It’s a fact of life on any major college campus to deal daily with confrontational evangelists. When I was in school, it was Brother Jed who stood on an Athens streetcorner, cursing all those who walked by and did not “repent.”
If you’ve never had a run-in with a campus evangelist, here’s a sample of what to expect: a litany of cursings to Hell of women (“whores” in the parlance of the evangelist), fornicators, drinkers, gamblers, and Catholics; and lots of screaming matches. (Watch this crappy cellphone video of a flareup at USF last year for an example.)
Things went far beyond screaming two weeks ago outside Cooper Hall, however, when USF junior Steve Jorgenson choked preacher Micah Armstrong twice after Armstrong called Jorgenson’s girlfriend a “whore” and a “slut.”
Jorgenson, a 225-pound club rugby player, only stopped after his girlfriend persuaded him to let go of the preacher’s neck. Armstrong, barely missing a beat, returned to his evangelism — later reportedly calling Saudi student Abdullah Ramadham a “terrorist” and cursing gays and lesbians.
USF police looked into the choking incident, witnessed by close to 100 students, and elected not to charge Jorgenson with a crime. Armstrong said afterward, “We’re going to do the Christian thing and forgive him.”
Meanwhile, the Oracle’s editorial page came down harshly on Jorgenson. When I brought the issue up to my students (as we held class in Cooper, only a few yards away from where the incident took place) they were sympathetic to Jorgenson, many arguing he did “the right thing” and that Armstrong’s First Amendment rights ended when he made the personal attack on the rugger’s sweetheart.
What do you think? Are there circumstances when assault is justified as a result of verbal discourse? Where do we draw our own personal line across the First Amendment?
C.W.
3 years ago
Christians are supposed to lead by example, and calling some big rugby dude’s lady a slut is not only stupid but very un-Christian. These campus evangelicals think screaming at everyone passing by is the way to relay the Message. I blame Maranatha. Lord forgive me for saying so but Brother Jed is an assclown from way back.
M
3 years ago
Tim: Thanks so much for bringing a USF perspective to Sticks! This is great, and only makes Sticks a better place to visit!
Evangelists should be put in padded rooms.
Maureen
3 years ago
I do not believe that assault is ever justified as a result of verbal discourse. The guy yelling outside Cooper is annoying and mildly entertaining at best. That is no excuse to physically harm him.
melissa
3 years ago
Hmm tough one.. ok, so I’m with Maureen that violence is never ever acceptible.. but I’m also a fan of flexible interpretation of the law, because if it’s meant to govern humans, and humans are all different, it stands to reason right? Anyway no he wasn’t RIGHT, but a person can only take so much of anything before they snap. He was wrong, but he was provoked. AND he controlled himself before he killed the d*uchebag.
Morally wrong, lawfully excused. *shrug*
tim
3 years ago
I dunno if he controlled himself. It sounds more like his girlfriend and someone else controlled him before he could kill the guy.
He certainly didn’t help any preconceived stereotypes we all have about rugby players.
Maureen
3 years ago
Haha…but I bet he did make a few of them proud.
James
3 years ago
You know, if you call a 225-lb club rugby player’s girlfriend a slut within arm’s reach of the guy, you have no right to expect sympathy from anyone.
That, and, as I recall, JC was more interested in saving whores from stones than hitting them with ‘em. I was subjected to that arse’s mouth many times while on campus, and I knew it was only a matter of time before someone broke some bone in his face.
Joel
3 years ago
No doubt those guys only read the parts of the Bible they like, but since when does misrepresentation of Jesus’ message preclude your rights as a citizen? Had he provoked the guy by punching him or his girlfriend, then we’re in a different circumstance. Those guys have called hundreds of girls whores and sluts – clearly most people are able to control themselves physically.
Now anyone else that walks by and doesn’t like what they hear will think, “Heck, I can beat the tar out of this guy and not get in trouble.” That’s quite a situation USF has put itself in. Maybe they want this thing to get frequently violent so they can justify kicking the preachers off campus.
