Welcome to Grace, Fred Phelps

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We learned March 20 that Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist Church, died in Hospice care in Topeka, Kan. The world came to know Fred Phelps through the vile, disgusting vitriol he and his “church” spewed for decades. We saw his nauseating beliefs on display with signs with huge letters that read “God Hates Fags” “God Hates America” and “Thanks God for Dead Soldiers” time and after time with funeral after funeral of soldiers, famous celebrities, and politicians. Fred Phelps and Westboro became the living embodiment of an Internet troll, sometimes who says things just to piss you off. I really wonder if they believed all the crap they said or if they just really just liked ticking people off.

How do we react to the death of Fred Phelps? On the one hand, we want to give to him as well as he gave to the world. We want to drag his body through the streets and spit on it as it passes by and we want to protest his funeral just as he protested and ruined so many other funerals. However, that would make us no better than Phelps and his ilk. We want to say “Welcome to Hell, Fred Phelps!” because if it were up to us that is where ol’ Phelps would spend eternity right next to Hitler and Bin Laden. Fortunately, for all of us, the eternal destination for any of us is not up to a popular vote. Fortunately, the same grace that is available to all of us is also available to Fred Phelps. It is a grace that Fred never understood in his lifetime. It is a grace from a God that is much bigger and vastly more loving than anything Fred Phelps understood or preached. I imagine Fred Phelps is experiencing , perhaps for the first time, the true magnificent and amazing grace of God and for that I rejoice. Remember that hate only leads to more hate. Vengeance only leads to more pain and suffering and although it might make us feel good for a minute to imagine Fred Phelps burning in the flames of Hell, we must remember that in the end love is only thing that matters.

What is the real legacy of Fred Phelps? On the one hand there is the hate filled speech, signs, and ignorant message he and his “church” spewed, but on the other hand there is the Patriot Guard who ride from town to town honoring fallen soldiers. There were people from all different races, cultures, and socio-economic statues who were brought together to counteract the hate from Fred Phelps and his “church.” People stopped their lives and honored heroes they didn’t even know. I think that Fred Phelps, in his own twisted way, helped to bring us together as a nation. Romans 8:28 says “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” I think God used the hate from Fred Phelps to work good in communities all around the country.

Ultimately, we cannot allow ourselves to go down to the same level Phelps spent much of his life. We should not dance on his grave or gloat in his death. Instead, as people of faith, let us rejoice that this man, who never understood God, is now in the presence of a loving God whose grace is abundant and truly amazing.

The Rev. Brad Smith is a United Methodist pastor in rural Tennessee. He blogs at Love Radically.