Fred Phelps is coming to town.

Fred Phelps, the "pastor" of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS is having a group come to West Des Moines this Sunday to protest the performances of the Laramie Project at Valley High School. Now I've blogged about this before. I am certainly not in favor of this play. This is not the way to respond. Pastor Phelps also decided that it was necessary to protest at different churches on Sunday morning.

We are not entirely certain other than he seems to think all other churches than his are messengers of Satan and the like because we don't take on his hatefilled rhetoric. I believe he chose these churches because of their locations:

• My church - Valley Church
• Lutheran Church of Hope
• St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
• St. Timothy's Episcopal Church
• Ashworth Road Baptist Church
• Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Please pray for these churches. Pray for those who attend. Pray for the community of West Des Moines. Pray for those who would desire to lump Christians who believe homosexuality not part of God's design, and is therefore sinful in with this hate-filled man.

Briefly looking at his website - which I must warn you is disturbing shows me how off base his theology is. His theology is so screwed up it would take me numerous posts just to refute it all. I'm not even going to waste my time.

God calls those of us who know Christ to be salt and light. Ephesians 4:15 says, that we are to "speak truth in love."

We are also told in 1 Peter 3 that we are to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have, but to do so "with gentleness and respect,"(1 Peter 3:16).

The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-33) we are told to love God and love our neighbors (which Jesus later goes on to define that to mean those we come into contact with - not just those who live next door to us.). There are plenty more verses that guide us to what a proper response should be with issues such as this. I just wonder does Phelps just overlook this?

Anyway, please be in prayer for these churches that they will demonstrate the spirit and love of Jesus Christ. Pray also that God would open up opportunties to share Christ with those who may wonder - what the heck is going on in West Des Moines. Pray that those who don't know Christ, will know true followers of Jesus by their love, not hate.