Home > Fred Phelps

1 Biography

Fred Phelps was born in November 13, 1929, in Meridian, Mississippi. Phelps founded Westboro Baptist Church in 1955. While running the church, Phelps also worked as an attorney defending the civil rights of African-Americans being discriminated against in Kansas. Rev. Phelps alleges that his success resulted in animosity among the white legal establishment and his eventual disbarment by the Kansas Supreme Court for alleged ethical violations. (PDF file)

One unauthorized biography alleges that the year after being disbarred, he continued to practice law in Federal Court before he was finally disbarred from that in 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra as well, also for ethical violations. His final disbarment resulted from a plea deal through which the Federal Court would stop their disbarment hearings against the rest of his family.

In 1994, a reporter working for Stauffer Communications , Inc., filed a lawsuit about ownership of a book he had been researching for them, which details the life and activities of Phelps. Because the text of the book was entered as Exhibit A, the text became a public document, free to be spread. An anti-Phelps group in Topeka acquired the text, and began distributing it (it was later digitized). A link to one source of the text of this book is included below.

The distributed text describes Phelps as a ferocious child-beater and wife-beater. Most of these claims are endorsed by two of Phelps' sons, but are denied by their other siblings, who are not estranged from Phelps and, though acknowledging that their mother was beaten extensively, they were not harmed to that extent.

1.1 Theology

Rev. Phelps's theology is distinctive for the following attributes:

1. The Bible is the Word of God and to be taken literally ( 2 PeterThe Second Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament of the Bible. The opening verse identifies itself as having been written by Simeon Peter, who has been identified with Saint Peter, although nowhere else in the New Testament is he referred to as 1:21).
2. Believing the Five-Points of CalvinismEmmanuel de Witte Calvinism is a Protestant Christian doctrine named after John Calvin. Calvin had international influence on the development of the doctrine of the Protestant Reformation, beginning at the age of 25, when he started work on his first edit ( TULIPEmmanuel de Witte Calvinism is a Protestant Christian doctrine named after John Calvin. Calvin had international influence on the development of the doctrine of the Protestant Reformation, beginning at the age of 25, when he started work on his first edit) is essential for salvation.
3. Homosexuality is one of the worst sins and indicative of the final reprobation of an individual, and its acceptance by society prompts divine judgement ( LeviticusLeviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). Christians refer to the Hebrew Bible as the Old Testament. The English name is derived from the Latin Liber Leviticus which is from the Greek (i. 18:22-24; RomansThe Epistle to the Romans is one of the epistles, or letters, included in the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. When it is clear that the Bible is being discussed, it is often referred to as simply "Romans". Romans is one of four letters ascribe 1). The homosexual is a reprobate given up by God and hence cannot be a member of God's elect, and cannot repent nor be saved (Romans 1:28; 2 CorinthiansThe Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible New Testament. It is a letter from Paul to the people of Corinth, Greece. Shortly after writing his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul left Ephesus, where intense excitement had been aroused 4:3-4; HebrewsThe Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. for citations) is one of the two most consciously "literary" books in the New Testament. Although the author is unknown, it is written in a similar style to the letters of Paul to the early Christian churches, 12:16-17).
4. The proclamation of the gospel involves condemning sin as strongly as the Bible does ( 2 PeterIn Christianity, the First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. Doubt has been cast of the Second Epistle of Peter since early times, but this First Epistle was accepted with less difficulty into the Biblical canon. The author identifies himse 4:11) and this will result in persecution and rejection of the gospel by the unelect ( Luke 6:22; Luke 10:21).
5. Hellfire is to be taken literally (2 Corinthians 5:11), and God's Elect will rejoice in being Christ's agents in executing the righteous judgement of hell on the wicked ( Psalms 149:6-9), which will comprise most of humanity that rejects Jesus Christ (Luke 13:23-24).