...and strangely this guy was missing! On Monday I was on campus at a student protest directed toward an, um, antagonistic Christian preacher/evangelist. The love-in (which oh by the way ended with a display of indescriminate smooching) was put together by some gay and lesbian students who are often the targets of the preacher's "preaching." Here's what the Fresno Bee had to say this morning:"Hundreds of people showed up at Fresno State's Free Speech area on Monday to teach a preacher about acceptance and to express their anger toward his style of evangelism...for three years, [the preacher] has given Monday sermons [on campus]. But some students say [he] preaches hate because he condemns homosexuality and slams any religion that isn't fundamentalist Christian."
Here's the thing. What strikes me about both groups, the love-in freaks and the preacher(s), is that they are each promoting Scripture. The preacher uses one set of passages, the ones that speak of God's righteous judgment and what it means to live in godliness. The folks from Monday use a different set of passages, the ones that emphasize God's love and compassion. The real tragedy is that the truth is somewhere in the middle but because of the mutual disdain, it's tough to imagine either group ever getting there.
So what to do? We were present in an effort to be aware of what's happening with our students. Some of our IV students are friends with the protestors and are trying to help them interpret where God is in all of this. Most of all, we pray for our campus.
If you want to follow the story, I'm sure there will be more info in tomorrow's college paper here.
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