Uhg. Where do you start?

Let me first say, I promise I won’t repeat all the things you’ve heard. Secondly, I refuse to cast pearls before swine by using strong speech to counter this cult. After 30 minutes of searching, I was unable to find anyone who actually agrees with the message of the activist group (this link contains graphic material). I’d put them right up there with the Maury Show, the National Enquirer, and WWF except they’re real people bringing real indignity to the name of a real God.

A few disconnected thoughts and then a passage of Scripture…

  • I support the Supreme Court’s decision which protected free speech in favor of WBC. This happened yesterday (March 2, 2011) with an 8-1 vote.
  • I am not settled that picketing laws are right. This is a tough topic as it is so subjective. Whose choice ought it to be to decide what protest is and isn’t appropriate?
  • I live in a military town and have incredible respect for our soldiers.
  • I am very upset that WBC has given the cause of Christ a black eye. I think the most dangerous thing is that a baptist church is being placed on the hate list of civil rights groups like the ADL and the SPLC. They have paved the way for churches who are trying to lovingly communicate the message of God’s love balanced with His judgment to be placed on a hate list as well.
  • Their Pastor, Fred Phelps, views Arminianism as a “worse blasphemy and heresy than that heard in all filthy Saturday night ____ bars in the aggregate in the world.”
  • This group is bringing God’s judgment upon themselves for their misrepresentation 0f who He is.

John 3:17-21 gives insight to this topic. Bottom line– Westboro has taken on the task of condemning the world, when this was not even the mission of Christ (v17) while on earth. The law has already condemned mankind and nothing has changed. This passage gives a simple lesson – the thing that best exposes darkness (or sin) is light (v20). It’s absurd to think that a Christian could act unkind and harsh in order to expose the sin of a nation. As bearers of His light, we must also have His heart in doing so. It is our responsibility to share that God’s love for every person (v16) has provided a way of escape from the impending judgment.