Where the Manger is Clean

This quote appeared in my Twitter timeline:

Stop thinking, and end your problems.
- Lao Tzu

No thank you. Ignorance may be bliss for some (at least for a while). As for me, I am determined to love the Lord with all my mind. Sometimes I have to wonder how some people imbibe these trash Eastern philosophies!

I can sort of understand how some might buy into this, actually. I know some people who over analyze things, resulting in worry. The answer, however, is not to stop thinking, but to cast all your cares on the Lord, because He cares for you.

The Word of God says,

Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
- Ecclesiastes 7:19, ESV

Wisdom is power. We need to be like the sons of Issachar, who knew the times and what the people of God should do. When we honor God with our minds, and do not neglect prayer and holy living, God uses us to shape society.

Look at the life of Daniel. He was put in high places of authority as a counselor of heathen kings because of his wisdom. The Bible says of Daniel that God gave [him] learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams (Daniel 1:17). Daniel was a prophetic voice, speaking wisdom to the world. Through wise men like Daniel, God rules over the unbelieving earthly authorities.

The work of the Lord gets done through godly
thinking. We need to train our minds as a holy discipline. Our minds need to be strong--like the ox.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
-Proverbs 14:4

In other words, although anti-intellectualism might make one's mind peaceful and placid, only a powerful mind will reap a great harvest of real world results. When we reject thinking, we reject a powerful means to positively transform the world around us.

My rant for the day.

Die or Adapt

For those of you who haven't heard, Rob Bell publicly endorsed same-sex marriage this weekend.

Speaking at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco last Sunday, Bell said,

I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man … I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.

I think we are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn't work. I think there is a very narrow, politically intertwined, culturally ghettoized, Evangelical subculture that was told ‘we're gonna change the thing’ and they haven't. And they actually have turned away lots of people. And I think that when you’re in a part of a subculture that is dying, you make a lot more noise because it’s very painful. You sort of die or you adapt.

Those of us familiar with Bell are certainly not surprised that the controversial former pastor took such a stance at an Episcopal church in San Francisco. Nevertheless, I am convicted that such a bold proclamation needs to be answered with an equally bold proclamation: Same-sex marriage is not only unbiblical, but immoral, and ought not be endorsed by anyone who professes to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

This ought to be so painfully obvious as to go without saying. Unfortunately, in this biblically illiterate day and age, this is no longer the case. However, the purpose of this blog is not to state the obvious, but to strategically persuade others of the truth.

If you simply want ranting, railing, and bewailing of the moral and cultural decline of the American Church, there has been plenty of this already and you will have no trouble finding Christian crybabies. Too many conservative Evangelicals are content to whine about Rob Bell's radical theology; not enough Christians are examining his teachings with a constructively critical mind, or responding strategically.

One of the few voices prophetically speaking to our generation is Dr. Michael Brown. In a recent article in Charisma Magazine, Dr. Brown made some insightful observations about Rob Bell.

Over the last few years Bell, a best-selling author and former megachurch pastor, has steadily distanced himself from the mainstream evangelical community. Known for asking provocative questions and challenging the status quo, he amassed a large following that has been drawn to his non-dogmatic approach—an approach I call a “celebration of ambiguity.”

To paraphrase this approach: Rather than the leader saying, “This is the way. It is proven and sure. Follow me,” the leader now says, “Who am I to know? How can anyone be sure? Isn’t it narrow and small-minded of us to be so inflexible and dogmatic?”

This is certainly the impression of Bell I got when I read his book Love Wins. John Piper and others vehemently condemned Love Wins because it supposedly preached universalism, but Bell never explicitly endorsed the doctrine in the book. At various points Bell sounded like a skeptic, an Evangelical pastor, a theological liberal, a fundamentalist who asked Jesus into his heart, an agnostic, or a biblical scholar, depending on what part of the book was being read. The most certain thing was that Bell was asking questions about the traditional view of the afterlife, and the only dogmas were vaguely Christian notions that God is love and love wins.

This weekend, however, Bell quite dogmatically denounced conservative Evangelicalism in general, and biblical teachings on marriage in particular. Like most lies, Bell's claims have a grain of truth in them. The Evangelical Church in America does seem to be on the wane. Traditional views are giving way to theological and political liberalism. But does the Church need to adapt or die? Well... he's half right.

He is right in the sense that the church needs to make some decisive changes; he is wrong that it ought to conform to the godless spirit of the age. You see, this dying subculture of Evangelicalism that he speaks of--he's the product of all the worst elements of this subculture taken to its logical conclusion. Rob Bell is the spiritual offspring of years of seeker friendly, ultra-positive, anti-intellectual, hipster,  megachurch Evangelical Christianity. Joel Osteen eventually turns into Rob Bell.

