Toto

I am sitting here listening to NPR, which has a story of Brother Jed, a performance artist preacher. He used to be a college teacher, part of the anti-war movement in the 60's, moved on to the drug scene, and then found Jesus. He now spends his time going around college campuses screaming at students that they are going to Hell for their alcohol use and sexual practices. He has his 17 year old daughter along to learn his "business" (it doesn't explain how he supports himself), and introduces her as a virgin, 17 years old and never been kissed.

It's a remarkably sympathetic portrait, although it admits that he has never made a convert and college students continue to drink and have sex. It ends by saying maybe he is keeping the spirit of the 60's alive. This insults my generation.

Has anyone here run into him, (any of you younger folks?)

editted to add - he has his own webpage, of course (and to correct spelling of his name)
<a href="http://www.brojed.org" target="_blank">http://www.brojed.org</a>

[ May 17, 2002: Message edited by: Toto ]</p>

Gar

I've never seen him, but I did hear the segment about him on NPR today. I couldn't stop laughing after he introduced his daughter "Evangeline".

At least I think that was her name i might have misheard Angeline.

[ May 17, 2002: Message edited by: Gar ]</p>

DivineOb

Actually he came to my school (UCSD)... I don't really remember the details though because it was several years ago (4 or 5), but I didn't see his daughter there... The other crazy preachers I've seen were more entertaining to watch...

ksagnostic

Ohhh yeah, he came to Kansas State in 1979 or 1980, and to Wichita State University, where I was a graduate student, in 1983. Jed's a real hellfire and damnation type, although in all honesty, his wife Cindy (who was probably 10-15 years younger) stole the show, and could outyell and outharangue him. I presume Cindy became this daughter's mother, and I truly, truly pity this child, being raised by these two. Jed and Cindy are of the same mindset, that God is a monster who will damn people for the smallest of transgressions. The bogeyman is large and in charge, and YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE HIM MAD.

The family's clownish antics did draw crowds (at Kansas State, the crowds started large, and shrunk as people got bored with them, at WSU, with a much older student population, the crowds started small and pretty much stayed that way).

So Jed and family are still at it 20 years later, with a new generation.

enrious

Sinners in the hands of an angry god.

Really nothing new.

Kassiana

Kass:
Jed travels around, ranting at people on college campuses everywhere, with his wife. Here are some actual quotes they've used and I've heard when they came to the college in my town.

"You've heard all your life that God loves you. God doesn't love you, he HATES you!"

"If a woman doesn't scream, like the Bible says to, she hasn't been raped."

Back when I was a Christian conservative, I was appalled by his behavior and asked him about the passage about not condemning the speck in your brother's eye when you have a log in yours. His reply, "That was intended for the HERETICS and UNBELIEVERS!"

Oh, Jed's crazy, even for Christian conservatives. I'd always pray when he came to campus that people wouldn't judge all Christians by him.

I believe Cindy might have been the one who called a woman walking through the commons a whore for having short hair. Last I heard, the woman who'd been slandered was gathering witnesses for a lawsuit. I don't know how that went, if it went anywhere at all. I hope she sued their asses off, though...imputing sexual impurity to a woman is slander per se, and she doesn't have to prove actual damage to her reputation in that case

Queen of Swords

I remember seeing Jed Smock rave in the Tate Center plaza at the University of Georgia (in 1995). He had two of his four daughters along, and not only were they hopelessly brainwashed, but they were wearing print dresses that looked like rejects from a Little House on the Prairie wardrobe.

His book was dedicated to all four of his progeny (I see the good lord didn't consider him worthy of sons) and to his "helpmeet".

Vorkosigan

I ran into him at IUP in the '80s. Got in trouble for poking fun at him. I went into my music theory class right after me and some buddies heckled him, and the Reich-wing Xtian teacher and a group of students mercilessly abused me. I ended up leaving the music program. To be fair, my Reich wing English prof, a Shakespeare expert, gave me an "A" even though we argued in class. So even among Reich wingers, some are more honest than others.

Vorkosigan

Toto

<a href="http://www.eilertech.com/faqs/jedfaq.htm" target="_blank">alt.brother-jed Usenet newsgroup FAQ</a>

Quite amusing. Obviously Bro' Jed fried his brains on drugs in the 60's.

Marduk

We had plenty of guys like that at Penn State, on a Sat. night you could walk downtown and get a free show! Some nut on every corner screaming their lungs out about "FORNICATION!!!!' what fun! There was also this very quiet, polite, Korean guy who would set up his portable blackboard outside lecture halls and start going on and on in a very soft voice, pointing to his complex drawings and Biblical flowcharts, whether anyone was listening or not, he rolled on.