Rev. Andre Allen Reacts to Counter-Protests at Westboro Baptist Church Pickets
Thousands counter-protest the controversial demonstrations held by the Westboro Baptist Church. Community activist, Rev. Andre Allen responds to Westboro's pickets.
Online, August 7, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Westboro Baptist, the controversial church in Topeka, Kansas, was fended off by thousands of military supporters at a recent funeral for an Army solider. An improvised explosive device killed Sterling Wyatt in July. According to a recent article from The Washington Post, the church posted fliers in advance of the funeral stating that, "These soldiers are dying for the homosexual and other sins of America. God is not America's enemy, and God Himself is fighting against America." Posters also read, "Thank God for IEDs." Rev. Andre Allen, a respected pastor has made vast efforts to improve the country's view of Baptists by separating himself from Westboro's extremist acts.
While protesting military funerals, government buildings and funerals of gay men is a ritual of Westboro Baptist Church, Rev. Andre Allen has remained a longtime supporter of the military and a supporter of equal rights for all humans. Since the 2011 Supreme Court ruling that protected the unpopular Westboro demonstrations, communities have begun taking on the church head-on with counter-protests.
Counter-protesters attended Wyatt's funeral and created a human wall around the church to block Westboro Baptist members. The group was so large that they blocked Westboro members from coming within several blocks of the church. Many Wyatt supporters said they didn't know the family but came to offer their support anyway.
Beatrice McKinzie drove more than an hour to support the family and said she had never met them before. She said after seeing a photo of the Wyatt family standing beside Wyatt's hearse she had to be there.
For Rev. Andre Allen, such acts of support and love are what his faith is really about. Allen concludes, "Contrary to Westboro Baptist Church teachings, according to the Holy Scriptures Jesus Christ is the greatest demonstration of what God thinks, how God feels and how God acts towards humanity, sinful humanity, which includes the whole human race, God did not send Jesus Christ into the world to destroy human beings but to love and to save us. This love message is clearly stated in many scriptures, especially in the book of First Timothy the first chapter and the fifteen verse."
ABOUT:
Rev. Andre Allen is the Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Ministries Worldwide located in Carol Stream, Illinois. He has served in ministry for nearly 40 years. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity from the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Rev. Andre Allen worked as the associate minister of Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Andre Allen lives with his wife and has five daughters and twelve grandchildren.