Letter to the editor: Campus preachers misrepresent Christians

To those of you who have walked by the Student Center recently (even if you have not, you have likely encountered them before), I would like to apologize for the campus preachers in the free speech area. As a Christian (i.e., a person who follows Jesus Christ), I can honestly say the display embarrassed me and I hate the negative impact these preachers bring to campus.

So let’s clear some things up: These “preachers” are NOT Christians. To be a Christian (by definition, “little Christ” or “like Christ”), one must follow the teachings and sayings of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught in his famous “Sermon on the Mount,” “Do not judge, or you too will be judged…Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7) Standing in the middle of campus and telling college students they are going to hell is not following Jesus, and it’s certainly not Christian. Please do not be deceived.

Unfortunately, campus preachers are not the only ones claiming to follow Jesus but falling so short. Although we all “fall short,” there is something to be said for blatantly living outside of Jesus’ teachings in life.

Sadly, many American Christians fall into the same disease of forming Jesus into whatever they desire. I am not here to try and sell you on any version of Jesus. I only ask that, before dismissing Christianity as judgmental (and I agree — it often comes off this way), you will take the time to see what Jesus Christ (not a local church or campus preacher) himself taught and believed in: ideas such as helping the poor, justice for all and loving everyone, regardless of who they are or what they have done. That includes loving homosexuals, people of a different race, criminals and…that’s right, Jesus even loves campus preachers.

Derek King

Political science and history junior