OK, so I did a commentary titled Don't Disrespect the Military on Voice in the Wilderness about the followers of Fred Phelps and their protests at military funerals. However, I'm just as upset about the religious aspects of his so-called 'ministry'. Personally, I would call Westboro Baptist Church a cult instead of a church.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a cult is defined as being:
"A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader."
and a ministry is defined as:
"The act of serving"; "The profession, duties, and services of a minister."; and "The Christian clergy."
If you need to read it for yourself, see Dictionary.com.
From what I can tell the only person Fred Phelps is serving is Fred Phelps.
Additionally, what he 'preaches' is not in line with scripture. Hatred of people is not of God. While God hates sin, He does not hate the sinner but desires for the sinner to come to Him in repentance. God desires for all to be saved, however, Phelps holds that only his followers will be saved. Do not get me wrong about the stance that God desires for all to be saved. I am not saying that all will be saved. Scripture tells us some will spend eternity in hell. However, God desires that all be saved, although He gives free will and the decision is ours, thus some will perish. And yes, this means that God even desires for Phelps to be saved.
I'm not going to comment on what I think Phelps salvation status is. That's between him and God. However, I am going to say that I believe those who lead others astray will be held accountable for not only their sins, but for all those they led away from God and His will. Scripture says that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48b
Sadly, Phelps is not the only 'delusional preacher' out there. He just happens to be the one who is currently the most vocal. Yes, I've left a church before because what the Senior Pastor was preaching did not line up with scripture. We all have a responsibility to hold our preachers accountable for what they preach, and if what they preach cannot be backed up by scripture, then we should not be giving our support to that particular church.
