Pastor Prays for Obama's Death

In a truly remarkable news story, a Phoenix pastor gave a sermon in which he opening talked about praying for President Obama’s death.  His sermon was entitled, “Why I hate Barack Obama”.  This pastor, Steven Anderson, even said that his congregation members that God hates Obama, therefore they should hate Obama.  You can also her some of his sermon here.  (Warning, this is very offensive).  In addition, he also wished cancer on the president:

“I hope that God strikes Barack Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy and I hope it happens today,” he told MyFOXPhoenix on Sunday. He called his message “spiritual warfare” and said he does not condone killing.

What is even more shocking is what he told his congregation next:

I’m gonna pray that he dies and goes to hell when I go to bed tonight. That’s what I’m gonna pray… Look up the word hate. Look up the word abhor, the word loathe. You’ll see there are a lot of people that God hates, and so we should hate. But see, I didn’t write that, that’s in the Bible… I’m going to prove that tonight.”

Where does this guy get this theology?  He sounds like he belongs at the Westboro Baptist Church with Fred Phelps.  How convenient that this pastor can excuse his actions because he takes the easy way out and uses the old “the Bible says so” routine.   In his sermon he even contradicts himself by saying, “I love all of God’s creation.”  Doesn’t that include people?  Like the president?

If that was not enough, things got worse:

Tempe Police patrolled the area to make sure tempers didn’t get out of hand, while many parishioners walked into the church carrying guns on their hips.

One of them was Christopher Broughton, who got national attention when he brought an AR-15 assault rifle to an Aug. 17 rally outside the Phoenix Convention Center where President Obama was addressing veterans.

Great, brings weapons into the situation.  That will really solve a problem.

Even if this “pastor” believes Obama is his enemy, he is ignoring the words of Christ from Matthew 5 about enemies:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

This is one of those stories that you shake your head and wonder what is going on? This “pastor” thinks that he has a mandate from God to proclaim his own hateful statement.  “God told me…” is the usual line you hear.  In this situation, it seems that personal experience is held to be the final authority in Christianity, which is wrong.  Traditionally, the final authority for all Christians (even Catholics) is scripture.  As  Baptists, we hold on to scripture pretty close.  But, this “Baptist” pastor is putting the Bible through a cheese grader and missing some important aspects of God’s word.

Add this guy to the list of heretics that give Christianity a bad name (and Baptists).