Elders excommunicate Phelps after power struggle, call for kindness within church
Pastor Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. was excommunicated from the Westboro Baptist Church after advocating a kinder approach between church members.
The excommunication occurred after the formation of a board of male elders in the church. The board had defeated Shirley Phelps-Roper, the church’s longtime spokeswoman, in a power struggle, and Fred Phelps Sr. called for kinder treatment of fellow church members.
The board then ejected Fred Phelps Sr., who founded the church in the 1950s.
The power struggle and excommunication was revealed by Nate Phelps, a son of Fred Phelps Sr. who broke away from the church 37 years ago.
The elders had a big impact on Fred Phelps Sr., Nate Phelps said.
“They took the one thing that meant everything to the man,” Nate Phelps said, referring to Fred Phelps Sr.'s tie to the church. “That old man and his reason to exist have gone away.”
On Sunday, church spokesman Steve Drain refused to talk about the excommunication of Fred Phelps Sr.
"We don't discuss our internal church dealings with anybody," he said.
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http://cjonline.com/news/2014-03-17/elders-excommunicate-phelps-after-power-struggle-call-kindness-within-church
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