Irreverent Podcast: Westboro Baptist Church
Zach, guitarist for Bellarive, pulled me aside to talk about Westboro Baptist Church a few weeks ago. They’re the ones who protest funerals of fallen soldiers and are outspoken about their view of homosexuals. I view them as the shock jocks of Christianity.
Zack said, “David, Christians are suppose to be known for their love but these guys make that almost impossible. I want to tell people about this.”
That night I called the crew at Irreverent Podcast and asked them about addressing Westboro Baptist on the show and they jumped at it.
Check out the podcast HERE.
(WARNING: this podcast contains sensitive topics and some explicit language)
Irreverent gives a rundown of this episode:
On this episode we address the website www.godhatesfags.com and let out our feelings about this website, and reasons why we think what they’re doing is wrong.
We bring in our old friend David Miller, and a long time listener and friend Zach Glotfelty to let them share their feelings and to give us another perspective on this issue.
Here’s the link to their website incase for some odd reason you forgot the address:
By Irreverent
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast just yet, but I do remember when these guys came to my high school over in Tampa. Our very conservative school had a little tiff about allowing a Gay-Straight Alliance club in school. Parents didn’t want their children in a school that allowed something like that and the media made a story out of it. I guess Westboro caught wind of it and made the trip out to see us.
I remember driving up to school and seeing them across the street all yelling “GOD HATES NEWSOME HIGH SCHOOL!” To tell you the truth it was pretty awesome, a real entertaining change in the typical school day of algebra and American history.
What stands out to me the most though, is how forgettable this day was. Not forgettable in the sense that I’ll never remember the protest that physically happened, or the helicopter that flew over our school; but forgettable in the sense that Westboro’s message was never spoken about once the hype faded away. Somehow certain things have a way of sticking in our memory, and perhaps this is just me, but I tend to cling to the memories that are edifying, that are hopeful, that are true. What a sad cause to give your life to.
In Acts the high priests of the Jewish people decided to allow this Jesus movement to continue and not oppose it because if it was not of God, it would fade out and be forgotten. But if God did have a hand in this movement there would be no way of stopping it. I have forgotten about these protestors at Newsome High School, and as soon as the hype in the community fades, Orlando will forget about them too. The only thing I pray is that we become strong enough to counteract this “Christian” image with a powerful love that can only be given by God Himself. For those people who linger on these hateful words, and believe that God hates them, I hope that we are sent to their doorstep to show them God’s love with the same tenacity of these hate-mongers.
“But God will not have his work made manifest by cowards” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
So well said “forgettable in the sense that Westboro’s message was never spoken about once the hype faded away.”
I refer to them as the shock jocks of christianity. They just want to raise eyebrows and their message gets lost in their tactics. They are not known for Jesus but their hate.
Um do they really want people to take them seriously. Have you seen there logo. I mean they actually spent time and money to organize this website and add a logo like that.
I think they do dude. Sad but true.