faithful Word Baptist Church,” but clicking on the link takes one to the “Word of Truth Baptist Church” donate page. Anderson does the same thing on some of his websites, while others link to his “True Born Sons of Liberty” donate page. Regardless of which donate page or link one clicks on, however, the result is the same – a donation to Steven L. Anderson, and to no one else.40


Links for Series Articles Posted Thus Far:
Part 1a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1a
Part 1b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1b
Part 1c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-1c
Part 2a
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2a
Part 2b
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2b
Part 2c
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-part-2c
Steven Anderson and the New IFB Movement -- Update #1
https://reasonfiles.weebly.com/blog/steven-anderson-and-the-new-ifb-movement-update-1

A Theological Popeye Point

by R.P. Tuttle

One of my favorite cartoon characters growing up was Popeye. I think I watched every Popeye cartoon ever made. One thing common to all the Popeye cartoons was the moment when the heroic sailor had suffered enough abuse – usually at the hand of his arch enemy Bluto, and he grabs a can of spinach, downs it, and suddenly he wallops the bad guy. When Popeye reaches that point where he can no longer tolerate Bluto's bullying, he utters one of his most recognizable phrases, “That's all I can stands, an' I can't stands n'more!”
We have all find ourselves in similar circumstances at one point or another in our lives, when our patience or tolerance has reached a breaking point. When we reach that point, and something inside us changes and we step up to the plate and confront whatever it is that has pushed us too far. That point, the moment when a person changes and there is no stopping what is about to happen, is known by psychologists as the “Popeye Point.” Yes, it is a real thing. I'm sure if you give it some thought, you will be able to identify a few of Popeye Points from your own life.
Since becoming a Christian, my own Popeye Points have become more infrequent; but to be sure, they do occasionally happen. Today I had a Popeye Point. It came when I was reading my email, and I came across one that contained an article by Dr. Albert Mohler. I like Dr. Mohler, I really do, but today I think he disengaged the analytical part of his brain, and turned on the politically correct part. The part that causes people to say things that are just plain stupid. Sorry Dr. Mohler, but it is what it is.

Dr. Mohler's article is titled, “Church History Made Before Our Eyes: United Methodists Make History, Affirm Biblical Standards of Sexuality.”  As soon as I read it, I groaned and executed a flawless 3-point face palm (turn, elbow to desk, face to palm). When I had recovered enough, I began reading the article. I wish I hadn't.

