The church also called Shelton and Lambert “fake Christians”, claiming they are “the direct cause of same-sex marriage flourishing” – but now outspoken Shelton has fired back.

In a post on his Twitter.com page, he writes, “Hey WBC… I’ve got one more sin for ya… Blow me,” and added sarcastically, “Oh no! Not a picket! What will I ever do?!! The dreaded wrath of the picket!!”

Shelton also tweeted a photo of a female member of the church and captioned the snap, “You know what else God hates? Inbreeding…” before ranting, “This isn’t about God. It’s about me using this opportunity to make y’all look like the absolute complete dips**ts you are.”

The Westboro Baptist Church regularly courts controversy by picketing outside high-profile events, including concerts by Radiohead and Foo Fighters, and using the platform to spread anti-gay and other hateful messages.