By: Editorial Commentary | Image Control Series

Excerpt:
Mark Anthony Stephens’ latest post, “The Fire and the Altar — What It Really Means,” tries to disguise self-worship as scripture. But what stands out most isn’t the theology — it’s the comments that follow. Between the word-salad devotion and a revealing typo, Mark once again shows that he’s not preaching God’s word. He’s preaching himself.

Focus Keyword: Mark Anthony Stephens narcissistic preacher
Tags: Mark Anthony Stephens, false prophets, DARVO, narcissistic abuse, spiritual manipulation, Image Control, hypocrisy, religious gaslighting, online cult behavior

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The Sermon That Burned Only for Him

Mark’s post opens with the kind of biblical theatrics we’ve come to expect: fire, altars, Hebrew and Greek lexicons, and a self-proclaimed revelation that only he understands.
He calls out emotional Christianity, claiming that “God’s fire doesn’t need our wood.” It’s poetic, sure — but it’s also projection.

View the full post here.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2932001390341557&set=a.179473695594354

When Mark preaches about “impurity, rebellion, and idolatry,” he’s describing himself in biblical language.
He’s not teaching — he’s laundering ego through scripture.

In his world, fire doesn’t symbolize holiness; it’s the consuming chaos that follows him. The kind that scorches relationships, trust, and family ties. What’s left standing after his fire burns isn’t righteousness — it’s wreckage.

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The Image and the Idol

The artwork he chose says everything: a burning altar with a book titled “My Story — No Holds Barred.”
He literally placed his own story next to God’s altar.

It’s the perfect visual metaphor for his delusion — he’s not just interpreting scripture; he’s inserting himself into it. His “altar” is not holy. It’s a monument to self-importance.

This is what theologians call self-deification, and psychologists call narcissistic projection — the belief that personal suffering equals divine purpose, and personal control equals spiritual authority.

Mark doesn’t worship God. He worships the idea that God chose him.

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The Comments: Love-Bombing and Word Salad

Then came the comments.
In response to a woman named Myla Amos, Mark wrote:

“I wrote this just for you, Your thoughts. I love you my sister in the Lord let’s sharpen each other I am not saying i am write but as I see and look at God’s word this comes up . Mark”

The translation?

• “I wrote this just for you” → manufactured intimacy.
• “I love you my sister in the Lord” → spiritualized love-bombing.
• “Let’s sharpen each other” → false discipleship language used to blur boundaries.
• “I am not saying I am write…” → the Freudian slip heard ‘round the altar.

That single misspelling — “I am write” — captures the entire paradox of Mark Anthony Stephens.
He’s not right, but he is writing. He’s writing his own gospel, one typo at a time.
A man desperate to appear humble accidentally crowns himself prophet and author in the same sentence.

Then, to seal the illusion, he follows up with:

“I enjoy your heart and thought on the scriptures nothing but love here.”

That’s not humility. It’s preemptive defense — a way of saying “don’t question this, it’s love.”

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Religious Grooming Language 101

Mark’s tone here mirrors what psychologists call spiritual grooming — language that mimics care while establishing emotional control.
He’s not engaging in a theological discussion. He’s cultivating emotional dependency.

He flatters (“I wrote this just for you”), disarms (“I’m not saying I’m right”), and then hides behind a shield of holiness (“nothing but love here”).
It’s how abusers manipulate perception — spiritual gaslighting disguised as fellowship.

And he’s done this pattern repeatedly, both online and in real life:

• During therapy and medical interventions, where Dr. Nikhil Rao documented his distortion of medical facts, denial of severity, and manipulative rhetoric during his son’s care.
• In community spaces, where Rob Peters described him as attention-seeking, disruptive, and even filming the chaos he helped create at youth sporting events.

He preaches order while creating disorder. He invokes love while sowing fear.
His “fire” doesn’t purify — it divides.

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The Theology of the Typo

“I am write” isn’t just a slip of the keyboard — it’s a theological admission.
It tells us what every verse and video and “revelation” post really means:

“I am the one who writes truth.”

Mark believes his interpretations are divinely sanctioned — not just inspired, but superior. That’s why his posts are full of “deep dives” into Greek and Hebrew: not to teach, but to assert dominance. It’s performative authority.
The Bible becomes a mirror for his ego — every passage reflecting back his imagined sainthood.

He’s not a prophet. He’s a projectionist with a pulpit.

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The Fire That Consumes Truth

At the end of his post, Mark writes:

“I’ve learned something in the wilderness: His fire doesn’t depend on my effort. It depends on His covenant.”

But Mark’s “wilderness” isn’t divine testing. It’s isolation — the consequence of years of deceit, neglect, and abuse.
And his “covenant” isn’t with God. It’s with delusion — a pact with his own reflection.

Every sermon, every scriptural post, every “prophetic” hashtag is part of one long performance.
A self-authored gospel called “My Story — No Holds Barred.”

The problem is, we’ve all read the chapters written in real life — the ones full of harm, manipulation, and denial.
And those pages don’t burn clean. They burn people.

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Closing Reflection

When a man with two permanent restraining orders, no-contact orders protecting his children, and a history of manipulation begins preaching about “holy fire” and “obedience,” he’s not illuminating the Word.
He’s hiding behind it.

And when he says “I am write,” we believe him — just not in the way he intended.

Because Mark Anthony Stephens doesn’t speak for God.
He speaks for himself.
Loudly. Repetitively. And always on fire.