THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 71
'CONFRONTATIONAL EVANGELIST'
Brother Jed: Unplugged
Self-proclaimed minister targets seven deadly college sinners
BY SARAH NEFF
sneff@kansan.com
ther Jed faces a crowd of rowdy students in front Wescoc Hall, yellow electrical cords dangling from each hand, screaming his biblical sex education short nose. "Now boys and girls, in the realm of e-lecteeleer, you've got to be a pro on BRUGGER ID."
because you've got to be properly FLUGGED IN!
He plugs the cords together to demonstrate proper sex between a man and a woman, then bangs the two female ends and the two male ends against each other to demonstrate the futility of connecting same sex partners. He sings in a loud scratchy voice. "It's not OK to be gay, it's not OK to be a HO-MO! You weren't designed to be that way. God says that it's a big NO-NO! It's not OK to be gay. It's not okay to be a PER-VERT! It's not in your DNA, what you need is to be CONVERTed."
With the crowd jeering, laughing and even singing along, Brother Jed has them primed for scripture. He starts by quoting the first chapter of Romans, talking about God's intended use for women: obedient servants who stay home and make babies.
George E. Smock, 64, Colombia, Mo., better known as Brother Jed, makes his living traveling to college campuses across the United States engaging in what he calls "confrontational evangelism." Although sometimes joined by his obedient wife Sister Cindy, Brother Jed is the contentious voice of his profitable nonprofit entity, Campus Ministry USA, and his targets are the seven deadly college sinners: fornicators, rock 'n' rollers, sodomites, feminists, false religionists, drunkards and dopeers.
He likens himself to the prophets of the Bible, going out to the
See a multimedia presentation of Brother Jed at: KANSAN.COM
Jon Goering/KANSAN
modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah of liberal universities to save nonbelievers from eternal damnation. With Bible in one hand and electrical cords in the other, Brother Jed packs up his white 1995 Lincoln Town Car and drives from campus to campus to preach the fear of God to students as they walk to class.
A REFORMED SINNER
Brother Jed was raised in Indiana by Methodist parents, and his father was an English professor at Indiana State University. He briefly taught a history class at the University of Wisconsin before he decided to start preaching.
"I spent all my life around colleges and universities," Brother Jed said. "I wanted to come back and preach to where I came from. College students are the future of the world and I wanted key people to reach."
SEE BROTHER JED ON PAGE 8A
Brother Jed knew from his own experience that he would find plenty of sinners on campuses. He said he began drinking as a teenager and used drugs, mainly LSD and marijuana, in his college years. He said that while working on his master's at Indiana State University, one of his professors encouraged him to write a thesis on the effects of smoking seven joints in a row based on his own personal research.
Photo Illustration by Brenna Hawley/KANSAN
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CAMPUS
Decision reached for ECM building
Future of campus location determined after careful consideration
The Ecumenical Christian Ministry at 12th and Oread streets has made a decision about whether or not to sell the building to the Fritzel Construction Group, who would demolish the existing building and rebuild.
Thad Holcombe, campus pastor at the ECM, said Thomas Fritzel had been very civil and appropriate, and that he had not pushed them into the decision.
The proposal of selling the building came up after the ECM board determined they would need more than $700,000 to repair and upgrade the building.
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
Jessie Fetterling/KANSAN
The future of the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building has been under evaluation since Fitzpatrick Construction Group offered to buy the building and rent a smaller space in a new building for them. The ECM has been at its current location since 1960.
LECTURE
Former Massachusetts governor and 1988 presidential candidate Michael Dukakis will spend an evening visiting with students and community members tonight at 7:30 in the Dole Institute of Politics.
Dukakis said as the son of Greek immigrants he always felt a special responsibility to make a contribution of public service to the United States. He said public service was one of the highest callings by being able to help a large number of people.
Former governor plans to address students,public
Barbara Ballard, Dole Institute associate director of outreach, said it would be an opportunity for the public to see all sides of Dukakis. She said few people knew about the personal side of the governor.
FULL STORY PAGE 3A