What happens when you attack an idol?

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You know, wherever the apostle Paul went, there was a revival or riot. Everywhere I go, they serve tea. - an Anglican cleric

What happens when you attack an idol?

On Friday, April 13th, the college ministry of Clearnote Church sponsored a lecture series on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University called Sexual by Design. Indiana University is a notorious party school in one of the most gay-friendly towns in America. It's also the home of Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.

So we invited Pastor Doug Wilson to Bloomington to address God's design for sexuality on campus. We wanted him to join us in our attack on the idols of our community and to aid us in the work of seeing souls saved from eternal destruction. As you can see from the sneak peeks above, chaos ensued.

Doug spoke to a hostile crowd of 350-400 people...

in a lecture hall packed and overflowing into the outer hallways. He ended with a question and answer session that took over two hours.

During the lectures there were hecklers and banners and timed interruptions. One student was arrested. More than 20 were dismissed. University officials called in upwards of twenty IUPD officers to insure the safety of those present.

And that’s just what happened inside the lecture hall. Outside more than 200 protestors rallied, using face paint, making signs, banging on doors, and holding a “dance party.”

In the weeks leading up to the event, articles ran in the local and student newspapers in which Pastor Wilson was accused of being a racist, sexist, homophobic neo-confederate. Editorials were published accusing us of being guilty of the blood of suicidal teenagers and calling for the university to silence our event. Cartoons were drawn of Jesus disowning Pastor Wilson. Fliers full of lies were passed out and protests were organized on Facebook.

Thanks to the good folks at CanonWired and the men of Clearnote Fellowship, you can watch the entire lectures and Q & A online here. Over the next several days we hope to begin opening up the details of how this event unfolded and what we've learned.

Jake Mentzel

Jake has served as a pastor at Clearnote Church since 2010. He also teaches systematics at Clearnote Pastors College and Athanasius College. In his spare time, he leads Warhorn Media.

Want to get in touch? Send Jake an email or follow him on Twitter.