As a man goes from state to state in order to express his thoughts to students of America, ministries around Eastern’s campus try to stay level-headed about his expressive evangelization.

Brother George Edward “Jed” Smock Jr. is an Evangelist spreading the word of God by talking publically.

Brother Jed travels around campuses telling students to convert to a Religious lifestyle; the ministers around campus feel the best method of dealing with him is to ignore his words.

Paige Roberts, the director of the Wesley Foundation, said it is upsetting to the students who have witnessed him on campus. She said the center has a large number of students who are in the LGBT community and the evangelist can be hateful in their language to the members of the community.

“The last time one of the groups was here we set up a ‘Space of Grace,’ where we were set up across the sidewalk from them,” Roberts said. “We made posters that shared scriptures expressing God’s love.”

Roberts said while in the space the group wanted to show students how all Christians are not hateful and knowing God is much more loving. She has been at Eastern for 11 years and said this year they wanted to show up Brother Jed’s negativity with a space of positivity.

Roy Lanham, the director of Newman Catholic Center, said he has known about Brother Jed since he has been at Eastern, which is 30 years. He said Brother Jed uses a type of ministry called a Herald Model of evangelization, which is a form of street preaching.

“My struggle with Brother Jed is not the fact that he wants people to know Christ, but he uses coercion, meanness and he’s vindictive,” Lanham said. “And I don’t read anything of that nature in the Gospel on how one comes to know Christ.”

Lanham said his approach is wrong and it is unfortunate for students to have to witness it. He said the only way he will disappear is if people ignore him. He said if no one paid attention to him, he would be speaking to the wind and he would eventually leave campus.

“It would be like me going into a stranger’s house and yelling at them for the food they put on their table and I don’t know anything about that family,” Lanham said. “That’s what he does. He comes on this campus and he doesn’t know anything about this community.”

Lanham said usually Brother Jed is not at Eastern as much, so maybe now he is trying to keep things local. He said it is hard to say why Brother Jed chooses Eastern as his go-to.

“He does have a right to be here, but we don’t have to listen to it,” Lanham said.

Matthew Thomas, a campus minister at Christian Campus House, said the situation is unfortunate because Jed uses sensationalism to provoke people to pay attention to him. He said Jed can cause students to get the wrong idea about the ministries on campus.

“It’s sad to see someone doing that in what they think is in the name of Christ and love,” Thomas said. “I think that it would be counterproductive for us to go out and not to try and engage him.”

Thomas said while studying at Purdue University Brother Jed would come and do the same thing he does on campuses now. Thomas said another person also practiced Jed’s style of evangelism and he is sure many other individuals roam college campuses spreading their judgements on today’s generation of students.

They all have a goal, which is to get people to change their lifestyles through gaining shock and dispute through a negative portrayal of what they feel ministry is, Thomas said.

Robert said the harmful words used by Brother Jed robs the Bible of its true message and often can steer students away from the ministries on campus. She said it is her job to create a safe space for students on campus and let them know the things Jed says are not out of love.

Ken Hoover, an ordained pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Campus Ministry, said he has not heard about Brother Jed in particular but knows his method in gaining students gives them the wrong message.

“Individuals who go around banging their Bibles and yelling at people, that’s not what gets heard,” Hoover said. “You can have a living relationship with God and that’s what needs to be heard by students.”

Lanham said the sad truth of the situation is Brother Jed can say harmful things as much as he pleases because of freedom-of-speech. He said legally Brother Jed does have the right to speak his mind on campus because Eastern is a public institution.

“He can’t smoke a cigarette on this campus, but he can sure spout stuff,” Lanham said.

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu