Tahlequah students find Church of Monett offensive

They turn heads every time they show up on campus, and some students at Northeastern State University are offended by their presence.

The Church of Monett, Mo., has made periodic trips to Tahlequah to stage quiet demonstrations in public campus spaces in recent years. They carry signs that read, “Wives, Obey your Husbands,”; “To be Married to the divorced is Adultery”; and “Don’t be deceived: fornicators homosexuals idolaters adulterers thieves drunkards - shall not inherit God’s Kingdom.”

“They were on campus again last week,” said Derrick Branson, a freshman from Tahlequah. “That was the second time I’ve seen them, but I understand they have been here several times.”

Branson said he is offended by the church members’ demonstrations, particularly their attitude toward women and their anti-gay stance.

“I work with LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning] on campus and I am a committee member for the Safe Zones [for LGBTQ students],” he said. “They promote these terrible things about homosexuality while we are trying to promote equality. It doesn’t help the students.”

While students say they recognize the right to free speech, those citing an affront don’t see any constructiveness to the on-campus presence of the Church of Monett.

“Basically, my problem with them is there is absolutely no reason for them to be on campus,” said NSU student Laura Hulbert of Grand Rapids, Mich. “The messages they are spreading are not of love. They are a distraction from the learning process, and are picketing at nothing. This is a learning environment, not something that needs to have others’ religious beliefs brought into the matter.”

David Keeling, a founder of the Church of Monett, said the church is non- denominational and that members only seek to follow the teachings of Jesus.

“Our message is a warning for those only living for this world,” Keeling said. “Modern Christianity has adapted faith to where people say a prayer, go to church, sing praises, and that’s about as far as it goes. It doesn’t affect their lives. His kingdom is now, and we have an opportunity to become a part of his kingdom while on earth.”

Some signs carried by church members state their beliefs bluntly, such as “America’s Jesus is Anti-Christ” and “It’s not Gay It’s Sin.” But Keeling said hate is not part of the church’s message. The church’s website includes video clips and news articles, many containing critical commentary on the Church of Monett.

“Jesus told us to love our enemies,” Keeling said. “We do not fight against them. If they strike us, we turn the other cheek. We do not go to war.”

The university’s demonstration policy is open, particularly in what it calls “traditional public forums,” such as the streets, sidewalks, parks and other common areas that lend themselves to public discourse, whether planned or spontaneous.

“NSU is a state-supported public higher education institution,” said Dr. Laura Boren, vice president for student affairs.

“We value the exchange of ideas within the university environment in different forums such as classes, in reserved meeting space, and on open grounds. The exchange of ideas fosters learning from multiple perspectives. NSU has an expressive activity policy that provides guidance on time, place and manner when exercising expressive activity on university property.”

Often, a reservation is required for discourse, demonstration or protest, but NSU does not mandate reservations or prior approval for individuals or small groups. The Church of Monett sends a couple of people to carry signs in front of the University Center.

While NSU prohibits demonstrations that disrupt its functions, incite violence or damage property, the university also protects the rights of the demonstrators to be heard. Noise levels must not disrupt the learning environment, and the audience must not use noise to interrupt the speech of demonstrators.

The policy states: “Those who choose to observe and/or listen to expressive activities, bear the responsibility of recognizing and honoring the right of free speech. Any acts that are disruptive to the normal operations of the university, including classes and university business, or that invade the rights of others will not be tolerated. Faculty, staff, and students engaging in a disruptive activity may be subject to disciplinary action. Any participant in a disruptive activity may face criminal charges.”

An effort to prohibit church members from campus grounds could be complicated, because the demonstrators rarely speak unless spoken to.

“They don’t start anything,” Branson said. “They don’t lean as far as Westboro [Baptist Church]. But they are a fundamentalist group. This is a university where people are just getting into society. I think students can be influenced very easily. [Church of Monett members] come to this campus to demonstrate, and they are not even from Oklahoma. It doesn’t seem right. They definitely don’t belong here.”

Keeling said demonstrators may say hello to passersby, but they engage in conversation only when approached.

“We’re not yelling at people,” he said. “We didn’t have to do this very long, and it didn’t take a lot of looking for us to realize there are a lot of people who are not interested. We are looking for people who are interested in the truth, and really, our message sorts those out really well.”

The Church of Monett was founded by Keeling and Kevn Stewart in the mid-1990s. Its membership numbers a few dozen. Once affiliated with the Mennonites, the church is now independent.

Members dress modestly, but most modern tools, appliances and devices are not prohibited.

by Sean Rowley, Staff Writer, Tahlequah Daily Press

Copyright Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Article made available by Associated Press.

The Gayly – April 17, 2014 @ 10:05am