Church leader explains why: “In these last hours of the last days, you guys are standing out in the crowd. You’re getting God-smacked on a regular basis, and you’re too stupid to learn to obey.”

The tragedy-rocked Virginia Tech community is preparing for the Blacksburg arrival of anti-gay protesters from the Topeka-Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church with counterdemonstrations, fundraisers and a large police presence.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro founder the Rev. Fred Phelps, confirmed Tuesday that she will lead three 30-minute demonstrations around town Friday — the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center scheduled for 12:15 p.m. followed by one at North Main and East Roanoke streets at 12:45 p.m. and Blacksburg Middle School at 1:30 p.m.

The group holds similar protests daily across the country in opposition to growing acceptance of gays in American culture. They preach that such tolerance has turned God against the nation and that the deaths of soldiers and other tragedies are proof of God’s disapproval. Followers have also called on Jews to repent for the killing of Jesus.

The Blacksburg protests are part of a sweep across Virginia and West Virginia, Phelps-Roper said, and the town was chosen because “in these last hours of the last days, you guys are standing out in the crowd. You’re getting God-smacked on a regular basis, and you’re too stupid to learn to obey.”

Most groups planning counterdemonstrations said Tuesday they would avoid direct confrontation with Phelps’ followers.

A student-led counterprotest is set for noon in Tech’s Graduate Life Center plaza off Otey Street. Administrators encouraged students to hold their event on campus to avoid confrontations with Westboro followers, Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Spencer said.

Editor’s Note: The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by a number of Blacksburg Pastors and Campus Ministers, including Chris Hutchinson of Grace Covenant (PCA) and J. R. Foster, Reformed University Fellowship at Virginia Tech
Letter to the Editor, Roanoke Times (requested to appear in the NRV Current Section)
April 2, 2010
Aware that members of the “Westboro Baptist Church” are planning to come to Blacksburg on April 9th, we the undersigned pastors of local churches and campus ministers at Virginia Tech want to categorically state that we do not welcome this group to our community to stage their ugly protests. They seriously distort the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bring shame to His name. They have already shown that they are insensitive to the needs of grieving people and, in general, act contrary to His character:

Perhaps no other words capture the essence of the Gospel than these from Jesus himself: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). We affirm that “…the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). We are deeply disturbed that this group displays neither love nor wisdom.

Over the last several years, our community has grieved greatly over the very tragic deaths of many precious lives. May God bring true comfort and resurrection hope to us all.