I'm certain you've heard of the vile, blasphemous, ferociously mean, insensitive, disgusting and downright evil actions of the members of the Phelps family of Topeka's Westboro Baptist church - a group of trash who give Christianity a seriously bad name. This group travels all over the country, protesting at military funerals, and saying that "the deaths of soldiers are God's way of punishing the country for homosexuality." Motorcycle groups like the Patriot Riders travel to these funerals as well, to rev between these slime (who call themselves religious) and the suffering family and friends gathering for the funeral of an American hero, a son, a brother, a husband, or a friend.
I want to know whether there is any organization of Baptist churches which "pulls the member's card" (if there is such a thing as Baptist excommunication). If there isn't one, there ought to be. Where are the Baptist churches which send out their own members to stand between this evil group and the innocent?
Phil Roberts, President of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri has said:
"The Southern Baptist Convention has repeatedly stated its position on homosexuality. The 2000 Baptist faith and message said Christians should oppose all forms of sexual immorality including adultery, homosexuality and pornography. However, since 1980, various SBC annual meetings have passed ten resolutions related to homosexuality including one in 1985 testifying of God's love for homosexuals. It reads: 'We affirm the Biblical injunction which declares homosexuals, like all sinners, can receive forgiveness and victory through personal faith in Jesus Christ.'
The difference between Fred Phelps and the Southern Baptists is vast. Phelps has a heretical position because, indeed, we are commanded to go and make disciples of all people. That means all religions, ethnicities, and moral categories, realizing that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Homosexuals need Jesus Christ just as everyone else does. The sin of homosexuality is a forgiveable sin.....
....Phelps apparently is quite willing to do God's work for God in terms of condemning them all to hell without mentioning that redemption awaits everyone who comes to faith in Christ....
...[This] man is not representative of the Christian community.
I have a huge problem with this. Roberts is arguing about whether or not homosexuality is a sin; whether it's forgiveable. This is
so
not the point!
Whatever your philosophical or spiritual religious notions are about homosexuality, these people supposedly representing the Baptist Church are going from funeral to funeral, disrupting the mourning, the pain, the lives, and the ceremonies to cherish a lost warrior in the name of their religion. It is blasphemous to speak for God or do something evil in God's name (and that's from a little Jewish girl).
The Phelps family has been emotionally and psychologically terrorizing military families in mourning for years using the banner of free speech. I love free speech (as you know if you listen to my program), but since you can't yell "fire" in a movie theatre when there isn't one, I propose we have laws that prohibit protests at funerals within a five mile radius. The pieces of crap called the Phelps family would then be out of shouting distance, but still have their freedom of speech!
What triggered my writing about this is that one man, Ryan Newell had enough and apparently decided to do something about it since no one else would. Mr. Newell is a decorated military veteran who lost both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan. He received many medals for his service, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He is being charged with five misdemeanors, including stalking and three counts of criminal use of a firearm, as well as impersonating a law enforcement officer after he was found following a van that carried the Westboro church members. The Westboro creeps say they feared for their lives.
What?? They can dish it out but can't take it? A number of lawyers have volunteered to defend Mr. Newell pro bono. Good for them.
But I'm asking for more than lip service from the Baptist churches around the country. This sort of reminds me of CAIR, the Council of American-Islamic Relations. They go ballistic and start bullying and threatening any time someone speaks their mind about Islam. I don't, however, see them muscling the bad guys in their midst. I don't hear about it. I don't hear them digging out cells or undermining attempts to blow us up. I don't hear about that. What I hear from CAIR is lip service - defensive, hostile, bullying lip service - and I want to hear MORE from the
Baptist
churches than the proclamation that
"folks need to realize that this man is not representative of the Christian community."
Why not put your body where your mouth is? If he's blaspheming God in your name for years and years and years, I really have the expectation that you'd clean up your own house.
I'm pretty exasperated with these people being allowed to do what they do. It's America - I know, they're allowed to protest. I get that, but where are the Baptist churches sending people in buses, trains, cars and planes every time the Phelps family announces that they are going to be somewhere? I would expect Baptists to stand up against blasphemy and to stand up for the families of our fallen American heroes. Lip service is bull. Talk is cheap.
Do
something about it. Do something legal, do something moral, but
do something
.
