An In-Depth Look at Hate-Spewing Christian Pastor Steven Anderson

The latest issue of Phoenix Magazine has an in-depth profile of hate-preacher Steven Anderson.

Reporter Jimmy Magahern does a nice job giving us more background into the pastor’s life than we ever get from his videos, but the most telling part was this passage about Juan Payan, one of Anderson’s parishioners:

“I don’t talk to my [gay] brother anymore,” Payan says. “He understands why. I told him my reasoning. I said, ‘I believe in God’s word, and what you’re doing is filthy, it’s wrong and it’s an abomination.’”

Would Payan be comfortable with seeing his brother executed for being gay, though, as Anderson explicitly suggested?

“That’s hard,” Payan says, actually giving the question some consideration. “Because on one hand you’re telling yourself, ‘He’s blood, he’s my brother.’ But then there’s also God telling you, ‘You know what? He’s a reprobate. This is against my laws.’

“Sometimes I have trouble thinking about that,” Payan adds. “But then I think, ‘What would I do if my brother was a murderer, or if he went and raped a woman? How would I feel about that?’ It’d be the same way.”

This is the sort of brainwashing that goes on in Anderson’s church. People are taught to hate their gay relatives to the point where they think death may be an appropriate punishment for them.

What’s even scarier is that the ignominious heir of Fred Phelps is growing in popularity. People are drawn to his passion and intensity, regardless of how awful and untrue his sermons are. How long will it be before someone in that congregation snaps and acts on some of Anderson’s rhetoric?

It’ll happen. I’m telling you now it’ll happen. And when that day comes, Anderson will just throw his hands up and say he had nothing to do with it.

(Thanks to Christian Nightmares for the link)