Essentials Of The Faith / Adult Sunday School Class / Out Of The Box

Sinners In The Hands Of Westboro Baptist Church

           

Who here has heard about Westboro Baptist Church?

 

What do you know about them?

 

[slide]

 

Words cannot begin to describe the contempt I feel over the activities of this church. Having appointed themselves as agents of God’s wrath and some wild misconceptions about the nature of God they picket funerals – of gay people and soldiers and even hoped to picket the funeral of the children killed In a massacre at an Amish school in Pa last year.

 

Offended? I hope so!!

 

Could they actually be Baptists, let alone Christians?

 

Background:

 

With curiosity tempered with trepidation, I visited their website. I do not recommend this for the weak of heart or faith or for anyone at work. If you’re internet activity is monitored at work, you could be fired for sexual harassment by the url alone: godhatesfags.com

 

Here’s what the website tells us:

 

  

Established in 1955 by Pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) of Topeka, Kansas still exists today as an Old School (or, Primitive) Baptist Church. See the WBC Monograph. In short, we adhere to the teachings of the Bible, preach against all form of sin (e.g., fornication, adultery, sodomy), and insist that the doctrines of grace be taught publicly to all men. These doctrines of grace were well summed up by John Calvin in his 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Although these doctrines are almost universally hated today, they were once loved and believed. For example, Augustine (one of the early Church fathers), Martin Luther (the founder of the Lutheran Church), John Knox (the founder of the Presbyterian Church), Augustus Toplady (hymnist and leader in the Episcopal Church), Charles Spurgeon (a well-known preacher), and John Leland (who was partially responsible for our First Amendment in the United States) are just a few examples of people who have advanced these ideas. Please see The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination by Jerom Zanchius and our MEMO ON THE CHURCH. Most of the major Confessions of Faith throughout the history of the New Testament Church have also advanced these ideas. So, even though the Arminian lies that “God loves everyone” and “Jesus died for everyone” are being taught from nearly every pulpit in this generation, this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, if you are in a Church that supposedly believes the Bible, and you are hearing these lies, then your church has apostatized. If you are interested in this subject, we encourage you to do some independent research on the history of the Church from Adam to now and, more importantly, we encourage you to carefully read the entire Bible.

 

Those who hold to Reformed Theology may very well be shuddering as they hear this.

 

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT an indictment of Reformed Theology. But it is a weke-up to all of us that a hates group shares beliefs that we have. 

 

Dig past the newsclippings and hate propaganda on their website and you  will find some sermons with reasonable titles and links to teachings of Charles Spurgeon!!

 

 

Are they Baptists? Quite possibly.

 

Are they saved Christians? Hard to say.

 

How did they get to this point?

 

I’d like to answer these questions in reverse order.

 

How did they get to this point?

 

In all honesty, I haven’t delved that deeply into the history of this church. Quite frankly, I just don’t want to!

 

I suspect that they latched on to some  respectable Christian beliefs and some biblical truths. However, they also neglected a lot too!

 

What’s ok  about this church?

 

1.    They preach against all forms of sin

2.    They are 5 point Calvinists:. (I’m not a 5 point Calvinist but many good Christians are).

 

What acronym is used to describe 5 point Calvinism?

 T -- Total Depravity - Human beings are so affected by the negative consequences of original sin that they are incapable of being righteous, and are always and unchangeably sinful; human freedom is totally enslaved by sin so we can only choose evil. Opposite doctrine is Depravation - Human beings are sinful, but we are born with the capacity to choose between good and evil. Man is thus capable of choosing to believe and love God and respond to Him.

U -- Unconditional Election - Since human beings cannot choose for themselves, God by His eternal decree has chosen or elected some to be counted as righteous, without any conditions being placed on that election. Opposite is Conditional Election - God has chosen that all humanity be righteous by His grace, yet has called us to respond to that grace by exercising our God-restored human freedom as a condition of fulfilling election.

L -- Limited Atonement - The effects of the Atonement, by which God forgave sinful humanity, is limited only to those whom He has chosen. Opposite is Unlimited Atonement - The effects of the Atonement are freely available to all those whom He has chosen, which includes all humanity, as in, "whosoever will may come."

I -- Irresistible Grace - The grace that God extends to human beings to effect their election cannot be refused, since it has been decreed by God. Opposite is Resistible Grace - God's grace is free and offered without merit; however, human beings have been granted freedom by God and can refuse His grace.

P -- Perseverance of the Saints - Since God has decreed the elect, and they cannot resist grace, they are unconditionally and eternally secure in that election. Opposite is Assurance and Security - There is  security in God's grace that allows assurance of salvation, but that security is in relation to continued faithfulness; we can still defiantly reject God.

 

 

 Note that I’m not a 5 point Calvinist but I’m ok with them!

(refer to Chapters 6,7,8 in the Westminster Confession Of Faith section of the Tuesday Evening Bible Study in Essentials of the Faith. I’ve already got one sidebar going here!

3.    They provide links to Bible studies from respected Christian theologians.

 

So what happened?

 

          They hold to a teaching that God hates sinners (who have not repented and turned to Him. We discussed God’s hate and love for the sinner in our last lesson. However, this church feels that what the Bible has to say about God’s hate for the sinner gives them license to preach that God hates gays, America, Canada, Sweden, or whatever group  they happen to be angry with.

 

We do live in a society where gay marriage and gay adoption are being accepted by more and more people. {Monmouth Regional marriage class example}

 

Christians should be concerned about these issues.

 

Westboro Baptist has appointed itself as the one true church.

 

Blaspheming Westboro = blaspheming God

 

They’ve appointed themselves as agents of God’s wrath

 

What can we learn from them?

 

Ephesians 4:14-16

 

 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

Use Your Brain

 

Scripture Slide

 

How should we speak the truth?

 

In love

 

Westboro Baptist does not speak the truth in love when they picket funerals of soldiers or rejoice in the shooting of Amish schoolgirls.

 

Jesus gave a new command to His disciples. What was it?

John 13:34

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

 

“A bald, bug-eyed troll” are the words they used to describe Michael Smirconish – talk show host from WPHT in Philadelphia for daring to challenge them. Where is the love?

 

What is our mission?

Matthew 28:19

 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 

Somehow, this teaching of Jesus has been overlooked.  Who could possibly be drawn to the Gospel by people full of hate?

 

While they say that homosexual who turns away from that lifestyle and turns to Christ can be saved, what homosexual would dare set foot in that church?

 

Westboro Baptist is not the only  true church. Neither is Calvary Baptist.  God works through people in many other churches and many other denominations.

 

Now to get back to the two other questions.

 

Are they Baptists? They do hold to a number of Primitive and Conservative Baptist beliefs.  Are they good Baptists? I don’t think so.

 

Are they indeed Christians? Are they saved?

 

I can’t say for sure. Pastor Bob cautions against being fruit inspectors. And yet they give Christians and non-Christians alike good reasons to ask this question.

 

We have this to go on:

 

John 13:35

 

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

 

I just don’t see it.

 

At the very least, these are people convinced that they’re doing the right thing.  However, Satan can infiltrate a church when we neglect the whole counsel of scripture.   They have become filled with such hate, hate that they feel they must have. They are the equivalent of Al-Qaida in the Muslim world. If they are not damned people, at the very least they are damaged people. Pray for them.