So if we are not to conform to this world, how ought we adapt to survive in post-Christian America? We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Rob Bell's Christianity is a dying subculture because he is only presenting the old mainline liberal theology in an Evangelical wrapper. Mainline denominations have consistently been declining, even as they become more liberal and worldly. More biblically-based Pentecostal denominations are increasing in number. However, theological conservatism alone is not good enough. Remember, the megachurches and the mainlines were more conservative at one time. As I said,  must renew our minds.

If Rob Bell wants to celebrate ambiguity, biblical Christians must be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks... for a reason for the hope that is in us. In other words, it is not enough to know what we believe but why we believe it. Rob Bell's pseudo-intellectualism sounds clever in a biblically ignorant church taught that faith is blind.
Biblical faith is based on knowledge. Christians ought to know their God experientially (John 17:3). They ought to know the Scriptures and the power of God (Matthew 22:29). They ought to be able to proclaim and explain the gospel and the teachings of Jesus. Secondarily, they ought to be familiar with logic, and have at least a working knowledge of philosophy and science. They ought to be familiar with sound Christian responses to common anti-Christian objections. Renewing our minds in these ways will preserve the ever growing Church, not only from the non-Christian world, but false teachers like Rob Bell.

Good God!

In my previous post, What is a Christian?, I wrote that Christians believe in a perfectly good and loving God, who rewards those who seek Him. The basis of this belief is the Bible, in verses such as Hebrews 11:6,

...whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

The idea of a maximally good God has also been fleshed out by Christian theologians and philosophers in the Ontological Argument. Anselm's Ontological arguments entail that it is a logical contradiction for a Perfect Being to exist only in the human mind, and that a Perfect Being exists necessarily. I will not argue for either of those philosophical claims here, but anyone who wants to know what I am referring to can refer to my earlier posts A Perfect Being 1 and A Perfect Being 2. For an even better explanation of Anselm's Ontological Arguments, read Douglas Groothuis's Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith.

Here I want to rebut some of objections non-Christians raise to the goodness of God.

The most common objection to God's goodness is the problem of evil. Skeptics throughout the ages have looked at the evil in the world and reasoned that if a loving and good God exists, He is either unable to do anything about evil, or He is able to vanquish evil but does not, so He cannot be perfectly good or loving.

This paradox is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

If there is a God, according to this kind of reasoning, He cannot be the omnibenevolent, omnipotent God of the Bible. Some skeptics go so far as to rule the existence of God out entirely based on the existence of evil. But why should we think that evil disproves God's existence?

According to the logical problem of evil, it is logically impossible for God and evil to co-exist. If God exists, then evil cannot exist. If evil exists, then God cannot exist. Since evil exists, it follows that God does not exist.

But the problem with this argument is that there’s no reason to think that God and evil are logically incompatible. There’s no explicit contradiction between them. But if the atheist means there’s some implicit contradiction between God and evil, then he must be assuming some hidden premises which bring out this implicit contradiction. But the problem is that no philosopher has ever been able to identify such premises. Therefore, the logical problem of evil fails to prove any inconsistency between God and evil.

But more than that: we can actually prove that God and evil are logically consistent. You see, the atheist presupposes that God cannot have morally sufficient reasons for permitting the evil in the world. But this assumption is not necessarily true. So long as it is even possible that God has morally sufficient reasons for permitting evil, it follows that God and evil are logically consistent. And, certainly, this does seem at least logically possible. Therefore, I’m very pleased to be able to report that it is widely agreed among contemporary philosophers that the logical problem of evil has been dissolved. The co-existence of God and evil is logically possible.

~ Dr. William Lane Craig

I have pointed out that God may have morally sufficient reasons for allowing in convsersations with non-Christians. Without exception, none of them has even attempted to prove it is impossible for God to have morally sufficient reasons for permitting evil. They simply continue to baldly assert that because evil exists, God cannot exist. Maybe there is a rebuttal to Dr. Craig's objection out there somewhere, but if so I have yet to hear it. According to the skeptics, if the God of the Bible really existed, the universe would be a magical domain full of sugar, rainbows, and unicorns, and nothing bad would happen to anyone. Ever. Not even once.

