Steven Anderson is a fundamentalist Arizona pastor who first made headlines when he said he prayed for the death of President Obama. Now, he’s making waves again by saying he wants women to pipe down in church.
As a video that captured his sermon shows, on Sunday, Anderson asked his female congregants not to say “amen” when in church. He cited Bible verses to justify his position.
“Now obviously, before the service begins, there’s chatting and talking going on, that’s perfectly legitimate. When we all sing praises to God, of course the ladies should also lift up their voices,” Anderson, who is also anti-gay, said. But once services begin, it’s shut-up time.
Women are to learn “in silence...When the preaching of God’s word is taking place — and first of all, it’s not for a woman to be doing the preaching, and second of all, it’s not for women to be speaking,” he said. “Even if they were to have a question, they’re not to ask that question in the church, number one. Number two, even if they want to ask that question to their husband, they should wait until they get home.”
Anderson is the head of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, located in Tempe, Arizona. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which labeled the institution a “hate group” in 2010, said then: “Much of [Anderson’s] venom was aimed at homosexuals, who he suggests should be killed (‘The biggest hypocrite in the world is the person who believes in the death penalty for murderers but not for homosexuals’).”
Anderson made national headlines when he called for homosexuals to be executed in July 2013. In 2009, Anderson called for President Obama to be struck down, saying: "I hope that God strikes Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy. You know, and I hope it happens today."
Watch Anderson’s sermon here:
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