Pastor returns to campus stage
After a
semester's lull and summer's absence, controversial preacher Anthony Munoz
comes back to the Free Speech Area
| 
Ryan Tubongbanua
/ The Collegian
An assistant holds just one of many signs that accompany Pastor
Anthony Munoz, right, during his hours-long sermons in the Free
Speech Area. Munoz's preaching has been met with much antipathy
from students and staff over the past few years. |
By Kristen Hoverman
The Collegian
For the past three years Pastor
Anthony Munoz has become a regular occupier of the Free Speech Area, generating
crowds of students and faculty alike with his attention-grabbing sermons
and animated preaching.
While most Fresno State upperclassmen are familiar with Munoz, he was
on campus much less last year than in years before, and last week he returned
to the Free Speech Area for the first time since summer, new to many students.
At least once a week Munoz will be on campus addressing subjects that
result in debate, he said. Monday’s sermon was no exception, as
Munoz dealt with homosexuality, lewd behavior and dress, abortion, fornication
and evolution. While he spoke students either raced by avoiding eye-contact,
or indiscreetly told him to “shut up.”
“I am not condemning you, but reminding you of the condemnation
that you have brought upon yourself by not living for God,” Munoz
said. “Students on this campus live a dual life. They habitually
practice evil and pretend to be children of God.
“Are you willing, students? Are you willing to turn from your sin?
Are you tired of your sin? It’s Monday, I’m probably catching
some of you students with a hangover. You thought that the preacher wouldn’t
find you out, but the preacher found you out.”
Munoz said he is here to show how God’s plans are different than
students’.
“I’m here to bring awareness of what is God’s way as
opposed to man’s way to God,” he said. “It’s my
conviction that God can be known and for any student who in sincerity
searches for God, will find him.”
Throughout the sermon, students shook hands with Munoz, called out comments
and sometimes laughed at what he had to say. A man walking by said to
the crowd, “I guess he forgot the part, ‘judge not lest ye
be judged.’”
Many students said they had no comment on Munoz, and said they try to
ignore him. However, several students said they believe Munoz is taking
the wrong approach to bring students to Christ.
“I think it has the opposite effect,” said Charity Shabaglian,
a senior liberal studies major. “I think it throws a lot of people
away, because they think that is what church is like if they’ve
never been.
“I don’t think he realizes a lot of people on this campus
are actually Christians and the ones that aren’t are probably searching,”
Shabaglian said. “If he would actually give a correct version of
the Bible, I think people would want God more than they do now. I just
want to tell him to shut up.”
Freshman David Dixon, a psychology major, agreed.
“I’m a fundamental, Bible-believing Christian,” Dixon
said. “Last Thursday I was here about four hours and I talked with
him before and after.”
Dixon is a member of the Campus Crusade for Christ and advocates the club’s
personal one-on-one approach over Munoz’s tactics.
“He teaches things that are wrong Biblically,” Dixon said.
“I think his way of preaching drives people away.”
Dylan Wood, a junior history major, is not a Christian and said this kind
of preaching is not effective.
“I think he’s trying to scare people into believing in God,”
Wood said. “I mean, the first thing you see when you walk near him
‘which is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell.’ It’s
not exactly the peaceful sermon I would expect when you are trying to
convince people of how great God is.
“I don’t see this as a bad influence on Christianity. I see
him as a bad influence,” Wood said. “It’s an interesting
thing for me to watch just because I know that there are so many ways
of interpreting Christianity. This is one side of the spectrum.”
A crowd developed an hour into his sermon, after a female student challenged
Munoz on the credibility of the Bible. About 100 students sat or stood
in the shade in front of the stage as Munoz and the woman debated their
differences.
The debate lasted about 25 minutes, with students from the crowd occasionally
joining in.
Afterwards there was a brief question-and-answer period in which students
questioned Munoz and the Bible.
“Like today, we’ve had crowds of good discourse,” Munoz
said. “These are the days that I love, these are the days of progress.
I mostly get a negative response: ‘You’re doing it wrong.’
‘You’re not helping anybody.’
“Most of the time people don’t understand. People are offended,
or are here just to mock and ridicule,” Munoz said.
Munoz, who used to attend Fresno State, has been the pastor of Souls Harbor
Holiness Church in Pinedale for more than 12 years. He is also involved
with Souls Harbor Holiness School, and church activities and revivals.
Though he is a regular at Fresno State, he also preaches in downtown Fresno
and gives services in homes.
“On street corners, front yards, you name it,” he said.
Munoz will be out on Mondays this semester, starting at noon, he said.
“I come to Fresno State because I love the students,” Munoz
said. “I’m going to come until God says I don’t need
to come anymore.”
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