Campus

Preachers spread gospel before incensed crowd

Preacher Chris LePelley, his wife and their son visited campus Tuesday to preach the beliefs of the Open Air Holiness Ministries in front of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library.  |  Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Preacher Chris LePelley, his wife and their son visited campus Tuesday to preach the beliefs of the Open Air Holiness Ministries in front of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

A traveling preacher and his family drew a crowd of about 30 angry students outside the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library on Tuesday as they took turns ministering their Christian beliefs.

“I believe this is a very crucial generation to reach. Our universities are producing our future leaders — future lawyers and doctors and bureaucrats and politicians. Usually, as campuses go, so does the nation,” said preacher Chris LePelley.

“Plus, college students are known to be party animals — premarital sex, drugs, rock music, any and everything that is totally against the Bible. They need to know that they’re going to Hell if they don’t forsake these things and turn to Biblical Jesus.”

LePelley said that UH is one university among dozens of others that his family has visited to preach the belief of Open Air Holiness Ministries, and the angry crowd was nothing new.

“Opposition is the norm,” LePelley said. “It’s the rule, not the exception.”

According to the ministry’s website, Open Air’s mission is to spread a gospel of repentance everywhere that is publicly possible.

“Though the modern ‘church’ and the sinful world hate our approach, we loudly preach the deep riches of God’s glorious gospel without apology,” said the group’s website. “We preach against the sins of the day such as abortion, sodomy, fornication, adultery, drunkenness and many others, not forgetting to preach the blessed cross of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation.

“We preach, hold signs, banners, sing and hand out tracts wherever people gather.”

Though some witnesses described Tuesday’s scene as a disturbance, the UH Police Department said it saw no laws broken, as the family protested against sinners in a free-speech zone.

“Young people are going to voice their opinions, and this is set up for that,” said Police Chief Ceasar Moore. “He’s giving his opinion, and people are commenting on that opinion. This is the way it’s supposed to be.”

To ensure that no violence occurred, UHPD maintained about half a dozen security officers at the scene at all times.

Concerned hotel and restaurant management junior Tyler Henderson noticeably opposed the preachers’ mission, shouting, “You ain’t got no pancake mix” every time one of the preachers spoke.

“I’m all for freedom of speech and stuff like that, but I feel that he shouldn’t get to come on here at UH without being a student. It should just be students if you want to come out here and say hateful stuff like that,” Henderson said. “I think my God, personally, loves everyone.”

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13 Comments

  • I agree with the student interviewed. It’s ridiculous that this would be allowed to happen. UH needs to review the policy regarding use of this space … students only!

    • The university is paid for by taxpayers, not just students. People should be allowed to voice their opinion on campus if they feel like it.

  • The saddest part about this whole thing is this quote in the article ” free-speech zone.” That such a thing exist on a public university campus in this first thing is the despicable. Much more so than what some evangelist has to say about life.

    • If it weren’t for being so sad, it would be funny if the two straight guys were both struck by lightening if they did.

  • Nobody should be able to give their opinion if it is not a politically correct opinion. Anti-free speech authoritarians are a bunch of clowns. Like the commies, if they take power, anyone who disagrees with them will end up in a re-education camp.

  • I love that they left out the calling of an indian girl an ugly muslim and that this guy said he was a SAINT, and him calling a guy in the crowd a faggot. I talked to UH campus about what they call freedom of speech. You can preach to the choir hate speech all day long legally, but once you start speaking said hate to individuals in the crowd and spewing said hate, it becomes a hate crime, and insubordination under UH “law” us as students need to make a stand on this. At least make visitors check in and out so when some crazy man like the one I yelled at hurts somebody or flees the scene of a HATE CRIME , we will have record of who entered the campus and what their purpose was. If renu khatar our president was the indian girl in the crowd today that was called ugly and was told ahe would burn in hell, you bet your butt that “preacher” would be behind bars in holding for court. But OH NO, IT WAS JUST A STUDENT WHO PAYS at least 5000 a semester to go to UH. lets stay proactive on this, go coogs.

    • is calling someone an ugly christian a hate crime? I’ve been called a vagina by gay guys that didn’t want me to enter their gay club since I’m a female. I don’t feel comfortable with all this “hate speech” laws. If the government decides what is hate speech, they usually censor anything uncomfortable regarding government corruption as hate speech. Freedom of speech has a cost. The people called insults by the preacher could have ignored them, or resorted to insults towards him.

    • Glad to know you are against freedom of speech. Paying 5,000 a semester should not give you a right to express your opinion on a public university’s campus that non-student taxpayers would not have. It should be a right regardless. No individual should be held behind bars for making such comments to Khator or anyone else on this earth.

      The speech below was allowed and is not a hate crime.
      Unlike the juvenile “YOU AIN’T GOT NO PANCAKE MIX!” meme, the people in the crowd ignored him

      I think its terrible that a student was tazed for asking John Kerry a question.

  • That pancake mix tirade is so idiotic. After one moron is seen doing it on a youtube video, other lemmings think its funny. There are more intelligent ways to deal with annoying preachers that make loud offensive statements. Tyler Henderson doesn’t believe in freedom of speech unless it fits his politically correct agenda. Only allowing students to have freedom of speech on campus would be similar to having only Houston residents be able to have freedom of speech in this city. UH is not a private university. It is not a private club either. Its a public university that should be open to all types of speech from all groups of people, not just students.

  • “Young people are going to voice their opinions, and this is set up for
    that,” said Police Chief Ceasar Moore. “He’s giving his opinion, and
    people are commenting on that opinion. This is the way it’s supposed to
    be.”

    Tyler Henderson should learn about freedom of speech from the Police Chief.

    I’m glad Tyler Henderson is not in a position of authority to deny people their constitutional rights.

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