Don't let 50 people define Christianity.

I was saddened, though not surprised, to hear that Fred Phelps and his church are trying to find information on Heath Ledger's funeral so they can protest homosexuality. Not only will they show up, they will hold signs saying things like "God hates fags" and "Fag = Sin". This is because he played the role of a homosexual in a movie a few years back.

This is a quote taken from the Phelps website:

"Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there -- besides which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is relevant or consequential"

This is the same group that flew all the way from Kansas to protest a funeral when a transgender teen was murdered in California. Holding up signs of hatred and judgment at a funeral where people are in unthinkable pain? Where is the love of Christ? Where is the grace of God? Where is the compassion?

This church angers me, not only because of how they twist and mangle the heart of God, but because they garner so much media attention while doing it. People who aren't Christians are constantly watching those of us that are. They look to see if we practice what we preach. When they see these stories on the news, it only confirms to them that indeed, all Christians are hypocritical, irrelevant, and full of judgment and hatred.

The fifty members of this church have been given power by the media to define Christianity for anyone watching the news. Let us make sure that we act in ways that demonstrate who a Christian really is. One way to do that is to consistently make choices rooted on our decision to follow Jesus Christ. In the workplace, with our families, out running errands. Christians should look and act in a way that reflects who they profess to follow. They should be kind, compassionate, honest, humble, generous, forgiving, and full of faith in a loving God (a more complete list may be found in your bible).

Do I believe homosexuality is a sin? Yes I do.

Do I love homosexuals?

You better believe it.

But I hate Satan. When I get mad at sin, I have to get mad at him. I have walked alongside friends who struggled with their gender identity - often due to abuse or absence from one or both parents, molestation, or adolescent teasing. I cried with them in their pain. Practicing homosexuality is wrong, but the hatred, the rage, and the judgment that I have seen towards it is equally wrong. I wish the words "queer" and "fag" would be completely removed from the dictionary, because I have heard them from the mouths of Christians far too many times.

Think of ways this week that you can demonstrate the love of Christ to those around you. Be a part of the revolution to redefine what the world thinks of Christians. God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While humanity was caught up in greed, lust, bitterness, perversion, murder,etc. - Jesus died for us. He looked beyond our brokenness and offered Grace.

Let us do the same to those around us.

Matthew 7:3 says "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"

We are quick to overlook our own flaws and even quicker to point out someone else's... Jesus calls that hypocrisy.