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Yesterday I posted about the welcome Fred Phelps and Westboro “Baptist Church” received in Mississippi. That post has received about 2,000 clicks alone in 24 hours. That amazes me.
Obviously, for many different reasons, Fred Phelps brings sensitive issues to light.
Let’s forget “gay rights”, and just recognize that Christians aren’t necessarily “anti-gay”. They are anti homosexual behavior. There is a difference. That, however, is not the important thing that we need to take away from the whole discussion. Not by a long shot.
The important issue with Phelps, et al is the issue of civility. Phelps has the freedom to protest at funerals, if he wishes. I’ll not begrudge him his freedom, though I may have helped block a few cars with Kansas licenses if I were present. Phelps simply has shown us that incivility is horrible.
What is sad is that many on the other side of the issue cannot see that answering incivility with incivility is wrong. None of that group deserved a beating. I think, too, those who were blocked in could have had someone to sit down, explain to them that they weren’t going to let them disrupt the solemn observance on a funeral, and then buy them lunch. It would not have hurt at all.
Folks, Phelps isn’t a Christian. He’s hate-filled. That is obvious. What is in his heart shows up as the fruit of actions. Those actions show hate, because they speak hate. That’s what his signs say. This isn’t about homosexuality. This is about what is true Christianity and what isn’t. Mississippi did a good job stopping the protest, but we failed in that we didn’t show Phelps what true Christianity is.
Though I don’t think Mr. Phelps will ever visit here, I wish all to understand that God is love, that He loves the world and demonstrated that love by becoming a man and dying for our sins, then rising from the dead. That loving God will forgive ALL SINNERS who trust Him ( See John 3:16 ), EVEN Fred Phelps.
We live in a society that has forgotten what civility is, because we have forgotten what Christianity is.
Christianity is not a social movement.
Christianity is not a political party.
Christianity is not a moral stance.
Christianity is not even a church.
Christianity is a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
There are those of us who are against homosexual behavior who still understand that God LOVES homosexuals ( See 1Corinthians 6:9-11 ), and will forgive them their sins. He also LOVES Fred Phelps and will forgive him, if he trusts Jesus.
We need to learn to discern…
Related articles
- Jeremy Hodges: Westboro Baptist Church Goes To Mississippi – And Loses (thehayride.com)
- Americans Ready to Picket The Funeral of Fred Phelps The Pastor of The Westboro Baptist Church (newsflavor.com)
- Faithlink Discussion: Free Speech (jacobjuncker.wordpress.com)
- Patriot Guard Riders (dakotavoice.com)
- The Fred Phelps Supreme Court Decision and Why We Shouldn’t Look for Loopholes in the First Amendment (alternet.org)
