Westboro Baptist Church rallying against the Jewish day school adjacent to our church building
26 Jan
Those of you following me on Twitter may have already seen my latest tweet:
WesWoodell: just got an email informing me Westboro Baptist Church has secured a permit to protest outside our church building in SF Friday. I’m Serious
That’s right – Fred Phelps and his band of followers (mostly his family) are scheduled to be here Friday morning right outside our church building.
No, they’re not protesting against us. They’re planning to rally against our Jewish neighbors – the Brandeis Hillel Day School whose facility is adjacent to that of the Lake Merced Church of Christ and who we share our parking lot with.
Apparently, the WBC feels it’s their duty to inform Jewish people they’re going to hell by holding up signs saying as much in front of Jewish schools. Their reasoning goes a little something like this: Jesus was/is the Son of God, the Jews killed Him, therefore Jews are going to hell (apparently they’ve never been informed that Jesus and most of the early church fathers were also Jews … maybe someone should tell them).
Yelling things like,”You’re going to hell!” to Jews is not all these idiots do … for those of you unaware of Phelps and the WBC’s ”work”, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia’s article:
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (born November 13, 1929) is an American pastor who is the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas which is notorious for its anti-gay protests, claiming that most natural disasters and terrorist attacks are God’s punishment for a society that tolerates homosexuality. The church is monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. Phelps is a disbarred lawyer, founder of the Phelps Chartered law firm and previous candidate for political office and was a civil rights activist in Kansas. He and his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, are banned from entering the United Kingdom.
He is known for the slogans that he and his ministry use against people he deems sinful, including “God Hates Fags”, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”, “America Is Doomed” and “Priests Rape Boys”. He claims that God will punish homosexuals as well as various public figures such as Bill O’Reilly, Coretta Scott King, Ronald Reagan, Howard Dean, and anyone else whom his church considers “fag-enablers”.
Phelps and his followers frequently picket various events, especially military funerals, gay pride gatherings, high-profile political gatherings, and even Christian gatherings and concerts with which he has no affiliation, arguing it is their sacred duty to warn others of God’s anger. When criticized, Phelps’ followers say they are protected in doing so by the First Amendment.
Phelps says that he believes that homosexuality and social acceptance of it have doomed most of the world to eternal damnation. The WBC has 71 confirmed members, 60 of whom are related to Phelps.
The group is built around a core of anti-homosexual theology, with many of their activities stemming from the slogan “God hates fags”, which is also the name of the group’s main website. Gay rights activists, as well as Christians of virtually every denomination, have denounced him as a producer of anti-gay propaganda and violence-inspiring hate speech.
So they don’t just hate Jews. No, no – these folks are equal opportunity hate mongerers.
I had a friend who died in Iraq a few years ago. In a recent conversation with his father, I found out these people picketed the funeral. Obviously, it hurt my friend’s family very much to see a “Christian” group holding up signs saying things like “Thank God for IEDs” – the very thing that ended his young life – “God hates soldiers,” and ”Your son is in hell.”
Speaking of hell, I’m pretty sure God (the real one, not the “god” these people follow that doesn’t actually exist) has reserved a special place there for people who parade around using His name to spread lies, hatred, and despair. Of course, it’s not polite for a Christian minister to say things like that – some would even think it’s a sin. I don’t – I believe it’s the truth.
I hope they don’t show up on Friday. We’ll see.
Addition:
If you were to make a few signs of your own to counter the types of things the WBC’s will say, what would you put on yours?
Tags: baptist, brandeis hillel day school, christianity, christians, church of christ, fred phelps, god hates fags, god hates you, jews, Lake Merced Church of Christ, phelps, picket, picketting, protest, protests, San Francisco, san francisco church, westboro, westboro baptist church, you're going to hell
And we wonder why we Christians are hated so much in certain places? Could they be kept off of your private property parking lot while they are protesting? What a shame.
They won’t be allowed on it, but the sidewalk a few feet away is public property.
My dad called me and said we should make a sign that says something like “Every Christian has a Jewish Lord – Jesus.”
I like that.
Ideas:
God loves people with real jobs.
White Power.
Note: I do not endorse white power, but it’ll throw everyone wayyyy off
Gee thanks Kyle :p
Looks like most people commenting on this are doing so on Facebook.
I am so sorry to hear this. All the good work that is going on with the Lake Merced CoC and it seems the devil is being given a foothold through some other professing to be Christians. I second Marvin’s assertion…what a shame.
I like your Dad’s idea. I’ll be praying for you.
Grace and peace,
Rex
I like your dad’s idea, Wes.