Dr. Mohler writes, “In St. Louis Missouri, the United Methodist Church met for a special General Conference to answer unavoidable questions central to the sexual revolution and the LGBTQ agenda. The United Methodist Church stands as the last mainline Protestant denomination that has not yet fully surrendered to the sexual revolution. The church has long agonized over this issue, with many in the church advocating for capitulation while a slim conservative majority still held to an orthodox teaching of marriage and sexuality.” He goes on to comment, saying United Methodist homosexuals “demand the ordination of openly gay clergy, the affirmation of same-sex marriage, and even electing homosexual bishops. But the liberals within the United Methodist Church have been thwarted in this effort – and the reason is illuminating.”
Dr. Mohler's words are, at best, a dishonest reporting of what actually occurred at the UMC General Conference. At worst they are total fiction, a departure from the truth, imaginative musings – I am doing my best to be generous and respectful here. I assume you get the point.
That the UMC General Conference was to answer questions regarding the homosexual agenda, is true. That the UMC is the last mainline Protestant denomination that has not fully surrendered to the sexual revolution, is not true. Unless, of course, one defines “mainline Protestant denomination” as UMC exclusively; but even then the statement is misleading since the UMC actually embraces sexual sin, and has for quite some time. “A slim conservative majority still held to an orthodox teaching of marriage and sexuality” – since when? Where did this “slim conservative majority” come from? And if it is “slim” is not a minority rather than a majority? But I digress.
United Methodist homosexuals “demand the ordination of openly gay clergy, the affirmation of same-sex marriage, and even electing homosexual bishops”! Sigh. Rest easy folks, the liberals have been thwarted in this effort according to Dr. Mohler. Double sigh. The demands of the homosexuals are nothing more than a desire to be in the spotlight, a means to satisfy their narcissistic desires. At the end of the day there is no need for them to “demand” these things, because they already have them. Already. As in right now. As in from before the General Conference, to during the General Conference, and including after the General Conference. They were not “thwarted in their effort,” not by a long shot.
Look at the facts folks, the United Methodist church currently has over 150 openly non-celibate homosexual clergy, as well as hundreds more that are either in the closet, or are supportive of the openly non-celibate homosexual clergy. It's been that way for years. It may be true the “slim conservative majority” (I'm still chuckling about that) has “banned” openly non-celibate homosexual clergy, but at the same time this is the same group of “conservatives” who have maintained the ban for decades on paper, but in practice their refusal to abide by that ban constitutes an acceptance of the openly non-celibate homosexual clergy that the conservatives keep ordaining! Most recently the “slim conservative majority” ordained its first non-binary transgendered person.
But the conservatives have managed to maintain the ban on same-sex marriage, right? Affirming that marriage is between a man and woman only, right? Well, yes, but again only on paper. There have been several homosexual marriages conducted in United Methodist church sanctuaries and by United Methodist clergy – both homosexual and straight. Again, the refusal of these “conservatives” to punish and or excommunicate those who perform these marriage profanations is a tacit approval by those same “conservatives.” And what about the election of homosexual bishops? Oh, you mean like UMC Bishop Karen Oliveto? The openly homosexual United Methodist bishop who rule over the Mountain Sky Conference which encompasses 400 churches in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Idaho? The one “married” to an openly homosexual woman who is also an ordained deaconess in the UMC? Do you mean that United Methodist Bishop? Yeah. That one.
It seems the United Methodist homosexuals are demanding to have that which the United Methodist church – the United Methodist church conservatives – already gave them years ago. But wait, don't go away yet, because there is more that needs to be said here about the United Methodist Church, the “last mainline Protestant denomination” to not surrender to the sexual revolution. Yeah, well, as we can see, they fully surrendered. But the sexual revolution is not the only thing the UMC has surrendered on. It has also surrendered to paganism.
Beginning in 1994, the United Methodist Church has been involved in occult practices; both explicitly and implicitly. It was in 1994 that the first “Reimagining” conference took place, hosted by the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church, USA. During this multi-day conference, participants “reimagined” the Church, Jesus Christ, and God Almighty. “Reimagined” in that they rejected the traditional, biblical views of all three. As a result, the participants embraced a new god, a goddess in fact, named Sophia. Throughout the conference chants and prayers and blessings could be heard being made to Sophia. On Sunday morning, in the church sanctuary, Sophia worshipers participated in a paganized version of Communion where they shared milk and honey rather than bread and wine, while a pornographic painting of a partially nude woman sat displayed nearby. One conference speaker, Delores Williams, taught, “I don't think we need a theory of atonement [in Christianity] at all. I think Jesus came for life and (to show us) how to live together, what life was all about."
Perhaps the greatest blasphemy to take place was the “Croning Ritual” – a witchcraft ritual, performed in the church sanctuary by United Methodist clergy. You would think with all of this worship of false gods, paganism, heresy, and blasphemy the United Methodist Church denomination might have something to say about all of this. Well, no. Not really. According to the UMC denomination headquarters they have nothing to say about the Reimagining conference, and no prohibition against witchcraft rituals in the church sanctuaries. The UMC denomination also noted that no United Methodist clergy or other participants were disciplined for engaging in these demonic practices. Not one. The “slim conservative majority” closed their eyes and gave them all a pass, thus giving their tacit approval of the whole sordid mess.
That was in 1994. The Reimagining conferences continued for another decade; the practices and teaching that take place in them continues to this day, as does the worship of the goddess Sophia in United Methodist Churches. On May 6, 2018, at the First United Methodist Church – Omaha, Dr. Jane Florence delivered a message titled, “Meeting Sophia,” which promoted not just the worship of Sophia, but actually the replacing of the One True God, the Great I AM, with the false god Sophia. In fact, her message concluded with a sojourner seeking divine enlightenment and meeting the goddess Sophia. “I am called Sophia” she tells him. “I'd like to talk again. Where do you live? Where can I find you?” he asks her. Her response should send chills down your spine and send you running for the holy water. She says to him, “Seek and you will find me. Knock and the door of your heart will open. Then you will know. I AM with you always.” [emphasis in original]. Note: the “slim conservative majority” is still, after more than a quarter century, continuing to allow all of this abhorrent, antichrist, anti-God behavior, beliefs, and practices.
So no, Dr. Mohler, no. The United Methodist Church is not a Christian denomination, not by any stretch of the imagination. The “slim conservative majority” has not thwarted any attempted liberal takeover of the denomination. If anything, it has encouraged the liberal homosexual agenda by capitulating to it decades ago. News articles similar to Dr. Mohler's have been plastered all over the internet since the completion of the UMC General Conference a few days ago, and one can not help but notice them. It was not that Dr. Mohler wrote his article in a substantially different way than any of the other articles, it was just that it was one more, and one more too many.
I stood all I can stands, and I can't stands n'more.
It was my Popeye Point.
The only question now is, when will the Church, the Body of Christ, have a Popeye Point, where they can stand no more blasphemy against our Creator and Savior?

