Westboro Baptist Church is backing off -- and claiming victory.
Church members, who have gained notoriety for protesting outside military funerals and for their extreme anti-gay agenda, have canceled plans to gather outside Saturday's double funeral in Tacoma, Wash., for brothers Charles Powell, 7, and Braden, 5.
But that doesn't mean Westboro Baptist Church is going away. Members agreed to cancel their protest only after a Tacoma, Wash.-based morning talk radio show promised them air time to preach their beliefs. “The Bobby D Show” interviewed the founder of the Kansas-based church, Fred Phelps Jr.
"Just finished interview with @bobbydshow. Bobby D. Was a real gentleman. Washington trip now canceled," Phelps tweeted just moments ago. Westboro spokeswoman Margie Phelps, who is also Phelps' daughter, also took to Twitter a moment ago to crow about the turn of events, calling the radio time "icing on the cake."
The no-protest-for-air-time transaction is not new, and may signal Westboro's new, shrewder strategy to reach more potential converts, notes the Washington Post.
Charlie and Braden Powell died Sunday when their father, Josh Powell, took an ax to them before setting a gasoline-fueled inferno that engulfed the boys and himself -- the final tragic twist in a long, drawn out family saga.
Westboro congregants see the boys' death in Graham, Wash., as divine retribution for a same-sex marriage bill pending in that state. They target military funerals for the same reason, saying soldiers' deaths are punishment for the country's increasing acceptance of homosexuality.
News of the canceled protest will no doubt be a relief to the maternal grandparents of the boys. They pleaded for Westboro protesters -- and the well-meaning counter-protesters -- to stay away so that the boys could be laid to rest in peace.
The reason I posted this article is I think it illustrates very well what we have been talking about recently.
When Americans for the most part think of religious people they think that all of us are like the ones mentioned above. In reality most of us hear about these kind of stories and wish that people like the Westboro congregation would get thrown in jail or get some kind of plague (preferably a bad case of hemorrhoids, but that’s just me).
Because that is not an option, I think it would be far more productive for us to talk about what we can do about it, what each and every one of us can actually really do.
First we have to understand the church did not get the bad PR in America overnight and the problem will not be solved overnight. Little by little though I think we can turn the tide. One act of kindness, one offer of prayer and soon people in our country may begin to remember what it means to be a Christ-Follower.
We get offended when we are called religious and are kicked out of the schools and government buildings, we have to remember though, if we are just about building churches to entertain ourselves in and we lose sight of the poor and disenfranchised in our own neighborhoods, who is to blame our nation for seeing us as a plague of religious.
With that in mind, this year at Southside, we are taking our goal of Build, Serve, Grow to the next level with a focus on, "Taking it to the Streets".
We’re going to activate a new focus on Kindness Outreach to remind out community or the love of Jesus.
Things like giving out water on hot days, washing toilets for local businesses, washing windshields, taking BBQ door to door, giving out dog biscuits at the dog park, all with the intention of helping people who were once hostile or unaware of Jesus more into a vibrant life relationship with the Master.
How can you get involved?
First, commit that 2012 will be your year to activate and be a part of Kindness Outreach to our community and Second, commit to an attitude of prayer as we launch this big year!
May God's blessing be on you in this coming season,
Pastor Willy
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