Violence doesn't honor God, all sins are created equal

They have been called "zealots," "fanatics," "rebels," and even "nuts." They have been listed as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Obsessed with helping the world see the error of its ways and unscathed by what others say about them, they speak up at public forums, college plays, and even funerals. Allow me to introduce you to the radical followers of Fred Phelps, pastor of Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church.

Believing that homosexuality and its acceptance have doomed most of the world to eternal damnation, Phelps and his family (71 confirmed members, 60 of whom are related to Phelps through blood or marriage or both) picket up to 15 churches on most Sundays. By their own count, WBC has conducted over 30,000 pickets, in all 50 states, in over 500 cities and towns.

The Phelps' group's methods don't change. Determined to shock the passerby, each participant holds up a sign with words written in bold letters: "God Hates Fags"; "God Caused 9/11"; "God Hates America"; "Thank God for More Killer Tornadoes Raging in Oklahoma," etc.

I have, on two separate occasions, attended events Phelps' followers chose to picket. One was at Emporia State University where a former student of mine was acting in "The Laramie Project," a play about Matthew Shepard, a young, homosexual man who was brutally murdered. The other was a few weeks ago at the University of Kansas where I had taken 13 of my drama students to watch "The Monkey Trial", a play about a high school biology teacher who, in 1925, chose to teach evolution as an alternative to creation.

It was at KU where, after the initial shock (and lots of cell phone photos), some of my students attempted to confront the picketers. So did I. Realizing these demonstrators had a history of being treated with contempt, I opted to use a more compelling approach by applying the scripture "A gentle answer turns away wrath." I walked up to one pair and began my discourse: "I recognize you all are passionate about what you are doing, and I love passion, but saying 'God hates homosexuals' is not true of the God I serve."

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than they began screaming. And I mean SCREAMING! I thought their neck veins were going to rupture. "THEN YOU DON'T KNOW THE BIBLE!" they shrieked.

"Well, actually I do," I continued. "God hates sin but He doesn't hate the sinner. And He hates my sins and your sins as much as anyone else's." At that point they began spewing Old Testament scripture about doomsday and gloom, as I stood there speechless (certainly a rarity for me).

Since my gentle answer didn't have quite the end results I had hoped for, I gave up and walked inside where I listened to my students exchange ideas on how they could help the Phelps' group see the error of its ways. From scriptures like "Let ye without sin cast the first stone" to humorous, common sense arguments ("Since the Scopes trial has nothing to do with homosexuality, why don't their signs say 'God Hates Monkeys'?), they were full of suggestions.

The picketers were gone when we left the theater, but on the bus ride home I couldn't help but think how miserable Phelps' followers appeared to be. They called themselves Christians, but the Bible says we (Christians) will be known by our fruit. I wonder how much fruit they have produced. I wonder, with their venomous attacks, how many homosexuals have looked at those signs and decided to become heterosexuals right then, right there. Where was the fruit of these protestors' actions?

My experience with the Phelps group was a lesson to me about how message and method are so intertwined. I know that there may be a diversity of opinion among those of you who read this article when it comes to the message my group and I encountered on the KU campus. People of faith do not always agree. However, I believe that if you had experienced the hatred and the violent undertones of the method, you would agree with me that such a display has no place in the life of a person who desires to honor Jesus' command that we love one another. Surely if we are called to love one another, we should never feel that our passion about a message is a justification for violating the dignity of those with whom we disagree.