Please note, due to the excessive length of the emails I have received from the subject of these (now) five articles, as well as from his German friend, I have decided to close off all comments to all five of the articles in this series. Should anyone still like to comment, you can do so using the contact page of this website by clicking here.

“He who claims to be a slave of Christ, is no such thing if he does not obey Christ.”

This will be the last of the articles on Servus Christi (Mr. Joshua Chavez) and his friend “causafinitum”/”waldens” (Mr. Dennis Grützmacher). After my last article, “Servus Christi – Updated,” I received a 47 page email from Mr. Grützmacher as a response to that article (and every other article as well). And yes, you read that correctly – 47 pages! And if you think that's excessive, to date I have received 299 pages of emails between the two of them! In his current 47 page long email to me he gave me his very best well-reasoned, logical, “Christian” biblical arguments against all that I had written, as well as in support of Mr. Chavez. The highlights of his email tome were that:
I only condemn that which I do not understand.
I don't know what I am talking about.
I lack “experimental knowledge.” (whatever that is)
I am scared.
I am an idolater.
I am ignorant.
I am presumptuous and biased.
I am a crybaby.
I need to grow-up.
I am a hypocrite.
I am a sinful hypocrite.
I am a sinful judgmental hypocrite.
I belong to a hypocritical church, and not the True Church of Christ.
I am worthless.
What I write belongs in the dustbin.
I should laugh at myself.
I should doubt myself.
I have a mental impairment.
I am not smart enough to make an informed comment.
I am a swine.
I am self-righteous.
I am holier-than-thou.
I am full of myself and pride of self.
I am not a Christian, because he does not recognize my salvation.
I am pretentious.
I am going to hell.
I am a papist.
I am a bigot.

Perhaps most telling was his response to my statement, “To be clear, while I agree with much of Reformation theology, it is God whom I love. The Triune God of Scripture.” To which he replied, “Sorry, Bob, your reply is truly ridiculous.”

Interspersed between these little “love notes” from Mr. Grützmacher to me, he repeatedly reiterated his and Mr. Chavez's standard “guilt by association two or more times removed” nonsense; which basically states that Mr. “A” is a heretic because he associates with Mr. “B,” who in turn associates with Mr. “C,” who in turn associates with a known heretic. And as we have come to expect, he does this all while ignoring the fact that both he and Mr. Chavez are guilty of the very same thing they are accusing others of. He states that my pointing this out to him is nothing more than a “red herring.” Their “do as I say, but not as I do” behavior is, of course, by definition hypocritical.

There were other nonsensical tidbits in his email, such as his statement, “Joshua must and can defend himself.” While forgetting (or ignoring) that both his first set of emails to me, as well as his most recent, are prefaced with the statement, “At the request of Servus Christi the information below.” If Joshua Chavez can defend himself, then why has he employed the services of Dennis Grützmacher to do this for him?

