Pondering Pastor

For not having the assets to pay judgments against them, Westboro Baptist Church has the money to travel to China for the Olympics.

Just when you think this can’t get more bizarre, we learn that the winter storms hitting China are God’s punishment.  The text of a recent Westboro Baptist Church press release:

God hates China and is punishing her with a deadly winter storm.  With 63 people dead, and an early damage estimate of 4.5 billion, China is reeling under the worst winter storm in 50 years.  Praise the Lord.  That evil nation, awash with the sins of Sodom, needs Gospel preaching.  God is warning China: Repent or perish.

So, is it the Chinese people or the Chinese leadership that is being punished?

How does one display a slow, sad head shake?

Pondering Pastor

A federal court judge reduced the amount of damages Westboro Baptist Church and three of its members are ordered to pay to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq.  The judge affirmed the verdict, maintained the jury’s compensatory damage amount and slashed the punitive award to $2.1 million.  Total judgment against Westboro Baptist Church and the three individual defendants is now $5 million.

Informative links include:

Baltimore Sun article

My post about the verdict

Westboro Baptist is planning an appeal.  The Baltimore Sun article reports that a hearing will be held on March 6th to determine the amount of bond, if any, that Westboro Baptist Church must post to press forward with the appeal.

I’ve seen no response at their website or blogs … yet.

Pondering Pastor

On February 5th each year, I stop and remember the martyrs of Japan. In 1597, 26 Christians (6 European Franciscan missionaries, a Japanese Jesuit priest, a Korean layman, 15 Japanese laypersons, and 3 young boys) were killed by crucifixion at Nagasaki. The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (the Holy Catholic Church of Japan) adopted this commemoration in its calendar in 1959 as a festival of all those who have given their lives for the Christian faith in Japan.

I became aware of this story more than a decade ago after reading “Silence” by Shusaku Endo and William Johnson.

It is a powerful story … one I’d recommend.

Pondering Pastor