I think if it’s going to become an issue of association, you should definitely counter-protest. You don’t want people to think that Lake Merced is in support of these guys, even idly in support. Regardless of the perception, I would use more positives than negatives:
“We Love The Jewish People”
“God Loves Everyone”
“Jesus Was Jewish”
“The Disciples Were Jewish”
“Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility [between Jews and Christians/Gentiles]”
Use negatives less often, and only as needed:
“Westboro Spreads Hatred”
“Lake Merced coC Does Not Spread/Condone Hatred”
Maybe go out and buy some daisies too. j/k…but you get the idea. I’m sure the people at the Jewish school will appreciate that there are some Christians out there who support them, because they’re taught that Hitler was a Christian who killed Jews in the name of God.
Did the Jews kill Jesus? Remember what Jesus said,
“The reason my Father loves
me is that I lay down my life—only to take
it up again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down of my own accord. I have
authority to lay it down and authority to
take it up again. This command I received
from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)
For even the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many.
(Mark 10:45)
Another idea: “My brother is a Jew – JESUS.”
“Your sins were washed away by the blood of a Jew: JESUS.”
You might consider some static display along the lines of your dad’s comment, but I’d only counter-protest if you’re really, really sure that’s what you should do. Counter-protests (including on your blog) get these guys fired up – and probably don’t help basic passersby make any more sense of the situation.
Then, I would counter-protest by loving on your neighbors. It’s probably easier to do that now than at any other time – take the opportunity to take staff a meal, wash their cars, or otherwise serve in an extravagant way. Overcome evil with good, and all that jazz.
Wes,
This is from Rubel Shelly’s book “In Step with the Spirit” (and it seems appropriate to the situation):
“A while back I was reading of a man who was led to Christ by a gentle soul named T.B. Larimore. The man in question had been to hundreds of church services and dozens of evangelistic meetings before Larimore came and preached in the town. So someone asked him, ‘Why did you respond to the gospel under Brother Larimore’s preaching when you hadn’t before?’ His answer is a rebuke to some of us and our methods. ‘From other preachers I’d learned I was going to hell,’ he said, ‘but they seemed pleased that I was. From Larimore I learned I was going to hell, but I could tell it broke his heart to have to tell me so.’”
This post reminds me of something my father didn’t divulge until after my mother’s death. My father grew up in the same small town as my mother; at one time, their families were next-door neighbors. My mother’s family regularly worshipped with the congregation there.
However, my father was told by at least one child of members–in the context of a “playground putdown” in the schoolyard–”I’m going to Heaven, and you’re not!” (My father still gets angry when he recounts that part of the story.)
Later on, my parents married (after Dad had completed a college degree and served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict). In the next few years, he encountered several people who tried to “drag him to the water”. One person (a visiting minister he’d never met before, whom I would consider the spiritual equivalent of a “quack doctor”) visited in my parents’ home (along with the local preacher). Almost the first words out of this man’s mouth were, “Pour your heart out to me!”. My dad’s smile disappeared as he slowly rose to his feet. The local preacher who accompanied the man said, “Uh, I think we’d better go!”. (By the way, that local preacher was the same one who later baptized my father, but not until almost five years after they first met.)
Most of this, we (his children) had known. The “untold story” was this–
My mother would weep–openly–IN FRONT OF MY FATHER–because he wasn’t a Christian!!!!!
Incidentally, it was over 17 years before my father could talk to ANY of his siblings about the Church without them immediately changing the subject. His parents died during that same span of time. Today, although my father has remained faithful (and served as an elder–for two different congregations), he has nobody from his side of our extended family that he can claim as his spiritual brother or sister!
Wow … that’s quite a story, Russ. Thanks for sharing … glad to hear your father did give his life to Jesus!
Rex, Cristina, Alex, and dad – Thanks for all the suggestions.
Benson – good ideas.
Just to clarify, I was never intending to go out and start a shouting match with these people or to even say anything to them. I, and a few others, are simply thinking about making a sign or two that says something like “God is Love” and hanging out on our side of the property near the road.
If the news media shows up, it might be nice to have a few actual Christians present who can present another view to the people in the city watching Friday evening. Christianity already has a bad enough reputation in San Francisco – messages like the ones this hate group will be sending won’t be helpful, but telling people “God is Love” just might.
Terry – thanks for the quote. I imagine you posted it for us to think about how the WBC goes about spreading their message, but it caused me to be introspective all the same.
It may be my lack of maturity, but I’m not feeling a whole lot of heartache at the thought of those making up the WBC having to answer to God someday. Maybe I will in the future, but not today.
Spead as much love on your neighbors as hate they spread.
Thanks for the post, I