A large crowd stirred on campus last week as a Pentecostal preacher appeared in the Quad, preached about Jesus Christ and yelled at passing students. The man only identified himself as Steven and did not give his full name.
The preacher yelled Bible scriptures to the crowd of students and angered many of the spectators with his aggressive tactics. Soon, the man’s words began to conflict with some student’s ideology.
Jessica Crawford, a Pentecostal, walked by when the preacher noticed her attire and said, “thank you for being modest.” “When I first started hearing him, I immediately began getting irritated because of the way he was preaching his message,” said Crawford, a freshman psychology major.
Crawford confronted the preacher and said that what he was saying was not the same thing that she believed in. Angry words were exchanged and Crawford left in tears.
Danera Brown, a sophomore computer science major, claimed that the man called her a “sinner” and a “whore.” Brown believes he tries to anger students in hopes to provoke someone to hit him. “I’ve talked to all my friends in the police department. This is an ongoing scam. If ULMPD interferes, he can sue,” Brown said.
ULMPD chief Steven Mahon couldn’t confirm whether last week’s preacher was a scam, but he said: “He could argue that it is open for litigation. It would violate his first amendment right.”
In Ashton Jones, Appellant, v. Board of Regents of the University of Arizona, this is an example of an individual who has their first amendment rights violated by having officers remove him from campus. If ULMPD touches him while he preaches, he can sue and probably win due to precedent.
Throughout the day, students videotaped and photographed the man whom they were referred to as a “lunatic” as he preached in the Quad. Some students laughed as the preacher used the Bible scriptures to denounce all those who committed “deadly sins” such as “homosexuality.” Students made signs with scriptures that referenced love and treating everyone the same, regardless of who they are, to counteract the damage of the preacher’s words The preacher left roughly around 3:30 p.m. last Thursday.
Melinda Johnson • Mar 10, 2014 at 11:24 pm
If he only gave the name Stephen, how do you know he is a Pentecostal preacher? Your wording is ambiguous. As a former reporter and copy editor of the Hawkeye, I recommend that you release a statement as to the proof of how you know he is a certified preacher of a Pentecostal organization to avoid being considered offensive, biased, and writing your reports without proper research and proof. Was this really allowed through all the editors with no proof of this “lunatic’s” identity? Careful, you’re flirting with slandering a salient religious group of your school and local community.
Joan Rivers • Mar 15, 2014 at 11:05 pm
Melinda….saying he is a Pentecostal preacher doesn’t have to mean that he is an “ordained” preacher within “a” pentecostal denomination. You can use it as a blanket term, such as “charismatic” or “baptist.” Mr. Martin used it as such as blanket term because of the preacher’s fiery and “brimstone” laden preaching. That type of preaching in this area is known to a majority of people to be done by any such…Pentecostals.
Slandering would be saying he is a member of the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI), when he isn’t. Or a member of the “Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America” (PCCNA) when he isn’t. That would be slander.
Pentecostal, is a broad term. For more information about all these pentecostal organizations visit wikipedia. Otherwise…keep to yourself.
Dakota Ratley • Mar 21, 2014 at 10:08 pm
Joan, you are absolutely incorrect. If he were using pentecostal as a blanket term, which as a Pentecostal, I’ve never heard it used in the manner you’re speaking of, it would not have been capitalized. By capitalizing the term, it makes it a proper noun which would imply that Mr. Martin is assuming that the pastor was Pentecostal.
As for using the word as a blanket term, would a fiery Baptist be referred to as a Pentecostal Baptist? No, they wouldn’t.
I don’t know if the man gave his ideology, but if he didn’t, Melinda is absolutely correct.
Steven • Mar 31, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Perhaps he said “I’m a Pentecostal preacher?” In which case, the article is clearly not ambiguous.
Had he claimed to be a Baptist, would Melinda have demanded that the Hawkeye prove which denomination he belonged to?