“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn and live.”(Ezekiel 18:23, 32)
If God takes no delight or pleasure in the death of the wicked, then how are we (particularly Christians) to respond to the death of those who have perpetrated evil in the name of the Lord? With the death of Fred Phelps, the leader of Westboro “Baptist Church,” that question is front and center today. Phelps, the founding pastor of the Topeka, Kansas church cult (Westboro could not be described as a church in any Biblical sense of that word) known for it’s virulently anti-gay signs while picketing military funerals, has entered into eternity.
While it is not within our right to judge the soul of any man or woman, Phelps most assuredly will be judged. It would be easy to dwell on the death of Fred Phelps and speculate as to how God will judge him. That would not only be unproductive, but it would be unbiblical. Instead of thinking about Fred Phelps, perhaps our attention should focus upon the God who is love, the antithesis of everything that Fred Phelps believed.
Dr. Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research, in an excellent article about how we should respond to the death of Phelps, shares three specific responses. I would encourage everyone to take a moment to read Dr. Stetzer’s article in its entirety (here), but here is one way that we can respond to Phelps’ death:
Second, we should take the moment to boldly and promiscuously share God’s love. Tell someone today that God loves them. Do it because the world will talk about a man who hated in the name of “God.”
Instead, show the world that we show and share the love a Jesus to a broken and lost world, a Jesus that most certainly is not the Son of the god the Phelps’ claim to follow.
Perhaps we might even take this moment to love those that we don’t normally consider worth of love—a group that works against you, a neighbor who does not like you, or whomever else. Sadly, I am posting this blog on top of one a couple hours old—on caring for illegal immigrants.
So, on this day, let’s do the opposite of Fred Phelps and love the people that we don’t like—and tell them (or better yet, show them) God loves them too.
On a day when the world will likely be celebrating the death of a broken man who led a movement characterized by deception and disdain, reach out to others and show them what the unconditional love of God is really like and how it is shown in Jesus Christ. (Hate and How to Overcome It: How Should We Respond to the Tragic Death of Fred Phelps?)
When so many Christians — rightly or wrongly — are known more for their judging than their loving, what better way to drown out the hate of Fred Phelps and Westboro than to love people — even those with whom we vehemently disagree — with a radical, unconditional love. I’m pretty sure that’s what Jesus would do. And, even if he didn’t know it this side of eternity, I’m pretty sure that Fred Phelps now knows that’s what Jesus would do as well!