Post by Jesse Morrell on Apr 11, 2007 15:10:21 GMT -5
Pride Week gets early test of faith
Open Air Outreach speaker Eli Brayley confronts a crowd about his interpretation of Christian ethics by the UC Monday.
Story by Chandra Johnson | April 3, 2007
Montana Kaimin
University of Montana Lambda Alliance President Nicola Perez was having a rough Monday.
First came the reports that Public Safety had found Lambda’s stolen and broken flags for Gay Pride Week discarded on the steps of Main Hall. Then a stranger told her she was going to hell.
“My friends and I were walking by, he saw the pride flags we had and our ribbons and started in with ‘You’re a sinner, you’re going to hell.’ The usual,” Perez said. “He has a right to his opinion.”
Perez’s debater was Eli Brayley, a representative of Open Air Outreach, a New York-based Christian organization that tours college campuses all over the country preaching and debating interpretations of the Bible. When Perez found a Bible and began arguing with Brayley in front of a crowd of students gathered in the Mansfield Mall behind Main Hall, Brayley pulled out all the stops.
“You’re going to hell just like a murderer because you’re choosing sin just like a murderer,” Brayley told Perez and others in the crowd debating him. “God loves you, but he hates your sin.”
Despite his rather cold reception from the crowd, which included calls of “I thank God you won’t be here tomorrow,” and “Why do you think God gave me a penis?” Brayley said he felt his encounter with UM students was successful.
“We see this kind of debate all the time. In fact, when we were in L.A., I got punched,” Brayley said. “This was good. I like to see people ask questions and engage in dialogue because it tests faith and a lot of people don’t question their beliefs.”
Brayley added that his rally was not a direct response to or a protest against Gay Pride Week, which runs April 1-7 on campus.
“We weren’t aware it was Pride Week when we arrived, but we are preaching the Bible, which is against homosexuality,” Brayley said. “We don’t hate homosexuals, we want them to turn away from sin.”
But between the heated debate and heckling from the crowd, it seemed as if Brayley’s message fell on deaf ears.
Erin Lenci is a junior studying psychology, Japanese and media arts. She is also a self-proclaimed spiritualist.
“It’s great that they want to help people, but I wonder how much is conditioned into their heads and how much they actually believe,” Lenci said. “Just from watching, I wonder which Bible he’s referencing.”
Bryan Rogers, a former UM student who was on his way to the UC, said Brayley’s demonstration wasn’t about religion, but personal rights.
“I agree with his right to talk here,” Rogers said. “But sometimes I think personal rights get in the way of people’s lives and business. Just condemning people to a fiery hell strikes me as more of a nuisance.”
Some of Brayley’s strongest criticism came from other Christians, like Jesse Potter, 21.
“This guy says you’re a Christian if you stop sinning. I sin every day,” Potter said. “You have to relate to people on their level. We try to spread the good news to everybody, but this guy is spreading bad news.”
Others, like Lambda public outreach coordinator Tess Raunig, said they felt that the premise of the presentation was contradictory.
“He’s saying he’s not judging but God is,” Raunig said. “He’s judging us when the Bible says don’t judge.”
Brayley said his intention wasn’t to judge anyone, only to spread his truth.
“We do this because we love people and Jesus is the only way to salvation,” Brayley said. “When opposing views get up and stand against the Bible, the Bible is always right.”
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Christians congregate on the Oval
April 4, 2007
Montana Kaimin
Katie Perrella’s voice was by turns hesitant and passionate, at times pleading, at times powerful as she told students on the Oval about her relationship with Jesus Christ. Perrella spoke as part of “The Resurrection Monologues,” a gathering sponsored by the University of Montana’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
“I wasn’t looking for anything special, but Jesus found me. Jesus knows you even if you don’t know yourself,” Perrella said. “He’s alive at eight in the morning when you don’t remember what happened the night before.”
Members of InterVarsity, a nondenominational group, hoped that passers-by would hear the emotional testimony of Perrella and others and engage members in discussions about the role of God in their lives.
“I’m not speaking because I need friends,” Perrella said. “How can you not speak about eternity?”
One passer-by introduced himself as Alan and asked several participants, “Are you full of sin?” Some answered that they were, while others answered that they were “full of Christ.” A small crowd of InterVarsity members formed once they realized Alan was associated with Open Air Outreach, a group that tours college campuses nationwide to preach what several students called a “fire and brimstone” brand of Christianity.
InterVarsity members were quick to distance themselves from the Open Air preachers, one of whom was haranguing a crowd outside the UC at the same time Perrella was speaking on the Oval.
“The message of Jesus Christ is love and justice,” Teal Hunter said. “They are only sharing part of the Gospel.”
As Alan stressed the similarities between the groups, the InterVarsity people expressed their distaste for the Open Air preacher’s methods.
“We might agree more than you think,” the Open Air preacher told the InterVarsity members. “We all want to see everybody be born again and get saved.”
“Yes, but the fruit that you are planting is hatred,” one student replied.
