Recently, one point Calvinist Bob Gray, retired pastor of Longview Baptist Temple, posted an article by James Ach that let everyone know the infamous Steven Anderson was NOT part of Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) club. While most of Ach’s post was a harangue against Calvinism, I found his statement about Anderson to be the most interesting and laughable:
…Let us first say on behalf of all independent fundamental Baptists (IFB) of all stripes, that NONE of us recognize Steven Anderson as a bona fide fundamental Baptist. He has virtually nothing in common with any IFB denomination, and has been openly hostile of every IFB minister and ministry from Peter Ruckman, Bob Gray Sr., David Cloud, D.A. Waite, Jack Moorman, Phil Stringer, Jack Chick, to Fellowship Tract League, William Grady, Sam Gipp, Lester Roloff et al , and that’s just about every known “leader” so-to-speak in modern fundamental “circles”. The above names have sharp disagreements with each other, but Anderson hates them ALL. Anderson is an anti-Semitic, hermeneutically challenged anomaly that in our opinion at DRC is on someone’s payroll to make Baptists look like complete idiots (above and beyond some of the dumb things we’ve done amongst ourselves). In fact, not only do we deny that Anderson is IFB but have a standing joke that Anderson is actually a closet Calvinist…
If you are like me, you found yourself rolling on the floor with uncontrollable laughter over Ach’s claims that Steven Anderson, pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, is ” on someone’s payroll to make Baptists look like complete idiots.” Ach, who is known to make conspiratorial claims, provides no proof for this claim. Besides, most IFB preachers are quite capable of acting like idiots all on their own.
Ach would lead those uninitiated in IFB life to think that Steven Anderson is an outlier, and not at all representative of the typical IFB preacher. For those of us what spent many years in the IFB church movement, we know better. We’ve heard uncounted vitriolic sermons, attacks on everything from Roman Catholics and the NIV to Southern Baptists and the NKJV. No subject, no institution, or preacher was untouchable. We’ve heard screamed out threatening and hour-long long sermons on “liberal” IFB churches, pastors, and colleges. While Anderson and the late Fred Phelps are a bit more hyperbolic, they certainly are within the pale of what can be heard in many IFB churches.
In my case, I had a gold card that gave me special access to the IFB insider’s club. From Sword of the Lord conferences to IFB Bible conferences to pastor’s fellowships, I’ve heard so-called men of God vent their spleen over every sin imaginable. One such man preached from the text, neither give place to the devil. After he read the text, he spend the next hour giving a rundown and run over of everything he considered a sin. And all the preachers in attendance shouted AMEN!
Steven Anderson is IFB and there’s nothing James Ach or Bob Gray Sr can do about it. His beliefs, in the main, are standard IFB fare. Even his antisemitism and racism can be found in virtually every corner of the IFB world. As I stated in my post, Understanding Steven Anderson, Pastor Faithful Word Baptist Church, Tempe, Arizona, there is nothing out of the ordinary about Anderson. He’s a garden variety IFB preacher who, as a narcissist, is full of himself and thinks he speaks for God.
I encourage readers to take a gander at Ach’s Do Right Christians blog and see if there really is any difference as far as behavior is concerned between James Ach and Steven Anderson. For even more amusement, check out Ach’s Twitter account (account no longer active). I think you’ll find that if the former is IFB then the latter is.
A ha ha ha ha! I LOVE it when these IFB guys turn on each other. Steven Anderson is the poster child for IFB churches. They just don’t like him because he says publicly what they are all thinking and saying in private.
I tried the links and read for two or three years before starting to slobber on drivel. The verbose hatred of this IFB kind of Christian love just goes on and on. I just gag preachers use prefaces in their statements like: Well, anybody with any sense knows… (insert any ol’ thing you like for the rest of the sentence)
Also, these love-vipers have membership cards and if you are not up-to-date in your membership, well then, just shut the fuck up because we know the devil owns you! You don’t pay your dues!
Worse is when someone comes to you and starts the sentence out with “I’m coming to you out of love”. That’s when you should run away as fast as possible.
Unfortunately (Or maybe fortunately?) I don’t get the joke. (I can see the humor in thinking he’s a plant to make the dummys look dumb)
I’m curious why you call him “Calvinist” Bob Gray, when it seem obvious he doesn’t identify as a Calvinist.
Bruce, I don’t know how you can stomach these fundy theology blogs. It’s a bit like Lot’s wife looking back at Sodom.
One point Calvinist. HE believes in eternal security, a bastardized version of the perseverance/preservation of the saints. I mainly said it to jerk his chain. Bro. Bob hates me so much he won’t even respond to me any more. 🙂
I can only read so much of it. Once the bullshit reaches my chin I stop. 🙂
I couldn’t find the web link, but I remember reading on the web some time ago where someone showed evidence that James Ach is really Jerry Kaifetz. Kaifetz wrote a book called “Profaned Pulpit” that was very critical of Jack Schaap. However, his criticism of Schaap was a roundabout endorsement of the IFB church. It basically said that Jack Schaap was an aberration and an outlier who did not represent the true IFB. This seems similar to what the person known as James Ach says about Steven Anderson.
Thanks for this info, Gene. Jerry and Ach do have some personality similarities. I will pay closer attention. People who do this always give themselves away. Sooner or later, their speech/writing pattern reveals who they are.
Ach goes out of the way to hide and obfuscate who he really.
Anderson is definitely not mainstream IFB, but Monty hits the nail on the head: he says what many of them think. Huge difference is his Post-Trib position & militant homophobia. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was a closeted, self-hating gay man
I was totally surprised that the name of Jerry Kaifetz was mentioned. I have known him for several years. To me he appears to be a hypocritical narcissist with a pretty violent temper if you don’t agree with whatever he is saying at that time. He does seem to change his opinions rather quickly. A quick but accurate synopsis of his book is: church member dearly loves his church and pastor; he gets into a business alliance of some sort with a member of his church and when that business arrangement goes south and he feels that the other member owes him thousands of dollars, he takes his complaint to his Pastor; when his Pastor does not agree with him that he is owed thousands of dollars, he gets very mad and from that day to this he is on some personal crusade to rip apart the pastor that he said he loved, the church where he faithfully served and for good measure a whole movement. He writes about all of this in his book. Now what he is reporting may or may not be valid, it is really hard to tell because of all the venom. He does write that he has influence over “thousands upon thousands” (one wonders if that is his narcissism on display) so there must be some people who value his opinions. In trying to understand and decipher what took place at his former church and with his former, now deceased, pastor this work does not shed much light. Now certainly I could be wrong in my assessment and he could turn out to the be the most wonderful and devoted Christian (I think that he would readily agree that he is) since the Cross. I wonder if someone would go ahead and pay him the thousands of dollars that he says he is owed, if he would then shut up. Perhaps not, because he would then lose those “thousand upon thousand” followers that are presently depending upon him. For me, I would love to hear from someone who would be credible in telling me that this man is not a hypocritical narcissist because if he is not then he certainly has much to offer in important discussions concerning the cause of Christ.
Bob
Quite something that an ungodly fool somehow thinks his opinion on the Bible and spiritual things holds some water. Your deception is horrible, the blind leading the blind. Like the dog and pig you are, you’ve simply turned back to the vomit and mire you always missed (2 Pet. 2:17-22). Have a read of that chapter, it calls you more than just a dog and pig.
Well aren’t you fun Walls Digger.
Next.