What do you think of WESTBORO BAPTIST?!?

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Permalink Reply by Carla on May 16, 2013 at 3:34am

Hi Kayla,

I've heard about Westboro Baptist.  ...obviously they don't have a good reputation as gentleness  and respect are totally absent from who they are and how they represent God.  Here's a great article from gotquestions.org.

They certainly do misrepresent who Jesus is and all that we as Christians stand for.  They are doing a great harm and disservice to people being saved.

 

Question: "What is Westboro Baptist Church?"

Answer: The Westboro Baptist Church is a congregation in Topeka, Kansas, started by  Pastor Fred Phelps. They are an independent church, not affiliated with any  denomination. They are known for their virulent protests against homosexuality  and anything and anyone they consider supportive of the “homosexual  agenda.”

The Westboro Baptist Church is well known for picketing places  and events they see as supporting either homosexuality or Jews. This has grown  to include actual gay and lesbian events, churches and organizations they feel  do not repudiate homosexuality sufficiently, and the funerals of soldiers (who  fought in a war they say was caused because of America’s tolerance for  homosexuality). Although known in Topeka since the picketing of Gage Park in  1991, they came to national attention in 1998 after the horrific murder of  admitted homosexual Matthew Shepherd who was beaten and left to die tied to a  fence outside of Laramie, Wyoming. Members of the Westboro Church protested at  Matthew’s funeral and his murderers’ trials and created a website saying Matthew  was burning in hell.

In addition, members of the Westboro Baptist Church  believe that natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and war are all God-initiated  judgments on the evil in the world. They state that the 9/11 terrorist attacks  in the U.S. occurred because God wanted America to enter into a war they  couldn’t win, thereby losing the lives of countless soldiers. Every tragedy,  they claim, is judgment because of support of homosexuality or Jews or because  of attacks on Westboro Baptist Church members.

Westboro Baptist  Church: The Messages

1. “God hates  [everybody]”

What began as the rallying cry “God hates fags” has now devolved into a comprehensive  inclusion of nearly every group, every nation, and every person who is not  involved in Westboro Baptist Church. They are quick to assert that God hates  anyone who does not believe exactly as they do and who does not act as they  do.

Does God hate everybody? Because of who God is, and the fact that He  is holy, He has no choice but to hate sin and the sin nature—that deep part of  an unbeliever that incites rebellion against God. But God also loves everyone.  Romans 5:8 states, “But God  demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ  died for us.” Jesus said in John 15:13,  “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”  Laying down one’s life for another is the highest expression of love; therefore,  Christ’s sacrifice is His demonstration of love to people still burdened with a  sin nature—unbelievers.

God also shows His love through His common grace to all His creation. “The Lord is good to all;  he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm  145:9). Jesus said God causes “his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and  sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew  5:45) and God “is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35). Barnabas and Paul would later say the same  thing: “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their  seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17). In addition to  His compassion, goodness, and kindness, God also shows His patience to both the  elect and the non-elect. While God’s patience for His own is undoubtedly  different from His patience with those whom He has not chosen, God still  exercises “longsuffering” toward those whom He has not chosen (Nahum 1:3). Every breath that the wicked man takes is an  example of the mercy of our holy God.

God also exhorts His followers to  love, even to love those whose natures and objectives are diametrically opposed  to our own: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who  persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew  5:44-45b). Also, "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”  (verse 48). God wants us to love our enemies so we can be more like Him, showing  compassion to others as He has had compassion upon us.

2.  “[Everybody’s] going to hell”

The members of Westboro Baptist Church  are quick to assert that those they name are going to burn in hell. The problem  with this is that although we are to measure others’ actions by the Word of God  and encourage fellow believers toward maturity, we are never to make a judgment  about another’s salvation (Matthew  7:1-2). Jesus warns His disciples against proclaiming the guilt of others  before God. To be a condemning judge of others is to show that one is still  under the condemnation of God. We are not the absolute standard. We are not the  final word on the matter. To make such a dogmatic pronouncement is to usurp the  place of God.

