Steven Anderson has told F4N he stands by his claim that a wife who calls police after being slapped by her husband is “evil”, and has confirmed that Faithful Word Baptist Church advises women experiencing physical domestic abuse not to contact police. In a direct response to questions from F4N, Anderson said calling police was “not helpful” and would “probably make things worse”.
Anderson tells F4N: ‘I stand by it’
F4N contacted Anderson and Faithful Word Baptist Church directly to ask whether he stood by the remarks and what the church advises women experiencing physical domestic abuse to do.
Asked whether he stood by saying that a wife who called police after being physically assaulted by her husband was “evil”, Anderson replied:
“Yes, if her husband slaps her, and she calls the cops, that is an evil thing to do. That’s what I said, and I stand by it.”
Asked whether Faithful Word Baptist Church advises women experiencing physical domestic abuse not to contact police, he answered: “Yes. Calling the police is not helpful and will probably make things worse.”
F4N also asked what the church would advise a woman to do if she believed that she or her children were in immediate physical danger from her husband.
Anderson rejected what he called a “pre-crime mentality”, arguing that if a danger were genuinely immediate, instinct would cause someone to flee to safety. He gave examples including being approached with a baseball bat, knife or gun, and distinguished those situations from someone believing there might be a danger that was not necessarily real or imminent.
Anderson also specifically asked F4N to include Matthew 5:39, the Bible passage he says formed the basis of his preaching. The verse includes the instruction: “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
He said it would be dishonest to omit that context and accused media coverage of making it appear that he had developed the position without a Biblical basis.
‘If your husband slaps you down and you call the cops, you’re evil’
The comments gained wider attention through clips shared across social media, including a YouTube Short posted by content creator Adam Cam.
The original footage shows Anderson arguing that women should not report their husbands to police over physical abuse.
At one point he says: “If your husband slaps you down and you call the cops, you’re evil.”
Reporting published on 14 September includes a substantially longer section of the sermon in which Anderson argues that contacting police could damage a husband’s reputation, result in a criminal record, cost him his job or potentially put him at risk from responding officers.
He also attacks the idea of women recording evidence of abuse and rejects advice that women experiencing physical violence should contact the authorities.
Anderson invokes Matthew 5:39 – the Biblical passage which includes the instruction to “turn the other cheek” – as part of his justification.
This was not subsequently presented as a misunderstanding or withdrawn comment. On 14 September, Anderson’s social media account posted the message: “Don’t call the cops on your spouse.”
Three days later: ‘Staying in an Abusive Marriage’
The timing of Anderson’s next sermon makes the controversy considerably more significant.
Faithful Word Baptist Church’s own sermon archive records that on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, Anderson preached a service entitled Staying in an Abusive Marriage.
The church archive identifies Anderson as the speaker and lists the congregation as Faithful Word Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona.
On 18 September, Anderson’s own account promoted the sermon online under the same title.
F4N has not established precisely which earlier church service produced every excerpt contained in the viral social-media clips, so we are not claiming that the original “call the cops” remarks came from the 16 September sermon.
What can be established independently is the sequence: the comments were circulating publicly by 13 September; Anderson posted “Don’t call the cops on your spouse” on 14 September; his church records him preaching Staying in an Abusive Marriage on 16 September; and Anderson promoted that sermon publicly on 18 September.
Anderson’s own children have accused him of abuse
The subject is particularly significant because several of Anderson’s adult children have themselves publicly accused him of abusive behaviour.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reported in 2024 that Anderson’s eldest children had made allegations of years of domestic violence within the family, including accusations concerning their treatment as children and the treatment of their mother.
Those claims remain allegations and should be treated as such. Anderson has rejected the characterisation of his behaviour as abuse.
The dispute erupted publicly again this summer. During a sermon on 5 July 2026, Anderson described his four eldest children as “evil” and said that unless they repented, God should “destroy” them, according to reporting by ChurchLeaders.
The church’s own archive confirms Anderson preached a sermon that day entitled Why I Don’t Want to Continue Pastoring.
Previously excluded from Britain and Ireland
Anderson has attracted international controversy for years, particularly over statements concerning LGBT people.
In 2016, the UK Home Office confirmed that Anderson had been excluded from entering Britain. A Home Office spokesperson said the Home Secretary could exclude someone where their presence was not considered conducive to the public good, adding that entry to Britain was a privilege that would not be extended to those seeking to “subvert our shared values”. Christian Today reported the decision at the time.
In 2019, Ireland’s then Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan signed an exclusion order preventing Anderson from entering the country on public-policy grounds. RTÉ reported that Anderson was the first person excluded from Ireland under that provision of the Immigration Act 1999.
Domestic abuse is not something victims have to endure
Whatever theological interpretation Anderson places on marriage, people experiencing domestic abuse do not have to accept violence or remain silent about it.
In the UK, anyone in immediate danger should call 999.
Women experiencing domestic abuse can contact Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline free and confidentially, 24 hours a day, on 0808 2000 247.
Men experiencing domestic abuse can contact the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0327.
Watch the video
The video which prompted F4N to examine Anderson’s comments was posted by content creator Adam Cam.
