man...
This is the last place I'd expect to run into this Phelps idiot.
There is no debate as to whether or not Phelps is a Christian. No matter what he proposes to believe or worship, he does not match the Biblical requirements for admission:
1 John 4:20-21 (ESV)
If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
There is no denying that this man hates. He's dedicated his life to hatred. I don't have to disqualify him as a Christian when God's Word already has.
That being said, I've run into him personally. I was attending an Exodus International conference in Minneapolis about a year ago when I had the priviledge of being picketed by our good friend.
I know that many of you do not believe what I believe, but please, please believe what others have said here; that most conservative Christians are completely different than this man.
Yes, we believe that homosexuality is a sin. But we also believe that there are no sins greater than any others. So I cannot say "God hates fags" (my hands twinge simply typing such a thing) unless I'm also willing to say that "God hates gossips, slanderers, cowards, anyone who has ever yelled at their parents, anyone who has ever used magic or the occult, anyone who has ever been angry at someone etc etc etc."
There is a growing movement of conservative Christians who are reaching out in love to people who wrestle with homosexual attractions in a way that both fits what we believe as well as the supreme command to "Love one another".
http://www.exodus.to/and the branch that I work with personally,
http://www.keysministry.com/But in fairness, I wanted to include the theological statments of mainstream 'conservative' Christian denominations about people with homosexual feelings:
Here is the position of my church, the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
Resolved, That the goals to be pursued by such a plan for ministry be
1. to offer to our world biblically alternative models of sexual celibacy outside of a committed, permanent heterosexual marriage and same-gender social, but not genitally sexual, deep friendships;
2. to confront the individual with his/her sinfulness, and call him/her to repentance;
3. to help the individual recognize that God can rescue individuals from homosexual orientation and practice;
4. to assure him/her of forgiveness in Christ, contingent upon sincere repentance and faith in Christ, and to assure him/her of the love and acceptance of the church;
to assist the individual to rely on Christ's love and strength to abstain from homophile behavior;
5. to help the individual to bear his/her burden without fear of recrimination and rejection by his/her sisters and brothers in Christ;
6. to find ways of ministering to families which include persons of homophile orientation;
7. to do all this patiently, persistently, and compassionately in the love and Spirit of Christ, who says, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2724So yes, there are many Christian church bodies that see homosexual ACTIVITY as a sin. But to the best of my knowledge, there are very few Christian bodies, and I would be more than willing to debate whether or not they were actually following the tenets of our beliefs, that would say anything as horrible as the idea that God hates anyone. God hates BEHAVIORS, sure, but not people.
