Westboro Baptist Church, the Topeka, Kan., congregation recently slapped with a multimillion-dollar judgment by a Baltimore jury for picketing the 2006 funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, has been disavowed by leading Baptists around the country.
Although the 75-member church led by the Rev. Fred Phelps uses the name “Baptist,” it is an independent congregation not affiliated with any known Baptist convention or association.
“It’s a little bit frustrating,” said a ministry official at First Baptist Church of Topeka, who asked that his name not be used.
“People want to know why Baptists allow it,” the First Baptist official said. “Every church is locally autonomous, and anybody can call themselves ‘Baptist’ if they want to.”
Speaking of the Westboro congregation, he said, “Their views don’t reflect anything at all of our church.”
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Baptists reject funeral protests
Westboro Baptist Church, the Topeka, Kan., congregation recently slapped with a multimillion-dollar judgment by a Baltimore jury for picketing the 2006 funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, has been disavowed by leading Baptists around the country.
Although the 75-member church led by the Rev. Fred Phelps uses the name “Baptist,” it is an independent congregation not affiliated with any known Baptist convention or association.
“It’s a little bit frustrating,” said a ministry official at First Baptist Church of Topeka, who asked that his name not be used.
“People want to know why Baptists allow it,” the First Baptist official said. “Every church is locally autonomous, and anybody can call themselves ‘Baptist’ if they want to.”
Speaking of the Westboro congregation, he said, “Their views don’t reflect anything at all of our church.”
Read it all.