Since 9-11, many of us have searched in vain for the moderate Muslim. We know he is out there somewhere. But when Muslims spew hatred and threaten violence, it seems that you can't find a moderate Muslim cleric with a search warrant. We just want to hear someone from the "Religion of Peace" assure the west that the majority of Muslim adherents are not the hate-mongering bunch they may appear. Of course, the silence is deafening and the unwarranted suspicion of all Muslims continues.
But Christianity has its own versions of the radical cleric. Our most infamous might be Reverend Fred Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Reverend Phelps is famous for his anti-homosexual rants and protests with his followers at high-profile funerals of soldiers and Marines. His cult-members show up with signs proclaiming that "God Hates Fags" along with other unsavory hate speech. They claim that our soldiers are dying because of our homosexual lifestyles in the United States.
I will give Reverend Phelps one thing. He has taken Five-Points Calvinism to its logical conclusion. And those who embrace the TULIP may want to reconsider their flawed theology. That being said, I think it is time for Christians to come out en masse and repudiate Reverend Phelps when he brings his protesting cultists to Cincinnati for Matt Maupin's funeral. (Matt was captured four years ago and his remains were just recently found. His parents have been wonderful as they held out hope and worked tirelessly for the troops. His funeral will be in late April at Great American Ballpark.)
My first reaction to Phelps is always violent. I dream of silencing these idiots with a left hook to the jaw or readjusting their theology with an aluminum baseball bat. But then my Americanism kicks in and I remember why it is important to allow the stupid people to speak freely. Radical idiots always lose when they are allowed to speak freely. People hear their message proclaimed and realize how abhorrent it sounds. So Reverend Phelps must be allowed to protest.
But his protest must not go without opposition. And this is where Cincinnati's Christian community must step up and voice opposition to his madness. I would like to see 10,000 Christians come out to Matt Maupin's funeral and show the world that Reverend Phelps does not speak the majority Christian viewpoint. A quiet, classy counter-protest would be an amazing way to support Matt Maupin's family and send a message to the gay community that they are not hated by Christians.
So come on Pastors. Let's get this done. Or do you, in the back of your mind, agree with Reverend Phelps just a little?
