Steven L. Anderson planted Faithful Word Baptist Church on December 25, 2005. In the years since, through an effective social media presence, including dozens of youtube pages, he has made his teachings very public. He received national media attention in 2009 after a video of him stating from his pulpit that he prays for Barack Obama to die was released.
Because of the public nature of his ministry, most of his teaching is available to view on YouTube. Some of his specific differences from Independent Fundamental Baptists make the hallmarks of the “New IFB” movement.
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically believed in the rapture preceding the tribulation, (pre-trib), but New IFB preachers teach that the rapture is after 3 ½ years of tribulation (Pre-wrath or mid-trib)
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically held to a dispensational view of scripture, but New IFB preachers reject this. As a result, they tend to bring commands God gave to Israel in the Old Testament and make them binding upon the New Testament Church. (One such command is that sodomites should be put to death)
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically taught that Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, but the New IFB movement constantly declares that people who disbelieve their views of scripture are not saved (regardless of whether they trusted in Christ), therefore adding works to salvation. New IFB preachers also preach that the person leading you to Christ must themselves be saved, or you cannot be, and that a soulwinner must lead you to Christ – you cannot be saved by reading the Bible alone.
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically taught that repentance is an essential part of faith that brings salvation, but the New IFB movement rejects the teaching of salvation repentance.
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically preached that all men can be saved, but the New IFB teaches that those who are involved in sodomy cannot be saved, and that instead we should pray for them to die and go to hell. New IFB pastors celebrate if a vigilante shooter kills sodomites.
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically taught that the Jews and Israel play important roles in Eschatology, but the New IFB movement rejects this, preaching anti-Israel sermons and denying the holocaust.
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically taught that when a person is saved, it produces a change in action, as they are a new creature. The New IFB says that people shouldn’t be expected to change after salvation
- Independent, Fundamental Baptists have historically taught that the name “Word of God” referring to Christ does not mean that Christ is literally the Bible or that the Bible is God, but the New IFB believes that the Bible is literally God.
In addition to these major errors, “New IFB” pastors, following the example of their leader, Steven Anderson, tend to bring conspiratorial elements into their preaching and practice, commonly supporting 9/11 conspiracies, anti-flouridation, anti-vaccination, and other strange movements.
New IFB teaching includes strange new positions such as that police should not exist, Men should not be gynecologists, Men should urinate in certain ways, Bible College is unscriptural etc.
Because of these errors, it is apparent that the “New IFB” is not IFB at all, and should be rejected by true Bible believers.
