According to a Twitter post by Fred Phelps’ son Nathan, the
84-year-old patriarch of Topeka’s infamous Westboro Baptist Church is in hospice
care, near death. Phelps’ tactics of
spreading his “God Hates Fags” message were so harsh that even the churches
that are outspoken against homosexuality deplored what he was doing. Phelps, a disbarred lawyer, a four-time
political candidate, an Eagle Scout and a civil rights activist in earlier years,
will likely be forever known and remembered as the leader of that little
gay-hating funeral-protesting church in Kansas.
Fred Phelps is a tragic figure, a life lived in such a way that few
will mourn his death, and millions are likely to celebrate it. His “Fags Die God Laughs” picket signs are
forever embossed on the public mind, the same public that will laugh with joy in the
face of his death. The tragic irony.
Yet, it has been wisely stated that there is something to
learn from every life, and Phelps is surely no exception. A man with gifts, a man who made some contributions
to the world in the past, but, by his own choosing, a man who sold out along the way, maybe for
fame and what he might have perceived as power.
Most church leaders with Phelps’ level of name recognition
are mega-church leaders and/or TV evangelists, with their fame bringing even more growth to their
churches; but Westboro Baptist Church reportedly has about 40 members, most of
whom are family members of Phelps, and their media attention has not added parishioners to their pews. To add to his tragedy, many of his other family members, including
son Nathan and three other of his 13 children, left the organization, and,
according to Nathan’s Twitter report, the elder Phelps has been excommunicated
from the church since August 2013.
Fred Phelps’ life seems a wasted one, but for those of us on
the outside looking in, there is much we might learn if we will, first from
Phelps’ own life, and second, from those of his followers.
Power. Not an unusual
motivator, but always a dangerous one, for when power is gained too quickly, it
almost always becomes abusive. Phelps was a failure in many ways. He was disbarred from his law practice. He ran for several political offices but never
won. His church has not been successful. But - maybe it started with the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard - the “God Hates Fags” picket signs caught the
media’s attention, and Phelps’ name and face were soon recognized everywhere.
Did Phelps really hate gays that much, or was it all about
personal power and media fame? Who can know?
But we have all seen power take over people’s lives, especially those
who seem to feel most without power.
Administrators who abuse their staff, white supremacists, those who
concoct elaborate lies online just to see how far they’ll spread, those who
physically or emotionally abuse their spouse or children, gunmen who kill
school children, those who troll blog sites with the goal of stirring people's anger . . . The desire for power and fame is dangerous.
Then there’s the question of those who followed Phelps. Why?
How does Phelps, Koresh, Billy Graham, Nelson Mandela, Jim Jones, Charles Manson, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Moore, Rush Limbaugh, Jerry Falwell,
Sun Myung Moon, Joseph Smith, MSNBC, Bill O’Reilly, the Dalai Lama, or Hitler attract
followers? People follow people usually
for fear or for attraction, and we are all people. We are all, by nature, learners, and we learn
from those we “follow” – our ministers, our friends, our favorite talk show hosts, our favorite
basketball players.
My pastor told a story Sunday of three neighborhood boys
playing in the newly fallen foot-deep snow.
The father of one of the boys challenged them to a competition. Positioning himself at the far corner of the
yard, the challenge was to see which of the three boys could walk to him with
the straightest path. One carefully
watched his feet as he trod to the father.
Another carefully watched the other two boys as he trod. And the third, the actual son of the father,
kept his eyes on the father the entire walk.
They finished with two very crooked paths and the last one straight.
When we “follow” our trusted mentors, even our trusted
religious leaders, we are all susceptible to being led astray. The goal on which we focus should be
carefully chosen. As Christians, while
our pastors and teachers can be helpful guides, constant focus on the Christ
from which we get our name is what will make our path straight.
Phelps was a misguided soul for whatever reason, as are all
of us to some degree, ever seeking our own ways. May we not forget our own faults as we react to the sometime-in-the-future news of his passing, and may we find the grace to leave all judgment in the hands of God.
Two final personal questions to be sure our developing legacy is not like that of Phelps:
1. Are we oppressing or putting down others
as we find our way?
2. Are we
misusing the name of God to push our own agendas?
Would that our legacy be one of grace and love.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5-6)
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:14)
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil.
1:21)
No comments:
Post a Comment