To all my Christian family: I am one of you. We are all in the same boat. As you read, know my deep love and respect for you and my desire not to destroy, but to edify and push for growth and change. I recognize that the Christian portrait is made up of many colors and there are many different opinions within the Church. I am expressing mine and addressing a problem I perceive to be rampant within our family. Please read this post in its entirety before setting your mind to an opinion about it. That is all I ask.
Nate
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Fred Phelps and his loyal band (of mostly blood related) followers are at it again trying to snatch their share of headlines in the wake of the Aurora tragedy. They have made some tentative announcements that they are planning to picket the memorial of the theater shooting victims for an, as of yet, unspecified reason. I’m sure they will float some kind of ridiculous excuse for their picketing and there will be a firestorm of controversy surrounding their activities.
As I ruminate on the Phelps’ and their place in our religion, I am confronted by a startling and sobering reality.
They are not the problem.
Even the most cynical atheist can see that they are simply insane. Nobody takes them seriously except as a footnote on national news programs. They have jumped the shark so many times with their protests that even Fonzie would change the channel.
No, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is not the problem…we are.
They are the most noticeable and vocal of the negative factions of Christianity (and sorry folks, unfortunately, they fall under our umbrella), but they are not the most damaging part of the Christian community.
Many Christians don’t like to admit that what they disagree with is WBC’s tactics, not their message. We wouldn’t say it like that or put it on a sign or say it in such a controversial way. Christians like to separate ourselves from those who take some of our message to what is, honestly, a logical conclusion.
We use code words where WBC uses homophobic overtures. We say things like: “I support traditional family values” or “I protect the institution of marriage.” We speak of homosexuality in nicer terms than WBC but we still seem to consider it the most carnal of sins and one for which most participants are unrepentant. We actively support legislation that removes or limits the rights of homosexuals. We often vote against homosexuals. Politicians often pander for our votes by saying they would go so far as to amend the constitution to limit the right of marriage to only heterosexual relationships.
We hate homosexuality (and quite possibly homosexuals) as much as WBC. We say nice things to make each other feel better like “Hate the sin, not the sinner.” Even our attempts to appear tolerant are laced with intolerance and rigidity.
We are intolerant in our own subtle and insidious ways. We are the ones training our children to abhor or at least mistrust homosexuals. Organizations like The Boy Scouts of America, Focus on the Family, and Chic-Fil-A have taken strongly anti-homosexual stances. We reward them by cheerfully handing them money and supporting their causes. We are the ones condemning homosexuals to hell before they’ve even had a chance to die. We are the ones all but barring them from our places of worship. We are the ones encouraging legislators to deny them basic human rights. We are the ones talking about them as though they are lesser, much more warped beings than we are.
We are the ones that keep them away. We are the ones that have shown them fists instead of helping hands. We are the ones that see them as illegitimate. We are the ones quoting Bible verses to justify our hurtful and sometimes sinful behavior.
I have no prescription for you about your beliefs on homosexuality. As with everything, it is left to you to develop your own conclusion.
You may decide homosexuality is a sin, you may not.
I know one thing, even if you land on the side of it being a sin: The Tax Collector (Zacchaeus), The Woman at the Well, The Woman Caught in Adultery, The Denier of Christ (Peter), The Persecutor of Christians (Paul), and many others seem to suggest something about how we are to treat people.
Homosexuals are people and should be treated with love and respect. They should be welcomed into our houses of worship as family and treated as brothers and sisters from the same Father. They should not be categorized by their sexual preference but by their membership in the Human Race.
Yes, Westboro Baptist Church disgusts me as much as anyone else. But they are not the problem here, we are. Until we adjust the way we respond to homosexuals in this world, we will always be the problem. No person should ever be kept from the loving arms of Christ. There is no exception to that rule.
May God have mercy on us for all of the times we have hurt His children. We can be better.
I will of course be interacting with people in the comments section of this post and on Facebook. Any hateful speech or remarks will be deleted as soon as I notice them. I love and welcome productive conversation.
growntolove 
[…] If you have doubts about whether or not homosexuality is a sin or not, here’s a helpful blog that discusses some of the verses about […]
I’ve been studying into this argument myself. I try to present a few things to offer perspective. “How would you feel it we were required to become vegan by law?” Most people I know are rather appalled by the thought of such a question. “They can’t do that!” Is the common response. I point out that for some people this is a very real and serious issue. It isn’t just a change in diet, but a moral issue. To some people, they think it is inhumane, immoral, and wrong to eat animals or any products. I don’t have the same morals, which is why I would be frustrated if someone with different morals imposed their morals on me. It wouldn’t at all make me want to be a vegan, in fact, I might even find more reason to defend bacon, steak, etc.
I have more thoughts. I think I will blog on this soon as well.
I love the vegan line of reasoning and I completely agree. We cannot simply try to strong arm people into a particular belief or lifestyle. The more abrasive and aggressive we are, the more we separate ourselves from the culture. Consequently, we diminish our efficacy to transmit the Gospel.
Thanks for participating!!
Despite the several logical points and conclusions made here, I can’t help but diss agree with the original premise of your writing. You used WBC to springboard into a discussion on tolerance and showing love to fellow children of God. First off: I agree with you, maybe not fully… because, as you said in your last reply: this is a complex issue. With that being said; WBC is the problem, it’s exactly the problem. They are just the louder, more abrasive symptom of what you are stating is flowing throughout american churches today. But here’s the tricky part: If you believe that homosexuality is a sin (which I do) how do you effectively show love to a culture that is built on a sin without supporting their chosen lifestyle?
Everybody knows WBC is crazy, so they aren’t nearly as dangerous as what I am talking about. They are just the crazy uncle in his underwear in the back yard. Nobody takes them seriously. The problem I am trying to point out is much more insidious and threatening.
As far as your question about the homosexual community, I would restate a previous comment that sexuality does not, in entirety, define a person. We can interact with homosexuals without being abrasive or condemning. Also, it is important to remember that the real work of judgement and conviction lies with God and God alone. We have to have faith that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of ALL people drawing them closer to the will of God.
Our job is simply to love.
Great comments…thank you!! (Sorry for taking so long to reply…)
Nate, what are your personal views on homosexuality? Do you believe it’s a sin? Or is it just another way God made humans in his perfect image?
My position is not as important as the context surrounding the decisions we make regarding this subject.
To begin with, this is an intensely complex issue with complex answers. I think a person’s sexuality is only a part of what makes them who they are. People don’t know me as straight, they know me as Nate. It is strange that we would try to define a homosexual person by their sexuality.
Secondly, Old Testament arguments fall flat for me because we are so arbitrary about what we follow traditionally and what we don’t. For instance, I’m wearing a cotton/poly blend shirt which is technically against the law. I also ate pork yesterday. It seems we only live by Old Testament law when it suits our argument.
Jesus stays away from the topic of homosexuality so it obviously wasn’t a topic he was overly concerned about. He was more concerned with social justice. We are choosey with our adherence to Paul’s philosophy. An example is his views on women. Were we to take him at his word on that, women would have little to no rights in the church or elsewhere and would be subject to men for their spirituality. When you look at the context, you see it was more about specific behavior on the part of specific women who were causing problems. Similarly, when we contextualize his statements about homosexuality, it might have more to do with prostitution and pedophilia than mature homosexual relationships.
Finally, you are going to have to decide for yourself what you believe. The issue is not as cut and dry as some would make it. Let God direct you. Just remember that God is love and wants us to be loving too.
I do not condemn healthy, loving relationships in any form. I have a problem with unhealthy or abusive relationships in all forms.