The Faithful Word Baptist Church was founded on Christmas Day 2005 by Steven Lee Anderson. The church identifies as an independent, literalist church that exclusively uses the King James Version of the Bible. It initially operated from an office space in a strip mall that also housed Anderson’s fire alarm installation business. By 2015, the congregation had grown to approximately 150 members. Anderson, who does not have formal theological or ministerial training, later established the New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement, which expanded to include dozens of affiliated churches.
From its early years, the church developed a structure and doctrine centered on biblical literalism, pastoral authority, and a dispensationalist interpretation of prophecy, including a focus on the post-tribulation rapture. It maintains anti-abortion positions, including opposition to in vitro fertilization due to the disposal of embryos, and rejects modernism, liberalism, and feminism. Over time, allegations describing the group as cultlike have focused on internal discipline, family control, and isolationist tendencies. Anderson and his wife homeschooled their 12 children; by 2023, their four oldest children had publicly separated from the family, alleging domestic abuse and stating they had been excommunicated from the church.
The church first drew widespread national attention in August 2009 when Anderson delivered a sermon titled “Why I Hate Barack Obama” in which he said that he was praying for the president’s death. The following day, church member Chris Broughton attended a Phoenix convention where Obama was speaking while openly carrying an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and a pistol. Broughton said the act was part of a pre-planned publicity stunt organized by a local radio host rather than a direct response to the sermon. The incident prompted scrutiny from the United States Secret Service.
Later in 2009, Anderson was involved in a 90-minute standoff with United States Border Patrol agents at an interior checkpoint. Authorities used a Taser on him and broke his car windows. He was charged with resisting a lawful order but was acquitted by a jury in 2010.
In the years that followed, public attention focused on the church’s rhetoric and positions. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated the congregation an anti-gay hate group, citing Anderson’s statements that homosexuals should be executed under Mosaic law. Anderson also publicly commented on the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, stating that there were “50 less pedophiles” and expressing regret that there were survivors.
International developments followed as the movement expanded. In 2022, a local branch in Pforzheim, Germany, led by Anselm Urban, faced legal consequences after Urban publicly called for the execution of queer individuals and expressed a death wish toward a government official. Urban later left Germany for Arizona to avoid a €1,020 fine and continued his ministry through webcasts.
The Anti-Defamation League has identified the church’s digital content as promoting antisemitic stereotypes. In 2015, Anderson produced the documentary “Marching to Zion,” which characterizes the Talmud as blasphemous, followed by a video titled “The Holocaust Hoax Exposed,” which promotes Holocaust denial. The Southern Poverty Law Center has also reported that Anderson has used platforms such as InfoWars and his website, True Sons of Liberty, to advocate for the abolition of institutions including the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Reserve, Social Security, and child protective services.
Anderson has been barred from entering more than 30 countries. The church continues to use online streaming to maintain a global audience and coordinate its affiliated ministries.
Key Sources:
The Daily Express. (2016, September 16). Gay hating preacher who called Orlando victims ‘paedophiles’ banned from coming to UK.
James, S. D. (2009, September 16). Protesters rally against Pastor’s “Why I Hate Obama” sermon. ABC News.
McGarry, P. (2019, May 13). Who is controversial anti-gay pastor Steven L Anderson? The Irish Times.
Southern Poverty Law Center. (2024, December 3). Anti-LGBT church splits amidst turmoil following resignation of pastor, reveals fault lines in new Anti-LGBT church network.