Earlier today, a skeptical friend of mine on Facebook posted this meme:

This is wrong on so many levels that it is hard to know where one should even begin in criticizing it. There is absolutely no indication in the text of Job that God was concerned with impressing Satan. It is true that God allows Satan to steal Job's health and wealth, but God does not pick Job to be afflicted. He simply points out to Satan that Job is godly and upright, and Satan asks permission to attack Job in order to prove that Job only serves God because God has blessed him. Also, Job does not meekly ask why He has been afflicted--He outright accuses God attacking him in order to kill him!

Terrors are turned upon me;
    my honor is pursued as by the wind,
    and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

 And now my soul is poured out within me;
    days of affliction have taken hold of me.
 The night racks my bones,
    and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.
 With great force my garment is disfigured;
    it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
 God has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like dust and ashes.
 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
    I stand, and you only look at me.
 You have turned cruel to me;
    with the might of your hand you persecute me.
 You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
    and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
 For I know that you will bring me to death
    and to the house appointed for all living.

~ Job 30:15-23, ESV

God does not berate Job for not being omnipotent, but for talking about things he could never possibly understand. God does not only restore Job's wealth, but gives him twice what he had. But that is not good enough for the skeptic because God did not raise Job's first children from the dead--He only gave Job new children! Apparently, even if God deals with evil--as He clearly did with Job--it is insufficient because evil was allowed at all. Nothing short of a problem and pain free paradise will do.

Of course, the author of the meme even attempt to prove that God does not have a morally sufficient reason for allowing Satan to assault Job. It is simply assumed that He cannot have a good reason for allowing evil, on the basis of no facts or arguments whatsoever. I encourage my readers to read the book of Job for themselves if they want to know what it is about. Reading a good commentary would not hurt either. At any rate, we ought not be basing our theological views on internet memes.

These sort of objections are often raised by atheists, but the logical problem of evil is not even a valid option for the atheist. If there is such a thing as evil, there must be such a thing as good, and there must be such a thing as a moral law to differentiate between good and evil. Where did this moral law come from? Let's say for the sake of argument that it is something that evolved in humans as a sort of survival advantage. In that case, morality is not based on anything objective or factually true, but on a continually evolving code of ethics based on survivability, not truth. In the words of the famous atheist Richard Dawkins,

In the universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, and other people are going to get lucky; and you won’t find any rhyme or reason to it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is at the bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good. Nothing but blind pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is, and we dance to its music.

 

The best explanation for morality, if it is an objective, real thing, is that it came from a transcendent lawgiver--such as God. One can either have God and real evil, or one can have no God and things that happen that one simply dislikes and calls evil. In a godless world, what we call evil cannot actually be so in a factual sense. If atheism is true, everything can be reduced to meaningless waves and particles. Nothing good or bad, right or wrong happens; it is all simply molecules in motion.

But if the problem of evil is a real problem at all, it is a problem for everyone: Christians, atheists, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and everyone else. But who has the best answer to the problem of evil?

I believe that Christians have the best explanation of evil, and the best answer to it.

God created the world, and called it good. He created humans and called them very good. A perfect God created a good world that was free of evil, but gave humans free will wich allowed for the possibility of evil.

Man chose, and continues to choose evil. That is the explanation of evil.

The wages of sin is death, but God did not want to simply destroy His corrupted creation without a fight.

God Himself took on human form in the Person of Jesus Christ. He was tempted with sin, just like any other man, and He lived a sinless life. He was crucified by sinful men. What they did not realize is that God allowed this evil to happen in order to offer a sinless sacrifice for the sins of all humans. He bore the wages of sin in our place by suffering dying on the cross. On the third day He rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. He ascended to heavan and will one day return to judge everyone according to what they have done and completely destroy evil. Jesus Christ is the Christian answer to the problem of evil. He is the God who suffered with us, and rescued us from evil.

Everyone who places trust in Him and serves Him as their Lord will receive eternal life.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

~ Romans 10:9-13

 

He is a good God, and He rewards those who seek Him. Everyone who believes and calls on Him will be saved. Call on Him today!

God has taken care of evil, the defeat of which will be consumated at His return. But what if we didn't have the historical record of miracles and other stories pointing to God's goodness in the Bible? The skeptic would still have to deal with the "problem of good--things in the world that suggest His goodness. By focusing on evil, the skeptic forgets about all the good things in the world. For instance, they would still have to deal with the fine-tuning of the universe, the complexity and specificity that suggest the universe had an intelligent Designer. They have to deal with the existence of love, beauty, pleasure, and all the other good things in the world.

