Evangelists Cause Religious Chaos Among Students
September 20, 2009 2 Comments
By: Kerissa Bennett
Two evangelists caused an uproar on campus Tuesday while preaching to a crowd of students.
The crowd started small but soon turned into nearly one hundred onlookers as the evangelists preached that students needed to repent from sins or face eternal condemnation.
The two evangelists, Tracy Bays and another known as “Brother Dave,” told students repeatedly “you’re going to hell unless you repent.”
Many students in the crowd were upset by the message. Some students shouted obscenities at the men.
Bays said the students’ response to the message was the Holy Spirit convicting their hearts.
“They know it’s wrong to sin and they don’t want to hear that,” Bays said.
Lewis Nowlin, freshman from San Diego, said he believed it was alright for Bays to express his opinion, but wrong of him to tell students they are going to hell.
“It’s not right when you take it to attacking people personally,” Nowlin said.
“He’s judging people and God is the only one who can judge,” said Amillia Marcum, junior criminal justice major from Huntington.
Bays said he chooses to speak at universities because that is where young women and men are.
“Students have had their first taste of liberty and that liberty is going to condemn them to hell,” Bays said.
Bays also mentioned other religions in his sermon. He said that Islam, Hinduism and Catholicism were wrong in their practice.
“If you were a true Christian you would leave the Roman Catholic church,” Bays said.
Marcum said she was hurt by this comment.
“God calls us to love everyone,” Marcum said. “Am I not supposed to love my Catholic friends because of the church they go to?”
During his sermon, Bays pointed to a campus fraternity sign and said the members were also wrong.
“Everyone in that fraternity is going to hell,” Bays said.
Phil Lisi, junior sports management major from Cincinnati and member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, said he was frustrated by this comment.
“I’m a Christian. I do go to church,” Lisi said. “He is making all Christians look bad.”
Shay Osbourne, campus minister with Revolution ministries, said Bays would not sit down and talk with him at his request.
“My hope would be that everyone accepts Christ,” Osbourne said. “I think it’s hard to look out and say this is being effective.”
Osbourne said his biggest fear was that students would associate all ministries and Christianity with these evangelists.
“The message of repent from sin is truth, but his method of presenting it is ineffective,” Osbourne said.
At one point in the message a student went to hug Bays, who rejected this action.
“Love is not a hug,” Bays responded. “Love is telling you you’re going to hell unless you repent.”
Kyle Baughman, senior political science major from Cincinnati, said the student reaction was what he expected. He also said he believes you can use scripture to promote anything you want if you take it out of context.
“Hopefully, people don’t associate the Christian religion with what was said today,” Baughman said.
Bays said he and Brother Dave were on campus in the best interest of Marshall students.
“We want everyone to accept Jesus and have eternal life,” Bays said.
The two evangelists are not associated with any campus ministries.
Listen To The Tracy Bays Radio Interview Here:
Kerissa Bennett can be contacted at bennett120@marshall.edu.
