Teach us to hate what you hate

     Teach us to hate what you, (God) hate.  This was something that was actually spoken at my church by a visiting speaker a couple weeks ago.  Now I understand what he was saying and all but the verbiage more than anything bothered me.  I believe his point was that we should run from sin because sin separates us from God, but I'm going to use what I assume to be a slip of the tongue to shine a light on a growing trend developing in the modern american church.     

        Okay this is the extreme, Fred Phelps.  If you are unaware of who Fred Phelps is, basically he is the devil.  He is the pastor of a church in Topeka, Kansas, called the Westburo Baptist Church.  Now I should point out that this church is an independent baptist church and does no way reflect the views of the baptist church.  He is known for the slogans that he and his ministry use against people he deems sinful, including "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "America Is Doomed" and "Priests Rape Boys." He claims that God will punish homosexuals as well as various public figures such as Bill O'Reilly, Coretta Scott King, Ronald Reagan, Howard Dean, and anyone else whom his church considers "fag-enablers".  He uses these slogans to picket the funerals of fallen soldiers and gay and lesbian funerals.  

          Is this what the guest speaker was trying to tell our church to do?  God I hope not, and I don't for a second think that he meant it that way.  However, just the idea that God could hate...is wrong.  People have indeed based entire belief systems on god hating your lifestyle, whether it be drug addiction, homosexuality, alcoholism, etc.  All my life I heard the old, "turn or burn" message, scaring people into Christianity.  Okay below is a summation of a parable by Peter Rollins which I think applies here.

200 dollar conversions:

     One afternoon  two friends were walking down the road to the pub.  On the way they pass a church whose marquee states, "Convert to Christianity receive $200".  The two friends look to each other and one says," Hey, you wait here. I'll go inside and get the $200 then we can drink for free tonight.".  So he goes in while his friend waits outside.  Thirty minutes pass and finally the first friend comes out.  When he approaches his friend, the friend who has been waiting says anxiously," Well, did it work?  Did they give you the $200?".  With a slow shake of his head the first friend reaches out his hand and places it on his friends shoulder, looks at him with a look of understanding and says," Money, is that all you non-Christians think about?"

     Now this is stupid I'm aware, the idea that someone will truly become a Christian for $200 is asinine.  But, is it any more stupid to say that someone will want to create and care for a relationship with God only to save themselves from hell?  This technique only creates "vampire Christians", not true relationships.  My God is a God of love and acceptance, he loves you just the way you are.  

      Picture a 3 year old little boy, playing outside in his backyard.  Today, he's decided to dig a hole, no particular reason....other than to dig a hole. (sometimes you just need a hole.)  His parents are watching their little boy be, well, a little boy.  He looks up with dirt in his hair, dirt in his nails and he notices his parents watching him and overcome with joy from the attention runs inside, past the kitchen, down the hallway and into his fathers study.  Now does the Father yell at him and tell him to go and clean up and clean the mess he just made in his house?  Or, does he beckon his son to come sit in his lap?  God, at least the God that I know scoops you up and cradles you in his arms.  Sometimes the world is too hard, this past year I've had my father grandmother and two aunts die.  I've lived in three states and left all my friends.  This year more than ever I needed my father, I needed him to tell me how to work at the family business, how to remodel my kitchen and how to cope with the loss of him.  It's comforting knowing that my God is waiting for me to crawl on his lap, cry and scream into his chest and he will protect me from anything that is going to happen.  That he will give me the strength to persevere.  If I'm wrong about this....and God is a God that judges me when I sin, the casts me away if I'm struggling with something in my life, then I don't want to be a Christian.

       Teach us to hate what you hate,  perhaps I have it wrong.  As with most things I write I'm aware that more than likely I am wrong, but I follow a God of love.  In God's eyes I believe there is nothing that could separate us from his love.  One thing I speak on regularly in our youth services is love.  We should be examples of God's love everywhere we go.  I believe that in a Christian's eyes there should be no Homosexuality or Heterosexuality, Alcoholic or Drug addict, Popular or Unpopular, Rich or Poor, Christian or Non Christian, they are all people, and deserve love and respect.

       I understand that it's a stretch to use the slip of the tongue to compare this speaker to Fred Phelps, however if I didn't get this off my chest I would still be talking to my wife about this...she's tired of hearing it I'm sure.