When I served as a campus minister at a state university in North Carolina, there was a once-a-semester event that could be counted on as sure as young love and broken hearts.

A traveling evangelist went to all the state universities, stood in the brickyards and the quads, and declared himself the purveyor of all things Christian. He taunted the young women who passed by and engaged in shouting matches with anyone who challenged his stance on scripture. He caused chaos for the days he was on campus.

During the first few years I served there, I advised students how to approach and counterbalance “the brickyard preacher’s” arguments, feeling just as upset as they did.

However, after a couple of years, I chose not to go on campus to hear him speak because it was too painful. It was harrowing for the people he attacked, and ironically, it was excruciating to listen to his self-loathing expressed through his distortion of Jesus’ gospel of hope and inclusion. Yes, Jesus may have shown anger, although such moments are rarely reported, yet never without a promise of redemption.

Over the years, however, my approach changed. Maybe it was because our student center had become known as a safe place to ask questions and be heard, or perhaps I was no longer blinded by the event and could see the presented opportunities. Regardless, during those visits, I noticed a significant increase in students dropping by to discuss what was happening in front of the cafeteria.

Some students I knew, and many I did not. Some were in tears, others sought validation, and some wanted to discuss Jesus. They didn’t know much about Him but were curious to see if I perceived Him like the man expressing anger and hate did. The conversation became less about that caustic preacher and more about the pilgrims who made their way to the student center to engage in a discussion about faith.

This memory has crossed my mind on more than one occasion recently.

We live in an intense time of upheaval. Without being naïve, may we look for opportunities to be ambassadors of Christ, who drew us to love justice, do kindness and walk humbly with our God. Some people want to know how that type of Christianity directs our lives. My hope and prayer is that we persevere in this quest.

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