Written by Sarah Kyle
For those of you paying attention to the news, you may have noticed that the infamous Westboro Baptist Church paid Arkansas a visit on Wednesday afternoon. What were they protesting, you may ask? An apology.For those of you who might need some background, Clint McCance, an Arkansas School Board member, had recently launched an anti-gay campaign on Facebook, earning national media attention for his remarks. After he apologized this week, Westboro came to picket in criticism of his “cowardice” in stepping down.Westboro, a church in Kansas, has made a name for itself over the past few years by picketing at soldier’s funerals, schools, Jewish synagogues and the like. They are famous for one thing: hatred.This summer, while working as a full-time reporting intern at a newspaper back home, I had the opportunity to witness the phenomena that is Westboro Baptist firsthand.They came to my hometown, Fort Collins, to protest at Colorado State University, Jewish synagogues and a couple of other locations. Why? CSU is the breeding ground of evil and because Jews killed Jesus, according to their website (which can’t be stated in this article: Google them if you really want to fact-check).I watched in the silence of an observing reporter as these people screamed Gaga parodies about people burning in hell and “God Hates the USA” over and over again. Children — yes, children — held signs that showed nothing but hate. The one that still stands out in my mind was a young boy, around 10 probably, holding a sign that said “Matt: 10 years in hell.” On the sign was the picture of another child, but one surrounded by flames.I was infuriated. Never before have I felt such a strong sense of injustice at something. As anger overtook what was supposed to be an unbiased news reporter, I looked at the people I had actually come to report on.They were silent as a rock: hundreds of people from every background. Some were gay. Some were Jews. Some were Christians. Some just wanted to take a stand. And all of them held a sign that told a story of love.Was it a Christian story? Not necessarily. Some were, yes. Silent tears streamed down a couple of their faces as the most hateful words poured on them. And still they stood.Regardless of their backgrounds, I saw the most extraordinary thing: Hatred met something it had not expected … love.In that moment, I was shown the true meaning of “turn the other cheek.” I was inspired as a Christian by people of so many different backgrounds, and I found myself wondering what would happen if we as Christians showed people that love.Disclaimer: I’m not saying that I think Christians should condone sinful behaviors. Not in the least.However, Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery, the tax collectors, the sinners and the least of us. It is love that shows us the meaning of the cross. And it is love that will save the world.
