Mary Rupert / Rupert Redux
The devil and Fred Phelps
There's something about Fred Phelps that leads you to believe in the existence of the devil.
Phelps, you may recall, is the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., which picketed the trial of the murderer of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was killed. Phelps and his supporters were carrying signs that said, "God hates fags."
It's not Phelps' philosophies, so much, as the hatred that seems to pour forth from every missive he faxes to newspapers, and every picket sign that is raised against other people, that causes one to think about the devil. In this modern day, when many religious people believe in God's love, Phelps apparently believes that God hates people. He has inflicted his cruel messages on many families who are grieving.
Last week, Phelps' organization faxed The Kansan a statement that "God hates Billy Graham."
Graham, 85, the nationally known evangelist who has advised presidents, is coming to Kansas City, Mo., for a crusade June 17-20 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Westboro Baptist Church will picket the crusade, the statement said.
In addition, Westboro will picket seminars held at area churches preparing for the crusade, including Jan. 15 at Metropolitan Baptist in Kansas City, Kan., the church's flier stated.
Why would God hate a leading evangelist? According to this flier, it's because Westboro thinks Graham no longer believes in hell. Is that true?
I looked on the Billy Graham Evangelical Association's Web site, and found that apparently there is a belief in the devil, because there is a definition in Graham's glossary of religious terms used: "Devil -- a fallen personality who is against God, good, and Christians; sometimes called Satan -- a deceiver and tempter."
Hell doesn't seem to be emphasized very much on Graham's Web site. It's not under his "Beliefs" section. There are some remarks on it in several places, though. In an essay on his Web site called, "What happens when you die," Graham writes: "I deserve death and hell because I am a sinner; but by the grace of God through Christ who died on the cross for my sins, I have eternal life today. I know that my sins are forgiven, and I am on my way to heaven to spend eternity with Him."
Later in the essay, he remarks: "I would be unfair to you if I did not mention a fifth thing that lasts forever: the fate of the unbeliever. This, too, is eternal. You cannot die; you cannot kill yourself. The unbeliever will live for eternity, separated from God."
In a newspaper column from 2002, Graham wrote that hell was "the worst place imaginable. In fact, it isn't so much a place as a state -- a state of everlasting gloom and suffering."
To me, it certainly seems as if Graham believes in hell, even though hell does not take a leading role in his writings and sermons. Hell has been a concept that has been downplayed quite a lot in modern sermons.
The Westboro missive about Graham was faxed out on Jan. 5. The next day, Graham fell and broke a hip while preparing for his annual visit to the Mayo Clinic, the Associated Press reported. He is in good condition recovering from partial hip replacement surgery, the AP reported. The accident won't affect his appearance in Kansas City, according to a press statement.
I haven't noticed any public statement by Graham about Westboro, but Graham's syndicated column this week says to offer prayer and love first to people who need to change.
Billy Graham preaches love and forgiveness, while Westboro usually preaches hate. It's no wonder why Graham's ministry has been successful.
Westboro is certainly entitled to express its opinions about God and current events. If you find yourself starting to agree with the misguided prophet of Topeka, though, it's time to start questioning your own opinions. Westboro's statements often have the opposite effect of what they intended, leading people to other opinions about creating divisiveness and bringing hatred into communities, and also, the existence of the devil.
Mary Rupert is the news editor of The Kansan. Opinions expressed here are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Kansan.