The majority of his most recent email, however, was with regard to their De Coniuratione Vaticanum Magna theory – the Great Vatican Conspiracy – which is a detailed account of over 650 years worth of “evidence” studied over a five-year period, which proves conclusively (at least to Mr. Grützmacher) that the Vatican is trying to take over the world in order to bring about the one world religion led by the pope as antichrist and the papacy as Babylon the great.

In his less than cogent presentation of just how this conspiracy is unfolding, Mr. Grützmacher has put forth the argument that John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, the editors of the Reformation Heritage Books KJV Study Bible, the editors of the ESV Bible, Ligonier Ministries, the speakers at the European Bible Training Center Conference 2017, the speakers at the Shepherd's Conference 2017, the speakers at the Together For The Gospel Conference 2016, the speakers at the Ligonier Conference 2017, the speakers at The Gospel Coalition Conference of 2017, and the speakers at the G3 Conference of 2018 are all agents of the Vatican. Every single one of them is an undercover Romanist. Every single one of them without exception. How does he know this? He presents two pieces of evidence which he claims unequivocally support his assertion. They are:

Grützmacher's Supporting Evidence #1: Not one of these people have, in any Study Bible they have written, stated that the papacy is the Babylon of Revelation 14:6-12, and that the pope is the antichrist of Daniel and 2 Thessalonians 2:8; nor did a single person speaking at the conferences mentioned state that the pope is the antichrist of Daniel and 2 Thessalonians 2:8, and that the papacy is the Babylon of Revelation 14:6-12.

Grützmacher's Supporting Evidence #2: He goes on to state that these people cannot be true biblical Christians (and therefore must be Romanists – undercover papists sent to infiltrate the True Church) because they do not meet the standard of biblical Christianity. And what is that standard? According to Mr. Grützmacher, it is the book, “A brief and impartial account of the nature of the Protestant religion” by John Owen.

Mr. Grützmacher does not look to God's Word as the standard of a biblical Christian, or biblical Christianity, but rather a book by John Owen.
Now, don't misunderstand me. As far as I am concerned, John Owen was a great man of God; solid in his faith, and I look forward to meeting him in heaven. But he is not God. His writings were not inspired of God, nor are they infallible or inerrant. Only God's Word meets that specific criteria. I am glad Dr. Owen is not alive to see them misuse his name and writings in this way. If such a thing were possible, he would be turning over rapidly and repeatedly in his grave.

I find it both interesting and telling that when I asked Mr. Grützmacher to show me in Scripture where God states the pope (specifically) is the antichrist and the papacy (specifically) is Babylon; he pointed to John Owen instead. I point to God, he points to John Owen. Now what does that tell you?

In fact, Mr. Grützmacher applies this unbiblical standard to everyone across the board. Unless you, dear Christian, do not openly proclaim that the pope is the antichrist of Daniel and 2 Thessalonians 2:8, and that the papacy is the Babylon of Revelation 14:6-12, then you are not a true Christian, and you are actually a papist. Mr. Grützmacher wrote in his email to me that history proves this because ALL the Reformers, and ALL the Puritans throughout history believed it to be so; and, he says, the persecution of Christians by the Roman church, “proves the historic fulfilment of the book of Revelation in the history of the papacy, it shows the martyrs of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I have tried to be patient with these men, although my patience has worn pretty thin at times (as I am sure is glaringly evident in my responses to them). I have tried to treat them as brothers in the Lord. For that I received nothing but rejection, ridicule, mockery, slander, defamation and other ad hominem retorts from them. I'm done with them.

I extended to Mr. Chavez the courtesy of one-on-one private communications in order to try and convince him to repent of his sin. Mr. Grützmacher did not see fit to extend the same courtesy to me, choosing instead to bring his nonsense against me to a public forum (this blog) in the form of replies to the specific articles and their content. Yes, he emailed me as well, but nothing that he hadn't already posted here on The Reason Blog. They both continue in their sin, compounding it daily. It is as if their sin is their life. I do not see any fruit of repentance in any of their communications to me, either privately or publicly on this blog. I do not see any loving kindness, no compassion, no love of any kind; not toward me, and not toward anyone in the Body of Christ; and certainly not toward God Himself.

What they call me, how they treat me, etc., means less than nothing to me. As a retired Correctional Sergeant, I spent more than half of my adult life dealing with criminals of the worst sort. I have had the worst of the worst throw the worst they could muster at me, and it never made a dent. These two guys, Mr. Joshua Chavez and Mr. Dennis Grützmacher are no different than the criminals I dealt with for all those years. They are simply criminals of a different stripe. They are spiritual criminals. Spiritual thugs. Spiritual bullies. However, while their tired old canards do not bother me personally (after all, it is our Lord who said, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” – John 15:20), when they direct them at the Body of Christ, and by extension Christ Himself, then I tend to get a little miffed.

Both Mr. Chavez and Mr. Grützmacher have told me that by pointing out their sin to them, I am the one in sin and in need of repentance. In spite of their condemnation, I see no need to repent of a sin that is only perceived to be such when viewed by someone whose sole intent is to find fault within the Church. Sin is rebelliousness against God, not rebelliousness against those who view, through their practice, Pharisaical leaven to be a virtuous and valued commodity.

There are those within the Body of Christ that serve sort of like police officers. Their job is, like any police officer, to serve and protect. Those in the Body who serve our Lord in this manner are serving and protecting the Body from those forces outside the Body that are seeking to damage and destroy the Body. We commonly think of these people and ministries as Discernment Ministries. When they discover false teachings and false teachers within the Church, they sound the alarm much like the watchmen on the tower (Isaiah 62:6; Proverbs 8:34), thus protecting the Body. They also serve the Body by educating the Body on how to recognize false teachings and false teachers intent on damaging and destroying the Body.

There are also those, however, more often outside the Body than in, who think of themselves as monitors. They “monitor” the Body ready to pounce upon anyone who falls within their personal, rather than biblical, definition of apostate or heretic or false teacher. They are not monitors, they are, in fact, what are commonly known as “fault finders,” and “heresy hunters.” During the 17th century they were known as “witch burners.” They are rogue “Christians” who act not unlike vigilantes; usually serving up their own brand of vigilante justice based upon their own presuppositional biases, personal opinions, and eisegeted Scripture. Both Mr. Chavez and Mr. Grützmacher fall clearly within this category.

Something I have learned since becoming a Christian, is we are not to lower ourselves to the level of these sorts of vigilantes. To do so would place us in the same sin as they are in. Nor are we to adopt their manner. In fact, a thought has occurred to me that, at least with regard to Mr. Grützmacher, there is a distinct possibility that a degree of mental impairment is at work here. He obsessiveness with regard to the Vatican conspiracy noted above; his lengthy, highly detailed, but at the same time illogical arguments endlessly repeated to anyone whose email address he can find; his quixotic behaviour all seem to point to this conclusion.

That Mr. Chavez seems to use Mr. Grützmacher to distract his critics with Grützmacher's endless illogical nonsense seems to demonstrate he is taking advantage of a willing and naïve follower. This suggests to me that Mr. Grützmacher is feeding off of Mr. Chavez's conspiracy theories. Or, perhaps they are both feeding off one another and they are both in need of psychiatric help. If true, it would explain a lot. Either way, however, we ought not to scorn or ridicule them; or hold them in contempt; not repaying their evil with more evil (1 Thessalonians 5:15). But rather, we should pity them. Pity them, have nothing to do with them, and keep them in our prayers.

Rather than employing Mr. Grützmacher's methodology and compare the words and attitudes of Mr. Chavez and Mr. Grützmacher to the works of John Owen; I believe it would be more profitable, and more biblical, to compare these two men, their words, and their behaviour to Scripture. Therefore, keeping in mind the things these two men have publicly stated (the open derision, mockery, slander, defamation, general name calling, and false witness borne against the Body of Christ), compare that to the Word of God: