Anti-LGBT preacher returns to Boca campus despite being struck by golf cart
Ken said he will not press charges against the driver.
Ken didn’t preach at FAU for a little over a month after getting hit by a golf cart, but he came back this Wednesday to continue his work. Photo by Hope Dean
April 10, 2019
On Feb. 25, an anti-LGBT preacher named Ken was struck by a golf cart on the Boca Raton campus. But he returned to FAU this Wednesday after more than a month had passed since the incident — and said that the act didn’t surprise him at all.
“I know it comes with the territory when you’re preaching the message of Jesus Christ … It’s a glimpse of the suffering that Jesus experienced, it’s a glimpse of the suffering that the disciples experienced when they preached the gospel, and I’m just following in their footsteps,” he said.
Ken, who will not provide his last name, had been preaching to large crowds of protesting FAU students three months before the unknown driver of the golf cart steered into him. He didn’t break any bones, but did find a bruise on his left shoulder the next day. However, Ken said he forgives the driver and will not press charges.
He also plans to continue preaching at the university — and students are divided on how to react.
Free speech in action: what students think
Despite Ken’s infamous reputation, some recognize his First Amendment right to speak at FAU.
Student Government’s Director of Multicultural Programming Elijah Colas said he believes Ken can say whatever he likes because of these protected rights. He hugged Ken, put a hand on his shoulder, and prayed over him “to show him what real love looks like” despite not agreeing with his evangelical methods.
“I wanted to show everyone that you can show people love you don’t agree with … I prayed he would know what real love was, and that he would preach the love of Jesus because God is love,” he said via email. “We in the FAU community have to do better, and not allow ourselves to be given over to hate no matter what.”
Dacoda Weaver, a Christian who was formerly on FAU’s football team as an offensive lineman, doesn’t agree with Ken’s views on everything — especially tattoos, abortion, and what it takes to become a Christian. But the criminal justice major agrees that Ken has the right to be on university grounds nonetheless.
“I love it. He’s free to say what he wants, he’s expressing his feelings. I think it causes for students to have intellectual conversations on campus,” he said.
Dacoda Weaver, an FAU student, and Ken debated about whether abortion is morally acceptable. pic.twitter.com/JIbeuvGFK7
— Hope Dean (@hope_m_dean) April 10, 2019
But not everyone is thrilled. Junior Kennedy Coles perched on a nearby bench and argued with Ken about abortion and gay marriage, asking him to prove God’s existence.
“I’m a history major, so I took LGBT history, queer history. I look at the past and see where we repeat ourselves, and there’s gay concentration camps in different places right now. And obviously we can’t control other countries, but we should be able to control ourselves,” she said.
While Ken argued against the legality of gay marriage, FAU student Kennedy Coles countered from a nearby bench that the church has no say in governmental law. pic.twitter.com/uATrPrWTZE
— Hope Dean (@hope_m_dean) April 10, 2019
One way to combat Ken’s words is to simply pretend they aren’t there, Coles believes.
“Every time he comes to campus, people engage with him. You can’t engage with stupid,” she said. “He wants people to pay attention to him … If we can’t remove him from campus, the best thing to do is just ignore him.”
Scared for students’ souls: what Ken thinks
Meanwhile, Ken is concerned about FAU students’ lack of response to his message. Most haven’t “turned from their sin,” which puts their soul at risk, he believes.
“I’ve been preaching for three months, and I still find the majority of the students on this campus are still making fun of this message,” he said. “I don’t want them to think I’m mean. I don’t want them to focus on me today. The focus is on Christ, and him crucified for sinners.”
Ken said he has been preaching at hundreds of universities and even in other countries for the past decade, but that his focus is on FAU and Florida International University right now, as they’re closest to where he lives.
But he also said that he’s experienced the most “suffering” while preaching in Florida — a man allegedly tackled him into the ocean while he was preaching on a Fort Lauderdale beach during spring break this year.
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From getting hit by a golf cart to tackled in the ocean, this guy needs to find a better hobby
Ken believes that this suffering on God’s behalf is a part of “true Christianity.” He cited Christians who were sawed in half, burned alive, and hung on crosses throughout history, and said that he could’ve died on the day he was hit by the golf cart, too.
“But God preserved me … I’m simply a guy that loves Jesus, has been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I want each one of these college students to be changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Hope Dean is the news editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @hope_m_dean.
