Fred Phelps is dead. I see that the reactions to his death are starting to flow through my Facebook news feed.
One status update that I just ran across disturbed me for appearing to gloat that Phelps is in hell.
Many others, I suppose, are having this same kind of reaction.
After all, if Fred Phelps isn’t a candidate for hell, who is? He caused enormous suffering while he lived, often to those who were already suffering unimaginable grief, such as the widows of military members whose funerals he and his followers protested.
During his life Phelps taught vile doctrines, twisting Christ's teachings into unrecognizable forms, poisoning the minds of his followers with hatred, and wreaking untold damage to the public perception of Christianity worldwide.
And yet…and yet…
As soon as the initial flood of relief that the world is rid of the influence of a man who did so much damage abates, I hope that we will pause for a moment, and reflect that a man, a man with an immortal soul, has died.
And I hope that we can ponder, just for a moment, how Christ Himself feels about the death of Phelps, and what Christ Himself hopes for the soul of Phelps. For surely there is no truer test of our thoughts, than to measure them against the thoughts of Christ.
Search the Gospels top to bottom, and, though Christ frequently warns his followers about the dangers of hell, you will never find any hint that he ever found any joy in the thought of any man’s damnation.
On the contrary, in the end he suffered death on the cross for the salvation of all humanity, and, even as he hung on the cross, drenched in his own blood, writhing in agony, he prayed for his executioners.
As Bryan Kemper wrote earlier this week:
Fred Phelps is no different from you or me. He is a human person who was created in the image of God and is loved by God. He is someone who deserves Hell just as you and I deserve Hell. He is someone who may very well be on his way to Hell if there is no true repentance and conversion of heart. He is someone that we must love.
Sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do is to love those who anger, disgust or hurt us. Imagine how many times we have angered, disgusted and hurt God and yet He still loves us. He loves us so much He sent His Son to shed His blood and die for us
God knows the state of Phelps’ soul before he died. There have been rumours that he had a falling out with the “church” that he founded. Personally, I hope that this falling out was a sign that Phelps had repented, or experienced some sort of change of heart.
While it is true that Phelps' teachings were reprehensible, I think that there is an argument to be made that hoping or rejoicing that he (or anyone for that matter) is in hell, is as pernicious a distortion of Christ's teachings as anything that Phelps taught.
While I pray for all those whom Pheps harmed in his life, that they may find peace and healing, so too do I pray for the soul of Phelps. I pray we will meet in heaven. Let us all do the same.