The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Opinion / Editorials / Radicals shame Christian name

Radicals shame Christian name

April 16, 2003 by Optimist Editorial Board

Every Christian should be troubled by a story on the front page of Friday’s North Texas Daily.

The University of North Texas-of which the Daily is the student newspaper-is the focus of controversy as its theatre department stages The Laramie Project, a play depicting the life of Matthew Shepard, a homosexual college student who was beaten and killed in 1998.

The controversy, however, is being created by the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. The church is sending 10 demonstrators to protest the play and protest four churches that have decided not to cry out against the play.

The Daily quotes the daughter of Fred Phelps, the church’s pastor as saying, “The message is: there is a God, there is a day of judgment, God hates fags and just simply that he will send them to hell.”

This is nothing new. Across the South and Midwest, a radical, knee-jerk Christianity has arisen in response to America’s perceived drift from her supposed roots. This version of Christianity says, “God hates fags,” it advocates shooting abortionists and sees signs of judgment in Sept. 11 and the Columbia disaster.

Most of us wish that such a vile, pharisaical sect could be stamped out, but as long as a viewpoint is held, others will hijack it. When heaven and hell swing in the balance, this kind of radicalism seems especially perverse.

The viewpoint that God hates homosexuality is biblically based and accurate. However, God, whose persona is the ideal of love, does not hate any person, a reminder especially relevant for this upcoming weekend.

The sacrifice of the cross defeats the notion that God was selective about who could receive his gift. And what’s more, a hierarchy of sins is nowhere to be found in the Bible. One thing that is found, however, is Christ’s harsh opposition of and challenge to the Pharasees’ judgmental and often hypocritical attitude toward society’s “worst sinners.”

While convenience may relish a God that sent his son to die for our sins and not other people’s down the road, the harsh reality is that all are called to saving grace, and the Christian’s job is to help as many to hear that message as possible.

That job is tough in a society of wealth, comfort and apathy. It has gotten tougher, thanks to ignorance, intolerance and a fundamental misunderstanding of what Christianity is all about.

And on top of all that, the world’s misconception of what the title “Christian” means is further supported by groups like Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church-a church so skewed and bent on condemnation that its two Web sites are www.godhatesfags.com and www.godhatesamerica.com.

The views and words of this small group are hateful and disgusting. They do little more than give the rest of us a bad name.

But they should serve as an example of what can grow from the smallest seed of judgment or hate and motivate us to restore in people a view of a God who loved this sinful world so much, that he died for it.

Filed Under: Editorials

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

About Optimist Editorial Board

You are here: Home / Opinion / Editorials / Radicals shame Christian name

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
26 Jun

The United Athletic Conference is officially taking the place of the Western Athletic Conference in the 2026-2027 athletic year. The UAC is a joint football effort between the WAC and the ASUN but will now extend to all sports. #acuoptimist #acuathletics #wac #uac

Reply on Twitter 1938240320854008109 Retweet on Twitter 1938240320854008109 2 Like on Twitter 1938240320854008109 7 Twitter 1938240320854008109
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved