I debated whether to write this week about the Red Sox spring training game I attended on Saturday or the recent Supreme Court decision involving Westboro Baptist Church. Neither was a very happy affair. The Red Sox lost by a huge margin as one of their starting pitchers really got shellacked! And Westboro Baptist won, retaining the right to protest at funerals of soldiers killed in battle waving signs that read "God hates fags," and "Thank God for dead soldiers."

The Red Sox, of course, will go on to play other games--games that ultimately will count in the season yet to come. And so, I'm not overly concerned about their poor showing on Saturday. But the victory of Westboro Baptist leaves me feeling a great measure of anxiety. I agree with the majority of justices who saw it as a matter of free speech. The 8-1 decision was, I believe, the right decision. The First Amendment must be upheld--even when the speech involved is so noxious. But even though it is a victory for the little church pastored by Fred Phelps in Topeka, it is in the end a real loss for the Church Universal.

You see, there are those whose opinion of Christianity as a whole is shaped by the likes of Fred Phelps. There are those who point to such behaviour and say, "See, Christians are intolerant. They preach hate. They don't even show respect for the dead." But that's not the Christianity that I know. For the God I worship is a God of love. The God I worship weeps for every fallen soldier. The God I worship embraces all people, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, black, white, English speaking or not . . . . The God I worship, and the God most Christians worship, is a God of compassion, forgiveness and above all else patience. And I wouldn't want people to think otherwise because of Westboro Baptist Church.

Saturday, right before the game started at City of Palms Park, a young woman sang the national anthem. She did a very credible job. But as I stood there with my hand over my heart, I couldn't help but think of Westboro Baptist, and the Supreme Court, and the simple fact that I live in a country where I am free to worship as I wish, where I can voice my opinion about public matters without fear of retribution. And while I vehemently disagree with Fred Phelps, on most all counts, I realize that if I really want to combat the view of Christianity he and his followers have splashed across the airwaves, the best thing I can do, is demonstrate in my own words and actions that not all Christians think like Fred Phelps. In fact, most of us don't.

Maybe Westboro Baptist has had its turn at bat, but now the rest of us are standing at the plate of public opinion. And its time to play ball!

(Photo Credit: Linda Bradbury-Danner)