“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting…but my kingdom is not from the world.”  (Jesus Christ; John 18:36)

It’s been really hot lately out here in the Southwest, and evidently, the heat is starting to make some say and do crazy things.  Take for instance Pastor Steve Anderson from Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ.  On August 16th, Anderson delivered a sermon titled “Why I Hate Barack Obama.”  In it, Anderson admitted he prays for the president’s death saying, “If you want to know how I’d like to see Obama die, I’d like him to die of natural causes. I don’t want him to be a martyr, we don’t need another holiday. I’d like to see him die, like Ted Kennedy, of brain cancer.”

Many locals are offended by Anderson’s comments, and the Secret Service is investigating him, yet many of the church’s members are defending their pastor’s opinion of the president.  “If (Obama) thinks the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are obsolete, it would be better if (Obama) wasn’t here,” said parishioner Renee Houlihan.

One of the parishioners at the Faithful Word Baptist Church is Christopher Broughton who actually moved to the area because the church “is preaching the message I believe in.  I concur (with Pastor Anderson). I think we’d be better off if God would send (Obama) where he’s going now instead of later,” said Broughton. “(Obama) is destroying our country.”  When asked if he was advocating violence against the President, Broughton said he wouldn’t answer the question directly.  “I don’t care how God does it, I’m not going into further detail than that,” he said.

I’m not sure what kind of gospel Pastor Anderson thinks he’s preaching, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus lived and ministered under the oppressive Roman Empire with its corrupt and God-less leaders at the helm, yet He never once advocated violence toward them.  As a matter of fact, it seems as though He didn’t pay much attention to them nor give much credence to those who were in political leadership over Him.

Furthermore, the type of “conquering” Jesus did was not done with swords.  The night he was arrested, the Scriptures say that Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers.  Jesus responded by putting the guy’s ear back on and saying to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)

Jesus conquered death and hell and ushered in His Kingdom not with a sword…but with a cross.  He allowed the government officials of His day to arrest Him, beat Him, and kill Him by hanging Him on a cross.  After He told Peter to put away his sword, Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”  On His command, scores of angels with swords could have been released to deal with the bad politicians of Jesus’ day, but Jesus would have none of it.

Pastor Anderson is among a growing number of Christian leaders today who are mistakenly equating the gospel of Jesus with the warped gospel of violence.  He joins the ranks of Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell who both have publicly made the same mistake.  Four years ago, Pat Robertson told his 700 Club audience, “We have the ability to take Hugo Chavez out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability.”  And before he died, Jerry Falwell said, “I’m for the President to chase (terrorists) all over the world.  If it takes ten years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.”

This kind of talk sounds painfully similar to the ideology that led to the Crusades, where soldiers with the cross of Christ displayed on their shields killed hundreds of thousands of people “in the name of the Lord.”  It’s true: there is power in the name of the Lord, but that power is not the power of the sword…it’s the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.

The United State Secret Service is speaking out about an East Valley pastor who is praying for President Barack Obama’s death

Spokesperson Darrin Blackford said Monday, “We are aware of Pastor Anderson’s comments and an appropriate follow up will be conducted.”

Parishioners leaving the Faithful Word Baptist Church Sunday carried not just their Bibles, but guns as well.

Pastor Steven Anderson said he and his congregation have received death threats after a controversial sermon earlier this month.

“Guns are a great deterrent,” said Anderson.  “We haven’t had any violence because people know if they come down here swinging a baseball bat, we’re ready to protect ourselves.”

On August 16th, Anderson delivered a sermon titled “Why I Hate Barack Obama.”

In it, Anderson admitted he prays for the president’s death.

It is a position he reiterated Sunday.

“If you want to know how I’d like to see Obama die, I’d like him to die of natural causes,” said Anderson.  ”I don’t want him to be a martyr, we don’t need another holiday. I’d like to see him die, like Ted Kennedy, of brain cancer.”

The sermon so incensed Bill Demski he traveled from his home in Glendale to picket Anderson’s 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning service in Tempe.

“A man of the cloth wants to kill the president, how sick can you get,” asked Demski.

Yet members of the Faithful Word Baptist Church defended their pastor’s opinion of the president.

“If (Obama) thinks the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are obsolete, it would be better if (Obama) wasn’t here,” said parishioner Renee Houlihan.

But Anderson said despite the threats, he has no plans to change his message.

“I’m not going to back down, I wouldn’t be worth my salt as a preacher if I let popularity determine what I preach,” said Anderson.

To listen to Anderson’s sermon “Why I Hate Barack Obama,” click here.

Slideshow

One protester who didn’t want to give his name was walking around with a rifle – in full view.

One of the parishioners who attended Sunday night services at the Faithful Word Baptist Church was Christopher Broughton.

“I actually moved to the area because this church was preaching the message I believe in,” said Broughton.

Broughton had an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle outside President Barack Obama’s speech to the VFW at the Phoenix Convention Center earlier this month.

MORE: Man who brought gun to Obama rally worked with Libertarians

The night before the speech, on August 16th, Broughton listened to Anderson’s “Why I hate Barack Obama” sermon.

“I concur, I think we’d be better off if God would send (Obama) where he’s going now instead of later,” said Broughton.  “(Obama) is destroying our country.”

When asked if he was advocating violence against the President, Broughton said he wouldn’t answer the question directly.

“I don’t care how God does it, I’m not going into further detail than that,” said Broughton.  “It would be better now than later.”