If anyone has walked by the Student Center in the past week, I’m sure you have noticed the two men outside “preaching.” As a Christian, I would like to let everyone out there know that this is not an accurate representation of my religion.

What those men do is a great disservice to those of us who are true Christians. They claim to be preaching in Jesus’ name, all the while judging and condemning people for their sins. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, but the most important thing that Christ taught us was to love everyone, not for who they are, but in spite of who they are. I’ve always been taught, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Which means you don’t have to like what someone does, but you should love them anyway.

If (the preachers) really want to bring people to Christ, they need to preach what Paul preached on his many missionary journeys, what Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and what Christians have been preaching for a couple thousand years now; Jesus Christ, him crucified, and then raised from the dead three days later.  The only thing I’ve heard them preach is how to go to hell. They don’t talk about how to go to heaven. This kind of “preaching” does nothing more than perpetuate hatred, ill feelings and false assumptions about Christianity. So, I beg you not to judge my religion by what these crazy, overzealous nuts say. We are not a religion of hate, we are a religion of love. If these men do not show love, then they are not true Christians. To end with John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Matthew K. Fox

political science and psychology freshman