Kerley 1 Hunter Kerley Professor Robert Arnold English 1103-022 15 November 2011 Disagreements and arguments are just

apart of the human nature. All the way dating back to the earliest civilizations there has been fights and feuds. Disagreements over religion and beliefs have gone as far to even cause death and war. Religion is a very touchy subject. Religion has been debated on and fought for, people have sacrificed their lives and put themselves on the line. Countries have formed government and laws from the religion they follow. This has been going on since the beginning of time and times havent changed. These religious debates have been brought to the public eye. College Universities have become the front lines for debate amongst Liberal and Religious groups. Colleges are filled with students who are vulnerable and open to new ideas and beliefs. Students are on their own for the very first times in their lives. Theyre away from their parents and what they have known for their whole lives, and can easily be influenced. Some groups are ran more successfully, make more sense, and approach students in more conventional ways. But a new trend sweeping over college universities are off the wall so called Christian pastors. These are not just your average pastors. They use very unconventional ways to try and lead students to Christ. They are overly pushy, and attack students for certain lifestyles that they may live. The campus preachers are more concerned with their opinions in any way they can. They believe their narrow path is the only

Kerley 2 way. These preachers have the basic core beliefs of the average Christian but take their beliefs to a new level. They practice a certain type of Christian Fundamentalism. Christian Fundamentalism is the belief that every thing in the Bible is to be taken one hundred percent literal. For example they believe that the Earth was created in six days and that the Earth is only six thousand years old. I see no problem with following and believing in the Bible word for word and story for story. There are many Christian Fundamentalist that I agree with. But the groups of preachers that come to the college campuses are of a total different breed. The way that these preachers evangelize would not be acceptable in the eyes of many Fundamentalists. These groups of preachers come to condemn and mock students. While your average Fundamentalist and Christian would welcome and try to show Gods love rather than just his wrath. The pastors use various ways to reach the youth; whether its wearing Jesus Loves Me shirts, carrying signs, or wearing anti-gay buttons on their shirts. The first time I personally witnessed my first on campus pastor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte he was carrying an anti-liberal sign. The sign lead off with the word Warning bolded and underlined followed by Atheists, Drunk, Liar, Thief, Sexual Pervert, Religious Hypocrite receive Hell forever. Videos have been posted on numerous websites of a pastor named Brother Micah singing a song titled I hate queers. I myself am a Christian. I believe that Homosexuality is wrong, as well as lying, cheating, and sex before marriage. But I dont agree with the way that these pastors present the Word of God. They provoke students into arguments and

Kerley 3 this causes the students to just run farther away from God. In my opinion these pastors give Christianity a bad name. While I was doing my first observation on one of these pastors there was a gay rights group in attendance. They carried a gay rights flag with them, which is just the American flag with the colors of the rainbow instead of red, white, and blue. The two groups went back and forth trying to persuade the publics opinion and beliefs. Individuals were singled out in the crowd and there were often uproars among the students. In the end I believe the gay rights group received more praise than the preacher and his crew. The gay rights group was inviting, while the pastor was condemning to all the students. Students often get hostile with the preachers. When I was doing my research a student ran out of the crowd and starts skipping and yelling. The boy says, God is in all of us, God is made up of our inner spirits. Some kids agreed with applause. Some like myself thought that the kid was crazy. He then proceeded to state that gays, people who do crack, and people who have sex with little boys all go to heaven. It doesnt matter what you do or what you believe in, God is love and everyone deserves heaven. Another girl then proceeds to stand up and say, f**k the bible. She said, The Bible was written by a bunch of men, you cant trust in it. She also discusses how she loves sex. She doesnt see a problem with premarital sex and would have it whenever and with whoever she likes. The crowd grows reckless with the preacher and a man yells, If heaven is full of people like you then I dont want to go there.

Kerley 4 This last quote is the perfect example of the misconception that these fundamentalist preachers bring to our college campuses. They push students away from Jesus Christ. People need to hear the Word of God, but not in the way that these phonies present it. I know plenty of Pastors who could really cause or start a movement for Christ on this campus and many others. Lives could be changed; a false image of Christianity is painted when this group preaches to students. There are many Christian groups on campus that are good representations of Christ. Groups such as Campus Outreach and Campus Crusades both present The Bible the way its meant to be taught. They dont condemn students; they show students what the relationship God wants us to have with his is truly about. These groups are very welcoming. For example Campus Outreach is very involved with trying to put on events or games for students on campus to get involved in. They dont try and push any kind of belief on any one. One night Campus Outreach members came and knocked on dorm rooms and asked if any students were interested in playing a midnight game of dodge ball on the tennis courts. I decided to give a try and I actually had a great time. The members were very nice and welcoming but I felt like I could be my self around them. It gave me a very positive image of the group and made me want to start participating more with Campus Outreach. One of the main campus preachers in the area is named Jed Smock. Smock travels across the state preaching at multiple college campuses a week. Smock said, The campus is the marketplace of ideas and young people are determining their views and their values that will affect their entire future. He believes that college is the time in a persons life where they are finding themselves. He claims to be

Kerley 5 different than other campus preachers. He says his goal is to bring salvation not to condemn. Jed Smock has become and Internet sensation, with nearly one thousand YouTube videos. Gary Songbird is a campus preacher who is famous to our region. Known by many as Pastor Gary and for being overly fundamental and over the top. Pastor Gary can be found on UNCCs campus multiple times a year. (USA Today) In my opinion both Gay right groups and the Fundamentalist preachers that visit our campus are both mockeries of what I believe in. Im from a small Southern Baptist area and have personally never witnessed anything like this in my life. I believe in some of the preachers teachings; but not to the extent or the way theyre taught. If I were to spread the Gospel with a group of college students I wouldnt use the method that they use. The things I heard from some of my peers also blew my mind. I have never been around such liberal beliefs. I noticed in my study that both parties were both very open, loud, and proud of what they believed in. This study taught me how much diversity that there really is in the real world and how wide spread opinions really are. This project has led me to be more committed to my faith, and helped me realize how easy false proclamations can sway your beliefs.