The vehemence with which Westboro Baptist Church denies  God’s compassionate love for all people and declares others’ position of  salvation reflects their belief in hyper-Calvinism. Calvinism states that man  can do nothing to save himself from judgment; God elects those He will save (Romans 8:29-30).  Hyper-Calvinism takes this further, saying since God alone elects those He will  save, witnessing is futile. It also denies the concept of common grace—the  beneficence God shows toward all His creation by providing good things (Matthew 5:45b) and holding  back evil. This is a dangerous misconception about God’s grace that leads to  great anxiety and doubt of a person’s own salvation. Westboro Baptist Church’s  extreme hyper-Calvinism also explains why they do not care about offending  people. They believe if a person is elect, he/she will believe, no matter what.  They believe if a person is non-elect, he/she has absolutely no possibility of  salvation. Therefore, hateful, angry, and vehement rhetoric does not matter, as  it could not possibly change a person’s eternal destiny. Westboro Baptist Church  rejects the idea that offending people could turn them away from faith in Jesus  Christ.

Westboro Baptist Church: The Method

The  way in which Westboro Baptist Church spreads its message is mostly through  websites and picketing. They are proud of their ability to picket several  different places every day, often bringing their children along with them. They  hold signs declaring “God hates ___”, and yell at passersby. Their websites are  filled with declarations about the judgment of God and the specific sins they  believe public figures have committed. They include much vile name-calling and  usually come around to accusations of support of homosexuality. Christian  leaders, churches, and para-church organizations are as quick to attract their  wrath as any secular institution. This tone is completely contradictory to the  teachings of the Bible (Ephesians  4:1-6, 29-32;  1  Corinthians 13:1-2, 4-7).

Part of the methodology of picketing with  intentionally offensive signage is to antagonize people to the point of  violence. When this occurs, Westboro Baptist Church is quick to take legal  action. Westboro Baptist Church has a team of experienced lawyers at their  disposal. Sadly, some of Westboro Baptist Church’s activities are funded by the  financial gains from this litigation.

Westboro Baptist Church:  The Misrepresentation

The members of the Westboro Baptist  Church claim to speak in God’s name, but do so in a way contradictory to what  God shows us in the Bible. They see themselves in the same role as the prophets  of the Old Testament and associate prophecies about Old Testament nations to  America. But God’s prophets rarely warned without also giving a chance of  redemption or the promise of a future hope (even if the prophets didn’t want to  (see Jonah 4:2).  The “prophecies” of the members of the Westboro Baptist Church are much more  straightforward:

“Our message to this evil world is that God hates you,  and you better prepare for the return of Christ in power and glory. Jesus came  the first time to save; and Jesus will come the second time in vengeance,  because you do not obey the Gospel. It will be soon, and you will experience the  wrath of the Lamb, face to face.” (GodHatesAmerica.com)

Even when God  told the prophet Jeremiah not to pray for the deliverance of Israel from the  Babylonians (Jeremiah  7:16), He still gave the promise that Israel would be restored (Jeremiah  51). God will separate Himself from those who choose to reject Him, but His  message is one of hope and reconciliation, not violent dismissal.

Most  disturbing is the way Westboro Baptist Church claims to represent God to the  world. God’s primary concern regarding the world is not homosexuality. He is  much more concerned with the hearts of anyone who rejects Him and indulges in  continual sin. And when Jesus did confront someone with a chronic sin, the  message was simply, “Stop” (John  8:1-11).

By asserting that every tragedy from Hurricane Katrina to  the death of children is a direct judgment of God either for homosexuality or  attacks on Westboro Baptist Church members, they present a picture of God  completely contradictory to His true character. God is not the cause of all the  tragedy in the world. He graciously interacts with people living in a world  damaged by sin, using circumstances created by evil to draw people closer to  Himself.

If anything is to be learned from Westboro Baptist Church, it  is the importance of seeking God’s wisdom and grace in interacting with others.  We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians  4:15). We are to defend the faith with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Love,  gentleness, and respect are completely lacking in the methods and message of  Westboro Baptist Church.

Read more:  http://www.gotquestions.org/Westboro-Baptist-Church.html#ixzz2TRk3mQoW

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