In an effort to show students that not all Christians agree with the Open Air Outreach’s doctrine, Kevin Nalty and several other InterVarsity members walked to the UC where a lone Open Air preacher had the attention of about 75 onlookers.
At one point, Nalty interrupted the preacher and told the crowd, “I know they are trying to save souls, but what bothers me is that I’m not hearing a message of love.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian message should be discussed in a tactful manner
Keriann Lynch | April 4, 07
Montana Kaimin
University of Montana students, “Continue your evil habits and you will go to hell.”
This well-heard — but not well-received — message is being delivered to campus this week by a group of young men who have been, and will be for the rest of the week, “preaching the word of God” behind Main Hall in the Mansfield Mall to anyone willing to stop and listen. The men are part of Open Air Outreach, a New York-based Christian organization that tours college campuses all over the country, and have gained quite a following in just the past two days — though surely not the type they’d hoped.
Yesterday, one student yelled, “I masturbate,” to the cheers of his peers, while other onlookers debated Biblical authority and the existence of a God with the speaker. The day continued with students responding to calls to Christ with jeers, laughter and open jaws.
But, just on the other side of Main Hall, at the center of the Oval, another group of Christians gave a very different image of what it means to follow Jesus Christ: “Jesus is more than fire and brimstone. Following Christ is not just about a ticket out of hell,” one student said. These students from InterVarsity, Chi Alpha and Campus Crusade for Christ, all UM Christian student groups, will be playing praise songs and sharing their personal faith stories.
The preachers from Open Air Outreach are exercising their right to free speech. Their ability to quote Biblical verse is impressive. When speaking with them one-on-one, they were respectful and intelligent. It is their delivery that lacks tact.
Several Christian messages are lost in the yelling and accusations delivered by Open Air Outreach: messages of forgiveness and love. The scene behind Main Hall is not one of conversion, but of fostering hate and stereotypes.
But, the response of UM students to the preachers is equally tactless. When one student yelled out to encourage students to join the group of their peers speaking on the Oval if they wanted a real conversation, onlookers laughed and remained where they were. Open Air Outreach held an audience as large as about 50 students, while InterVarsity averaged groups around 10.
Many of the students indulging Open Air Outreach with their presence and taunts are just as guilty of wanting to proclaim and push their world-view. If students truly want to debate the value of Christianity, they should spend the rest of the week on the west side of Main Hall, where, if they are actually willing to listen and discuss, they will find Christian students willing to do the same.
– Keriann Lynch,
news editor
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I think that there were other stories but I can't seem to find them.
Open Air Outreach speaker Eli Brayley confronts a crowd about his interpretation of Christian ethics by the UC Monday.
Story by Chandra Johnson | April 3, 2007
Montana Kaimin
University of Montana Lambda Alliance President Nicola Perez was having a rough Monday.
First came the reports that Public Safety had found Lambda’s stolen and broken flags for Gay Pride Week discarded on the steps of Main Hall. Then a stranger told her she was going to hell.
“My friends and I were walking by, he saw the pride flags we had and our ribbons and started in with ‘You’re a sinner, you’re going to hell.’ The usual,” Perez said. “He has a right to his opinion.”
Perez’s debater was Eli Brayley, a representative of Open Air Outreach, a New York-based Christian organization that tours college campuses all over the country preaching and debating interpretations of the Bible. When Perez found a Bible and began arguing with Brayley in front of a crowd of students gathered in the Mansfield Mall behind Main Hall, Brayley pulled out all the stops.
“You’re going to hell just like a murderer because you’re choosing sin just like a murderer,” Brayley told Perez and others in the crowd debating him. “God loves you, but he hates your sin.”
Despite his rather cold reception from the crowd, which included calls of “I thank God you won’t be here tomorrow,” and “Why do you think God gave me a penis?” Brayley said he felt his encounter with UM students was successful.
“We see this kind of debate all the time. In fact, when we were in L.A., I got punched,” Brayley said. “This was good. I like to see people ask questions and engage in dialogue because it tests faith and a lot of people don’t question their beliefs.”
Brayley added that his rally was not a direct response to or a protest against Gay Pride Week, which runs April 1-7 on campus.
“We weren’t aware it was Pride Week when we arrived, but we are preaching the Bible, which is against homosexuality,” Brayley said. “We don’t hate homosexuals, we want them to turn away from sin.”
But between the heated debate and heckling from the crowd, it seemed as if Brayley’s message fell on deaf ears.
Erin Lenci is a junior studying psychology, Japanese and media arts. She is also a self-proclaimed spiritualist.
“It’s great that they want to help people, but I wonder how much is conditioned into their heads and how much they actually believe,” Lenci said. “Just from watching, I wonder which Bible he’s referencing.”
Bryan Rogers, a former UM student who was on his way to the UC, said Brayley’s demonstration wasn’t about religion, but personal rights.
“I agree with his right to talk here,” Rogers said. “But sometimes I think personal rights get in the way of people’s lives and business. Just condemning people to a fiery hell strikes me as more of a nuisance.”
