WATCH: ‘I’m Important! I’m Somebody!’ Baptist Pastor Throws Epic ‘Hissy Fit,’ Berates Churchgoers

Mediaite ^ | July 5, 2013

[don-o]

Fun times at the Immanuel Baptist Church of Skiatook, Oklahoma.

Recent video shows pastor Jim Standridge throwing what can only be described as an uncomfortably epic hissy-fit upon discovering one of his younger churchgoers had fallen asleep during his sermon.

“Don’t you go to sleep while I’m talking?” Standridge said from his pulpit, looking directly at the snoozing churchgoer. “Hey! Hey! Don’t you lay your head back!”

“I’m important. I’m somebody,” the pastor continued as he stepped down from the pulpit and walked directly over to the unidentified sleepy male. “You may do your English teacher that way, but I’m not here teaching English. I’m teaching eternal life.” Standridge walked over to the man, stood over him, and sternly told him: “You stay awake and you listen to me.”

Instead of returning to his pulpit to continue the sermon, however, Standridge then took the opportunity to berate other churchgoers who’ve run afoul of him lately.

[HereInTheHeartland]

The guy is an ass. A pompous self centered ass.

[knarf]

oops.

I attend a Baptist church and my mind went immediately to a preaching service.

My comment was said with the vision of my pastor, or any pastor acting that way, but my words spoke more universally.

You're right

and so am I regarding a pastor.

[Alex Murphy]

I know that. Too many talking tar babies.

I refer to them as "third rails".

[OneWingedShark]

Well, on the subjects of pastors there is this to consider:

James 3:1 —— Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

[knarf]

And the burden and responsability is the pastor’s.

[Jeff Winston]

I wouldn’t have been present in the first place.

There are quite a few preachers out there that seem to think a bit too highly of themselves. Just my opinion, this guy looks to me like one of them. Obviously I don’t know any of the possible back story. Just going by a view minutes of video.

Being part of a church is a significant investment of time and money. That’s why you should visit a bunch to start with, and choose carefully.

[kabumpo]

I disagree, strongly. I think he is magnificent. If I lived anywhere near him, I would join his church.

[kabumpo]

I disagree, strongly. I think he is magnificent. If I lived anywhere near him, I would join his church.

[who knows what evil?]

I probably would have stood up and applauded...his entire sermon is posted at The Blaze, if I am not mistaken.

[EricT.]

How full of himself can he get?

I guess he never had to work hard on a Saturday or had insomnia or even a sugar crash from a carbohydrate-filled breakfast.

Selfish, unloving, unsympathetic jerk.

[Lancey Howard]

Reminds me of the judge in MY COUSIN VINNY.

Heh, Francis Herman Munster Muldoon. He was a good actor.

[Colofornian]

He shows signs of not realizing he is no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14) and under NO CONDEMNATION (Romans 8:1). God wants to set his people free from the traditions of man that Jesus constantly talked about (Mark Chapter 7) and Paul warned about ("another gospel" other than the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ) (Galatians Chapter 1).

Indeed.

There's other ways for pastor needed to "raise somebody from the dead":
(1) Tell all you sense a need to pray...and have EVERYBODY stand up to join you in a brief prayer;
(2) Self-depricating light humor could have also been used..."Oops, I've put another listener to sleep. Somebody nudge him awake." And then, once awoken, the pastor could have apologized to the sleepy guy for being too monotone...not dynamic enough.

[Fiji Hill]

Interestingly, that church has a 50-member choir as well as an orchestra.

[PapaNew]

I notice he says, “I’M important” rather than, “This is an anointed message from the LORD’s heart to you.” His focus is on himself and not the Lord (another problem in today’s church - the Lord is not in the center, oftentimes not even in the church at all, hence the picture of Him standing outside the church door knocking in Revelation 3).

[Iscool]

HaHaHa...I’ll bet this pastor is like this all the time...And there seems to be plenty of folks sittin’ in the pews so I’d say they are not too shook up about it...I know I’m not...

[ApplegateRanch]

The speaker has a duty to not bore people to sleep. Maybe if he was TEACHING the Word, instead of preaching; AND MADE IT INTERESTING & COMPELLING, the guy would have stayed awake. We weren’t there, so we have no idea if the preacher was a speaker or a droner.

OTOH, maybe this guy was NOT MEANT to hear the preacher’s message, for his soul’s protection: “...for this reason, God has sent a SPIRIT OF SLUMBER...”.

Let he who hath ears to hear....

[NEWwoman]

* Fell asleep, fell out the window, and died, and St. Paul brought him back to life. *

Now that’s what you call a revival, Tax-chick :)

[webstersII]

Spiritual abuse is the worst kind of abuse.

[NEWwoman]

* The preacher is lucky the sleeper didn’t respond by saying, “It’s your job to keep us awake.” *

Right, aimhigh
Even the apostles fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane ... and Jesus did not rant at them.

[Tax-chick]

LOL! You’d think “Don’t sit in an open window two stories up” would be a no-brainer, but teenagers are teenagers ...

I don’t see the problem in the situation of the original post. Unless the boy was snoring loudly, talking in his sleep, or fell over on his neighbor, he wasn’t hurting anyone.