<blockquote>In the longstanding furor over their reprehensible tactics—a furor I, too, have indulged in over the years—few commentators have ever taken a moment to come to grips with the WBC's theological foundations. That's a shame, because WBC's belief system is intellectually consistent in many ways that the "mainstream" religious right is not. And it's based in a uniquely American theology as old as the colonies—a Christian paradigm that's influenced our culture in myriad respects, but is seldom addressed by anyone but its most devoted adherents.</blockquote>
via <a href="http://gawker.com/how-fred-phelps-and-the-westboro-baptists-are-christian-1545320301">How Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptists Are Christians, Explained</a>.