Dear Phelps Family (a.k.a. Westboro Baptist Church),
You came into out city spewing hate and anger saying you are representing Jesus. I’m pretty sure Jesus is offended. He never acted that way. He talked about love and said we would be known as his disciples by our love. (John 13:35)
The only times Jesus seemed to express anger was when he was dealing with people who acted pretty much like you. Those were the Pharisees who clung to the law, manipulated the law to their own advantage, and used it to bludgeon others rather than to show love and grace.
In your press release, you referred to soldiers as military mutts. In our city, that offends us. That is not what we call them. We call them friends. We call them brothers. We call them neighbors. Some call them husband. Some call them daddy. Some call them sons. Some call them daughters. But, we generally call them with respect, honor and love.
When they return home, we wrap them up in a bear hug and welcome them back. We’ll wait in an aircraft hanger until wee hours of the morning just to wave flags and cheer as they come through the door.
We invite them to join us at our table especially on holidays when duty keeps them from being with family. We watch out for their families while they are away.
When they come home injured, we comfort them and assist them. When they return home in a flag-draped casket, we mourn them and show them the proper respect they deserve. No matter how they return home, we celebrate them as heroes.
As you visit us this week, you will see us as we are. You will see flags, banners, posters and motorcycles lined up for miles escorting funerals. You’ll be pretty insignificant in the crowd. That’s just how we roll in our city.
We love our soldiers. We love our country even though it is not perfect. We love our God. We’re pretty sure that the God we call out to for comfort is not the same one you are referencing. Our God calls us to share love, not spew hate. Yeah, we really like that.
