Donnie Romero is the pastor of Stedfast Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas. Romero is the bosom buddy of Steven Anderson, pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona. Yesterday, Anderson released a video detailing Romero’s resignation from Stedfast Baptist. According to Pope Anderson, Romero was cavorting with prostitutes, smoking weed, and gambling. What’s next? Romero secretly used the NIV to study for his sermons? The good news is that according to Anderson’s and Romero’s soteriology, the fallen pastor is still saved. There’s nothing Romero can do to ever lose his salvation. Once saved, always saved, baby, even if Romero brings shame to his family or infects his wife with a STD.
Anderson must be livid over Romero exposing that his little club of IFB churches is just like the rest of the bunch; that for all their talk about soulwinning, homosexuality, and any human behavior they deem sinful, these “men of God” are no different from the unwashed, uncircumcised Philistines of the world.
Here’s Anderson five-minute video:
Here’s Anderson’s eighty minute speech to congregants at Stedfast Baptist. It is evident, at least to me, that Anderson views himself as the Apostle Paul of his little group of hyper-fundamentalist Baptist churches. Anderson has already chosen a new pastor for the church.
Romero’s church bio states:
Pastor Donnie Romero was born in Western Colorado in 1982. He was raised as a Roman Catholic. In 2002 at the age of 19, he was saved through door to door soul winning. He met his wife ***** a few years later. In 2007, they started to attend an independent Baptist church and were married shortly thereafter. The Romero’s have been blessed with 7 wonderful children. Pastor Romero is now faithfully training up men to preach the gospel door to door as the bible teaches.
Pastor Romero does not believe that churches are started by bible colleges or denominations, but they are built by the Lord Jesus Christ, through soul winning and hard Bible preaching. He is a faithful soul winner and has a desire to see lives changed as a result of the Word of God. He also whole heartedly believes that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of life.
If you are up to it, please read the YouTube comments. You will gain fresh insight into how IFB Christians think. Some commenters believe Romero is a hero, a man of character for owning up to his “sins.” That his confession shows that the “new” IFB church movement takes such behaviors seriously. Sure it does . . .
You can check out Romero’s sermons here. Please have a barf bag handy, you will need it!
Nothing Donnie did approaches the outright hatred spewed from Steven Anderson’s mouth every time he vomits it from a pulpit. He lies about what happened to him in grade seven, says he stood up for himself when in fact what happened marked him for life and filled him with hatred that he now takes money in payment for after each Sunday performance. Steven is a ruined biped far far less worthy of leadership than Donnie smoking some dope and gambling, fooling with prostitutes. Steven, get up and tell people what happened to you to make you as you are now, how you were permanently injured in grade seven. Try to tell the truth, Steve. Tell us who did it. Don’t live in hatred and fear.
tell us, what happened to him in 7th grade?
Watch his raging sermon on video about standing up to bullies in the seventh grade. I have no idea what happened to the man but i know very well that he was terribly harmed at a young age. I wish he would deal with it directly instead of in the pulpit instead of pour all his hatred into the garbage can ministry he runs.
“I have not been ruling my house well. I have been a terrible husband and father. I’m the one at fault in this situation. I love Stedfast Baptist Church. I love my family. This is the best decision for my family and this church to make.
I’m very sorry for the hurt this may cause people. I’m so sorry. I wish I would not have let it get to this point.”
— Donnie Romero
Read more here:
Astoundingly, Romero and his family plan to stay at Stedfast Baptist.
Textbook Christian self-harm. It is not enough to hurt himself and his family. He will continue at Stedfast, washed by the blood! Yeeeehaw!
Very sad. Stockholm Syndrome?
Well at least he’s not molesting young boys or girls or embezzling church funds. Those kind of sins pretty much make him look normal considering some of things we’ve read about on this site. This guy deserves a medal. What’s wrong with smoking a little weed , going to the casino or having consensual sex.