Evil certainly exists in the world, but why should we believe disproves the existence of God? Can we prove a good God exists on the basis of good? The truth is we cannot use goodness alone to prove He exists, any more than we can use the problem of evil alone to prove His nonexistence. The problem of evil fails to take things other than evil into account. It is a soundbite sort of objection to God. The world is much more complicated than the problem of evil argument suggests. The skeptic who argues that evil disproves God's existence has jumped the gun, and has failed take into account the whole scope of reality. If the skeptic is genuinely seeking for God, the problem of evil alone cannot stop his/her quest for truth. God cannot be disproved that easily.

The Apostle Paul pointed out that the skeptic is without excuse in the face of the clear evidential support for God.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

Romans 1:18-22, ESV

The problem of evil cannot be ignored, but at the same time we need to take all of reality into account. The skeptic needs to account for good as well as evil, and should not casually discount God's existence simply because evil exists. If the skeptic believes real evil exists in the world, he/she must account for the standard by which good and evil are judged. If such a standard exists, it must come from a transcendent Lawgiver. This should lead the skeptic to seek the Lawgiver. The Lawgiver has plainly shown His eternal power and nature, which is love, in His creation. He has further revealed Himself in the Bible. The skeptic should consider all the evidence, not just the problem of evil.

If more skeptics truly sought out God, they would receive their reward. The other side of the coin is that too many Christians are failures at presenting the evidence for God. While it may be true that God has already plainly revealed Himself apart from His church, He has still given all believers the the priveledge and responsiblity to proclaim the gospel to all the world, make disciples of all nations, and teach them what Jesus taught. If more Christians learned to present the evidence in a compelling manner, more skeptics would be inclined to seek God and receive their reward. Christians must learn to explain and defend the good news that God exists, and He rewards seekers. There is a rational, evidential basis for the Christian faith. Christians need to learn it through and through so they can proclaim it and contend for it.

In conclusion, the fact of the matter is that too many Christians (at least in my neck of the woods), also focus too much on evil to the exclusion of other important facts of reality. In addition to being able to explain and defend the gospel, Christians ought to live as if they actually believed the gospel! While on one hand we cannot ignore evil--abortion, all kinds of sexual immorality (including homosexuality), the decline of the Church in the West, the rise of secular humanism, the rise of Islam, the glorification of sin in the media, etc.--on the other hand we cannot live in despair. Too many sermons and teachings focus on all the things that are wrong with the world. If we believe in the good God of the Bible, and we believe that the Bible is God's Word, let's live as if we actually believe it! Let me preach a little to my fellow Believers.

Jesus said, before He gave the Great Commission,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

~Matthew 28:18

He told His disciples,

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

~Luke 10:19

The Apostle Paul wrote,

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

~1 Corinthians 15:57

and,

God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

~Ephesians 2:4-7

and,

For in [Jesus Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

~Colossians 2:9-15

 

Christians, you walk in victory through Jesus Christ! I am convinced that if Christians began to pray the prayer of faith, walk the walk of faith, and proclaim the good news in faith, the God who exists would reward His seekers by using them to bring new souls into the kingdom. God wants to use His people to minimize the problem of evil. This post has turned into more of a rant than I originally intended, so I will end it here. Christians, we serve a good God, and never forget that through Him we always walk in victory!

New Atheist's Embarrassingly Bad Knowledge of Biblical History

This is a very informative and thorough video, considering it is less than 15 minutes long. If Dawkins, Hitchens, and Onfray can get so many things wrong about the historical facts surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, we can only draw two conclusions:

1) They do not really know what they are talking about.
2) They know what they are talking about and are being intentionally deceptive.

Either way, their case for skepticism of the historical facts cannot stand on a firm foundation.

Watch, think, and read what the historians and New Testament scholars experts have to say on the subject.

What is a Christian?

What is a Christian? What separates Christianity from other faiths; what is Christian orthodoxy; what is heresy?

It is important that we know what doctrines are essential to the Christian faith. There is a lot of in-fighting on secondary issues--too much, in fact. In my personal observation, Christians fight bitterly over non-essential beliefs. At the same time, too many Christians either intentionally depart from orthodoxy, or are simply ignorant as to what Christianity actually is.

I think it is important that we clearly define the essentials, lest we get to the point where Christianity can be defined any way we please. That seems to be the case already for many people. Here are the essentials of Christianity as I see it. Some will say I've left some things out; others will say my definition is too narrow. The purpose of this post is not so much to argue for the Christian view as to define it. This is just a brief snapshot of Christian orthodoxy. I will go more in depth in future posts.

First of all, Christians believe that God exists. More specifically, Christians believe in a theistic God who created the universe from nothing, and transcends His creation. Christians do not believe in a pantheistic god who is identical with the universe, or a panentheistic god who is somehow "in" all His creation. Christians believe in a perfectly good and loving God, who rewards those who seek Him.

