Members of the Westboro Baptist Church are Misguided
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church practice reverse evangelism. Evangelism is following the instructions that Jesus Christ gave to his disciples just before he ascended to Heaven: “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (King James Version, Luke 24:47) This passage is known as The Great Commission. The Westboro Baptist Church is doing the opposite of evangelism by picketing funerals. These protests will turn people away from Christ. Christians who want to obey the Great Commission should follow the example of the Hells Angels and the Teamsters and prevent the Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting funerals.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church probably believe that they are obeying the Great Commission by picketing funerals. They believe that we bring problems on ourselves as a nation by ignoring the will of God and disobeying his commandments. Most of the protests center on homosexuality. Let us leave aside whether they are right or wrong. Let us leave aside whether homosexuality is an abomination or whether sex is sinful unless it is between married couples attempting to conceive children. All of these arguments get lost in the act of picketing a funeral.
Anyone who witnesses a protest at a funeral will not hear arguments about obeying commandments or sexual ethics. A person who witnesses a protest at a funeral – especially a child’s funeral – will think of the protesters as evil and hateful. The protest will instill or confirm a belief that Christianity is evil. The challenge for Christians in obeying the Great Commission used to be simple ignorance and apathy; people did not know or did not care about the Gospel of Christ. The challenge for Christians now is antitheism. Many people now regard any religion as codified superstition and a hindrance to human progress. Pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church have helped to reinforce such beliefs.
Picketing at funerals by members of the Westboro Baptist Church is just one example of Christians acting obnoxiously and thereby turning potential converts away. A joke is circulating on social media about an aggressive driver who gets arrested. The arresting officer eventually apologizes, explaining that when he saw the Christian bumper stickers on the back of the car, he assumed the vehicle was stolen. The joke is funny because there are plenty of real life examples of self-identified Christians doing the opposite of what Jesus of Nazareth preached. People who call themselves Christians can no longer effectively follow the Great Commission because Christians have a bad reputation. Antitheists will hear the Good News of salvation and the love of Christ only from those who do not call themselves Christians. It takes a Hells Angel to be a Good Samaritan these days.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church probably believe that they are obeying the Great Commission by picketing funerals. They believe that we bring problems on ourselves as a nation by ignoring the will of God and disobeying his commandments. Most of the protests center on homosexuality. Let us leave aside whether they are right or wrong. Let us leave aside whether homosexuality is an abomination or whether sex is sinful unless it is between married couples attempting to conceive children. All of these arguments get lost in the act of picketing a funeral.
Anyone who witnesses a protest at a funeral will not hear arguments about obeying commandments or sexual ethics. A person who witnesses a protest at a funeral – especially a child’s funeral – will think of the protesters as evil and hateful. The protest will instill or confirm a belief that Christianity is evil. The challenge for Christians in obeying the Great Commission used to be simple ignorance and apathy; people did not know or did not care about the Gospel of Christ. The challenge for Christians now is antitheism. Many people now regard any religion as codified superstition and a hindrance to human progress. Pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church have helped to reinforce such beliefs.
Picketing at funerals by members of the Westboro Baptist Church is just one example of Christians acting obnoxiously and thereby turning potential converts away. A joke is circulating on social media about an aggressive driver who gets arrested. The arresting officer eventually apologizes, explaining that when he saw the Christian bumper stickers on the back of the car, he assumed the vehicle was stolen. The joke is funny because there are plenty of real life examples of self-identified Christians doing the opposite of what Jesus of Nazareth preached. People who call themselves Christians can no longer effectively follow the Great Commission because Christians have a bad reputation. Antitheists will hear the Good News of salvation and the love of Christ only from those who do not call themselves Christians. It takes a Hells Angel to be a Good Samaritan these days.
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