Some of Brayley’s strongest criticism came from other Christians, like Jesse Potter, 21.
“This guy says you’re a Christian if you stop sinning. I sin every day,” Potter said. “You have to relate to people on their level. We try to spread the good news to everybody, but this guy is spreading bad news.”
Others, like Lambda public outreach coordinator Tess Raunig, said they felt that the premise of the presentation was contradictory.
“He’s saying he’s not judging but God is,” Raunig said. “He’s judging us when the Bible says don’t judge.”
Brayley said his intention wasn’t to judge anyone, only to spread his truth.
“We do this because we love people and Jesus is the only way to salvation,” Brayley said. “When opposing views get up and stand against the Bible, the Bible is always right.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christians congregate on the Oval
April 4, 2007
Montana Kaimin
Katie Perrella’s voice was by turns hesitant and passionate, at times pleading, at times powerful as she told students on the Oval about her relationship with Jesus Christ. Perrella spoke as part of “The Resurrection Monologues,” a gathering sponsored by the University of Montana’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
“I wasn’t looking for anything special, but Jesus found me. Jesus knows you even if you don’t know yourself,” Perrella said. “He’s alive at eight in the morning when you don’t remember what happened the night before.”
Members of InterVarsity, a nondenominational group, hoped that passers-by would hear the emotional testimony of Perrella and others and engage members in discussions about the role of God in their lives.
“I’m not speaking because I need friends,” Perrella said. “How can you not speak about eternity?”
One passer-by introduced himself as Alan and asked several participants, “Are you full of sin?” Some answered that they were, while others answered that they were “full of Christ.” A small crowd of InterVarsity members formed once they realized Alan was associated with Open Air Outreach, a group that tours college campuses nationwide to preach what several students called a “fire and brimstone” brand of Christianity.
InterVarsity members were quick to distance themselves from the Open Air preachers, one of whom was haranguing a crowd outside the UC at the same time Perrella was speaking on the Oval.
“The message of Jesus Christ is love and justice,” Teal Hunter said. “They are only sharing part of the Gospel.”
As Alan stressed the similarities between the groups, the InterVarsity people expressed their distaste for the Open Air preacher’s methods.
“We might agree more than you think,” the Open Air preacher told the InterVarsity members. “We all want to see everybody be born again and get saved.”
“Yes, but the fruit that you are planting is hatred,” one student replied.
In an effort to show students that not all Christians agree with the Open Air Outreach’s doctrine, Kevin Nalty and several other InterVarsity members walked to the UC where a lone Open Air preacher had the attention of about 75 onlookers.
At one point, Nalty interrupted the preacher and told the crowd, “I know they are trying to save souls, but what bothers me is that I’m not hearing a message of love.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian message should be discussed in a tactful manner
Keriann Lynch | April 4, 07
Montana Kaimin
University of Montana students, “Continue your evil habits and you will go to hell.”
This well-heard — but not well-received — message is being delivered to campus this week by a group of young men who have been, and will be for the rest of the week, “preaching the word of God” behind Main Hall in the Mansfield Mall to anyone willing to stop and listen. The men are part of Open Air Outreach, a New York-based Christian organization that tours college campuses all over the country, and have gained quite a following in just the past two days — though surely not the type they’d hoped.
Yesterday, one student yelled, “I masturbate,” to the cheers of his peers, while other onlookers debated Biblical authority and the existence of a God with the speaker. The day continued with students responding to calls to Christ with jeers, laughter and open jaws.
But, just on the other side of Main Hall, at the center of the Oval, another group of Christians gave a very different image of what it means to follow Jesus Christ: “Jesus is more than fire and brimstone. Following Christ is not just about a ticket out of hell,” one student said. These students from InterVarsity, Chi Alpha and Campus Crusade for Christ, all UM Christian student groups, will be playing praise songs and sharing their personal faith stories.
The preachers from Open Air Outreach are exercising their right to free speech. Their ability to quote Biblical verse is impressive. When speaking with them one-on-one, they were respectful and intelligent. It is their delivery that lacks tact.
Several Christian messages are lost in the yelling and accusations delivered by Open Air Outreach: messages of forgiveness and love. The scene behind Main Hall is not one of conversion, but of fostering hate and stereotypes.
But, the response of UM students to the preachers is equally tactless. When one student yelled out to encourage students to join the group of their peers speaking on the Oval if they wanted a real conversation, onlookers laughed and remained where they were. Open Air Outreach held an audience as large as about 50 students, while InterVarsity averaged groups around 10.
Many of the students indulging Open Air Outreach with their presence and taunts are just as guilty of wanting to proclaim and push their world-view. If students truly want to debate the value of Christianity, they should spend the rest of the week on the west side of Main Hall, where, if they are actually willing to listen and discuss, they will find Christian students willing to do the same.
– Keriann Lynch,
news editor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think that there were other stories but I can't seem to find them.