Second of all, Christians believe in a triune God who is one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Third, Christians believe in Jesus Christ. That is, they do not simply believe He existed as a historical figure, but is God in the flesh, the Son, who was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit in a virgin named Mary. He is truly God and truly man--not a demigod, not just divine, and not just human. His primary mission was to die sacrificially as an offering for the sin of all humanity, and He was able to do this because He lived a sinless life. He was crucified, buried, and rose again on the third day.After His resurrection He ascended to the right hand of the Father and will return one day in glory to judge all people vanquish evil once and for all.

Fourth, Christians believe salvation is by the grace of God alone, received by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. Christians believe that forgiveness of sin cannot be earned by good deeds, but can only be removed by God's unmerited favor, called grace. Grace is received freely by those who trust in Jesus Christ, because He died sacrificially on our behalf and rose from the dead. This trust in Jesus is called faith. No other person in history could have served as an unblemished sacrifice for human sin, so salvation is through Him only.

Fifth, Christians believe that the Bible is a reliable source of revelation from God. I do not say it is essential that all Christians believe the Bible is inerrant (although personally, I do believe it is). However, if a professing Christian believes the Bible is not even generally reliable, one would wonder on what basis such a "Christian" would believe other essential Christian doctrines?

Any deviation from these essentials is a deviation from Christianity. I do not say that deviations from orthodoxy necessarily bar anyone from salvation. The basis of salvation is faith in Jesus, not particular doctrines about Him. However, heterodoxy may be an indication that one has placed faith in something other than the Christian God--an idol.

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. - 1 Timothy 4:16

As I said, I am not going to argue for the truth of these classical Christian doctrines here, but I will will argue for each of them in later posts.

Westboro Baptist Church: Weeds Among the Wheat

The Westboro Baptist Church has been busy inciting the righteous indignation of Christians and non-Christians alike since at least the 1990's. Most recently they have drawn criticism for demonstrating in Newtown, Connecticut, the site of a tragic school shooting.

There is even a White house petition to classify WBC as a government recognized hate group. I am not sure what the practical result of such a classification might be, however, I do think that it is a wrong-headed move. The purpose seems to be to silence the group legally, but WBC has already won several court cases because the courts end up confirming WBC's First Amendment right to freedom of speech. As irksome as some of us might find this, consider the alternative: if hate groups like WBC do not have free speech, then neither do you or I.

However, the purpose of this post is not to defend WBC's rights.

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it. - G.K. Chesterton

The WBC is not "Christian" in any meaningful sense of the word. To be a Christian is to follow Christ. Christ never proclaimed a message of hate, or taught His disciples to hate people. In fact, He said,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 22:37-40, ESV

While WBC does outwardly appear to uphold Jesus' teaching against sin, they distort the gospel by preaching hatred toward sinners. However, their true purpose may be even more heinous than merely twisting the good news. It seems that their true purpose is not to preach against sin, or even sinners.

Phil Weingart made this observation on a thread on Facebook:

They are not a church. They appear to be a collection of attorneys engaged in a money-making scheme that involves inciting others to violate their rights. They make obnoxious statements in public, but stick scrupulously within protected behavior. Then they get attacked, and they sue--and win. They've apparently won a fair amount of money through these lawsuits.

Phil also provided this article in support. Phil is a published author and a very smart guy (in my humble opinion), so I think he's probably right.

The question remains: How should we deal with Fred Phelps and company? The best thing most of us can do is simply ignore them. They feed off of controversy--in fact they make their living from it. No controversy means no cash flow to WBC, and no money means Fred Phelps' little hate group can no longer afford to travel around the country picketing funerals. Eventually their protests will diminish, and Phelps will pass away at some point, most likely ending the group completely.

The Bible contains much sound wisdom on dealing with offensive people.

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. - Proverbs 19:11, ESV

Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah - Psalm 4:4, ESV

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. - 1 Peter 3:9, ESV

Should the evil of WBC never be confronted? No, I am not saying that. Sometimes we should, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself" (Proverbs 26:4), and sometimes, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes" (Proverbs 26:5). It takes the guidance of the Holy Spirit, along with God-given wisdom, to know what to do in any given situation. However, generally it is best not to "feed the trolls."

Consider Jesus' parable of the weeds:

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn. - Matthew 13:24-30, ESV

Even if WBC continues to prosper until the end, they will be judged along with everyone else. God will hold them accountable. Rest peacefully in that knowledge. Christians might also well heed Jesus' warning not to pull out the weeds before the proper time.