He preaches against these things. From my perspective, it’s his hypocrisy that’s the problem. Practice what you preach . . .
BINGO!
Please forgive me as I respect your writing and person … but the Star Telegram quote Anderson as saying that churches frequently cover things up. He also said that it is wrong to cover up behavior like this and how said it makes Christianity look. Maybe Anderson, in spite of what he usually says about Gays and the LGBTQ community and other people and doctrines, may have a valid point in this case?
That possible, but the man has zero credibility with me. Some day his closet door will swing open and then we’ll see. In the Romero case, he lies and smears those who disagree with him. Who should we believe? Anderson or Fannin? He said, she said, maybe both are covering their asses.
Anderson is an evil man who hurt countless people. He is the head of a group that does the same. I don’t believe anything he says.
I guess he will have a little time off to get right with the Lord who will let him know when the right time is to come back and serve him again. And being washed in the blood again for his sons will make him a better soulwinner 4 Jesus, glory hallelujah. Cause there ain’t nothing that Jesus can’t handle, praise be to the Lord.
You’re right, Bruce, it’s the hypocrisy that stinks. These guys would like to see people like me executed (in the name of the Lord) and think that everyone who isn’t part of their venomous little cult is destined for hell (Praise the Lord!)
Yet it turns out they’re just as fallible as the rest of us. Jesus doesn’t, after all, purify those who consider themselves washed in the blood of the lamb.
Romero isn’t the first to fall and he won’t be the last. When will it be Anderson’s turn, I wonder?
The election of Donald Trump as president hit me like a ton of bricks. However, I did see a possible silver lining: that having Religious Right Republicans control all branches of government would fully expose the rot and hypocrisy of the Religious Right. Since then, it has been pleasing to see so many holier-than-thou Christians exposed as no better, and in some cases much worse, than your typical non-evangelical. Donnie Romero is just the latest case of delicious Karma asserting itself.
I’m a little surprised this guy is taking his lumps. All he had to do is fire the big mouth/pope. I’m a bit confused by calling some sins “grievous”. How is bumping boos with prostitutes worse than reading “Harry Potter” books? Perhaps grievous should be reinterpreted as committing sins that the parishioners, in most cases, aren’t doing themselves.
Romero’s wife called Anderson and asked him to get involved. He is the head of what they are calling the “New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist” movement. This new movement is a fantasy, a delusion. “We’re different”they say, but I see little difference between them and the people they label “old” IFB.
Notice that Anderson said prostitutes, plural. This would tell me that thhis action has occurred more than once. More than two or three times, in my opinion. This seemed to be more than a momentary lapse of judgement. This was planned behavior.
The 5 minute video is laying some important groundwork. This is the first step towards restoration. Anderson being there and standing up for him lets people know that Romero is still one of the good guys. In a year, or so, Romero will be given small leadership roles. Eventually, he will be able to become a leader in the church. Maybe not a pastor, but a senior member. The prostitute thing his a huge disqualifier. But, who knows? Maybe Pope Anderson will receive a new revelation that will clear the way for Romero to become a pastor again.
Romero could also have a future as an evangelist. Those aren’t pastors, so sexual sins aren’t a disqualifier. He could bring Anderson’s message to all of America. Nope, we haven’t seen the last of Romero. Maybe he can link up with David Hyles, since he has “fallen in grace”.
All of this is contingent on the fact that Romero’s wife stays with him. I know my wife would be packing her bags if I ever was with prostitutes. I can’t say that I would blame her, either.
Thank you for raising these points. That he is staying in the church says to me that there’s a path of restoration for him. It’s the “Hyles Gospel” at its best. Once saved, always saved, no matter what you do.
“Once saved always saved, no matter what you do”
Well unless you become an atheist and then, magically, you become never saved!
I sure do feel sorry for the kids in these two families. No doubt they must walk on eggshells 24/7. Yuck. These guys. Just yuck.