What the Evangelical Church Can Learn from an Apostate Church -- i.e. Westboro Baptist Church?
If you know or heard anything about the efforts of Westboro Baptist Church, you know this church is shepherd by a man who is insane and members who are likewise.
Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is well known for protesting funerals, desecrating American flags, and promoting its signature message that “God Hates Fags.” A trip to the Westboro website makes you wonder if this “church” (actually, Pastor Fred Phelps and his large family) is completely sane.
But might there be something we conservative evangelicals can learn from Westboro? Not any positive lessons mind you, but anything we can glean from their monumentally misguided example? I think so. Let me suggest three things.
1. The Lesson that any truth promoted to the exclusion of other truths can become an untruth.
WBC seems particularly anxious to celebrate the wrath of God. Their web site contains numerous references to God’s judgment and his hatred for sin and for sinners. These things are true and need to be defended in our day. But when WBC gives exact figures for the number of people damned while visiting their website, it’s safe to say we’re visiting the lunatic fringe. God’s hatred for sinners is mentioned in the Psalms and elsewhere, but it’s hardly the essence of the apostolic deposit, certainly not all by itself. The biblical storyline is about how God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Yes, divine grace apart from divine wrath is meaningless. I would be the last person to deny the doctrine of hell. But the preaching of the gospel celebrates rescue not reprobation. WBC quotes a lot of Bible verses on wrath and judgment, but it is possible to quote a lot of the Bible and quote it in such a way and in such a context that you’re actually conveying something quite contrary to the message of the Bible.
Yet here is where we conservative evangelicals need to be careful. There is a large section of evangelicalism that teach and preach the love of God almost to the exclusion of His wrath. And whenever the anger of God is discussed or touched upon, it is done so quickly and in a shallow manner.
Therefore, in the same way it is wrong to overemphasize the wrath of God at the exclusion of His unconditional love so as not to go away with a lopsided view of God, it is also wrong to overemphasize the love of God at the exclusion of His wrath. Again, this does occur within many of our evangelical churches. Sure, people in general are more responsive to a positive message on the love of God, but people’s response is not to be the pastor’s main priority. He should be consumed with declaring to his flock “all things that are profitable” (Acts 20:20) and “the whole purpose of God” (v. 27). The whole purpose of God contains His love and wrath.
In the same way the lopsided message of WBC grieves the Holy Spirit and causes us to see them as insane lunatics, we evangelicals who are on the other side who overemphasize the love of God and deemphasize the wrath of God likewise grieve the Spirit of God and appear to some as soft and spineless. We must be balanced and come down from our own soap boxes.
2. The Lesson that it does matter how we’re heard.
I don’t believe WBC has any interest in persuading anyone of anything. Their goal is protest and provocation. But if we are concerned to “win some” as the Bible would have us be, then we must consider how we are heard. Of course, this does not mean we change the message for a fickle audience. But it does mean there’s no reason ever to use the word “fag” to describe homosexuals. It gains nothing and wins a hearing with no one. Whatever the derivation of the word, it is now a slur. I understand that sometimes people will hate Christians no matter how mealy-mouthed they make their pronouncements. Some offense we can’t avoid. But we can avoid needless provocation. Tone does matter.
This is why it is crucial that we take a step back and see and analyze how we are being viewed and heard from others through our picketing and protests. We can become so engrossed in what we are doing that we do not care about how others, such as the world are viewing us.
I don’t know about you, but to me it does matter how the world thinks of me and my church especially if they unfairly compare us to WBC because they see similarities. We can be passionate about taking a stand for the truth that our passion for the truth may come across with an absence of love. WBC protests and so do we. WBC pickets and so do we. WBC puts on demonstrations and so do we. WBC takes a stand on issues and so do we. How then are we any different? It will be seen in what we take a stand for and never forget this – and HOW WE TAKE OUR STAND.
3. We must refuse to play into the mindset which says the opposite of unconditional acceptance of anything is utter hatred.
Let’s take for example the issue of homosexuality. There are two ways to make Americans more and more accepting of homosexuality: one is by making same-gender erotic relationships look normal and the other is by making those who oppose them look nasty and sound like fools. Everything about WBC plays into the thinking that says “either you approve of homosexuality or you despise homosexuals.”
It’s sad to think that wherever WBC puts on their demonstration, those who feel rightly repulsed by the in-your-face “God Hates Fags” provocation, will then conclude that the only safe place away from the hateful rhetoric is to land far on the side of “God couldn’t be angry with anyone or anything for any reason.”
If I were a pro-gay advocate, I’d send camera crews to follow WBC wherever they go. I’d send them money and buy them oversized signs and markers. Every “God Hates Fags” protest makes it harder for orthodox Christians to say what the Bible says, that God is angry with homosexuals (and with all sinners), but lovingly calls them (and us) to repent, to change, to be forgiven in Christ.
Here is my point: Although we as Christians ought to show displeasure in the things that God hates, we also must point to the only real solution – faith in Christ. Too often the church is known for what it is against, rather than what it is for. Too often we are preaching a message that says, “Stop it,” but we do not preach messages that teach “do this” instead.
Therefore, I believe we evangelicals can learn some vital lessons from WBC. Let me summarize:
1. Any truth promoted to the exclusion of other truths can become an untruth.
2. It does matter how we’re heard.
3. Refuse to play into the mindset which says the opposite of unconditional acceptance of anything is utter hatred.
The church has been guilty of these things. In the same way so many of us are repulsed by the tactics and message of WBC, others are also turned off by what we do that’s similar. The message of truth will always carry with it a measure of offense. This cannot be helped nor should we worry about it. But we need to ask ourselves if it is the message that is offensive to others or could it be us?