James
3 years ago
The thing is, Joel, Micah Armstrong has been verbally assaulting people outside of Cooper Hall for years. He’s pretty strident about it, very personal, and, in my opinion, very offensive.
He’s free to hold whatever opinions he wants about the virtue of USF’s student body, but does he have the right to stand there and insult people? The “fighting words” doctrine, as I read it, means that the speech Armstrong continually harangues Cooper Hall denizens with isn’t necessarily protected speech. It’s a college campus, so of course they’re going to give the 1st Amendment the widest possible interpretation, but at what point are the students justifiably fed up enough to take matters into their own hands and shut him up?
Used to be, you insulted a gentleman’s female companion like that, the next step was pistols or rapiers. Mortal combat seems a bit much, but non-lethal means don’t seem unreasonable to me.
The choking was uncalled for, but somebody seriously needs to give Armstrong an Atomic Wedgie. Either that, or he can convert to Sunni Islam and go live in Saudi Arabia with a bunch of other guys who seem to share his opinion that women are property and no better than cows.
Joel
3 years ago
“but at what point are the students justifiably fed up enough to take matters into their own hands and shut him up?”
Legally, probably at no point. This isn’t the Wild Wild West.
Armstrong was more than free to do what some of my friends at USF have done – lodge a complaint with the university.
Clearly to this point USF has decided that the preachers have a right to be on campus. Then again I know many other people at USF hate them but have never complained to anyone beyond each other. USF would be more likely to reconsider the preachers if more students made their own voices heard.
JamesX
3 years ago
Aren’t there ruled on campus against sexually harassing other students? A lot of what he says could EASILY be put into that category. He degrades the women in front of him based on how they look and dress.
kate
3 years ago
Jeez, people, whatever happened to art of ignoring? We don’t have to react to every insult, every annoyance, every ignorance. Just walk by the dude and focus on *something else*. The offender is an ass. What’s your excuse?
JamesX
3 years ago
No, Kate, we don’t have to react to every insult, annoyance or ignorance. But the scary part of it is, people who think like this tool are currently in charge of the executive branch of the most powerful nation on earth. Why do you think the HPV vaccine hasn’t been approved yet?
I don’t know, I guess I’m just tired of seeing my female friends get shit on by people who think like this guy.
I spent three years on that campus ignoring him, and had I been there when the rugby player choked him, I’d have been just as shocked as most people obviously were. I just wish there were a way to stand up to shit like that without sinking to his level. I’d say he’s irrelevant and small and all the rest, but seeing what results when people like that actually do get some power (see: the last six years of federal health and human services in the U.S.), it makes it a little less easy to ignore.
tommyduncn
3 years ago
The art of ignoring is alive and well. Just ask the woman who was raped during daylight hours in front of half a million people.
tim
3 years ago
Interestingly, the University Police find verbal assault in this instance worthy of arrest and a recommendation for charge of assault. That’s an interesting double standard.
kate
3 years ago
Tommy, don’t make me come over there.
You know there is a difference between ignoring an ass who’s insulting someone simply to make a name for him (or her) self and ignoring a violent crime.
I speak up all the time against injustice and irresponsible behavior and I can tell the difference. Can’t anyone else?
L
3 years ago
hey! I didn’t realize that you would be blogging here– cool
dcdave
3 years ago
I have to say, insulting the girlfriend of a rugby player is just asking for it. Armstrong can say whatever he wants, but if he’s not smart enough to realize he’s going to get his ass handed to him by a rugby player, well, it’s his own stupid fault.
Joel
3 years ago
He thought he had the Lord on his side. Too bad God’s probably tired of hearing him be an a–hole in his name. Having a hot-tempered rugby player there was probably God’s idea in the first place.
fuzbal11
3 years ago
Hey, I’ve just been reading about this Brother Micah guy and he seems like a guy that gives other christians a bad name. We’ve had similar events with other insulting “campus ministers” ( at my campus. They always come a few times a year to pass out pamphlets, insult women and claim that AIDS was created to kill gays. Then, the regular christian campus ministries have to try to repair the damage.