Formerly banned street preacher starts semester as a student

After six years of being banned from campus, Larry M. Faulkner, 27, is back at ISU. But this time he's taking on a new role in addition to his usual one as a street preacher: student.

On Aug. 24, Faulkner, also known as "Brother Larry," spent the day registering for classes and going through freshman orientation as he prepared to start his college career as a communication major with an emphasis on public relations.

"I'd had my heart set on coming here earlier," Faulkner said while sitting in the Commons, his backpack filled with textbooks and school supplies.

Faulkner describes campuses as "a war of ideas," a place for ideas to come together and sometimes clash with one another. And it is the clashing of ideas that ultimately kept Faulkner from enrolling at ISU several years ago.

His first exposure to campus was during the summer of 2001 when he worked in University Bookstore stocking shelves. It was then that he started preaching on campus. He said preaching and evangelizing has been a part of his life since he was a child.

"I had a fire burning inside of me," Faulkner said. "When it exploded I was compelled to start ministering."

His preaching at ISU led to numerous confrontations with members of the campus community in the spring of 2003-harassment, trespassing and one claim of battery-which resulted in him being banned from the university. He was then arrested for trespassing and served six months in the Vigo County jail.

This July, Faulkner appealed to the university and requested that the ban be lifted and he be allowed to return to campus.

Melony Sacopulos, general counsel and secretary of ISU legal affairs, said that for a ban to be lifted, the individual must make an appeal, and the university then reviews the file and makes a decision.

In Faulkner's case, the university decided that the nature of the incidents and the time lapse since the ban went into effect were sufficient to lift the ban, effective July 30.

"We decided to give him another opportunity to come back on campus," Sacopulos said. "The university supports individuals' right to free speech, and we haven't had any problems with [Faulkner] for several years."

Faulkner said the university had given him "a fair shake on the deal," and he plans to become a more involved member of campus.

Aside from two exceptions, Faulkner hasn't had any formal education in over eight years. After leaving high school in 2001, Faulkner spent half a semester at Union Bible College and Academy in Westfield, Ind., north of Indianapolis, and part of a semester at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn.

But Faulkner says he is looking forward to this year and, during his 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. break between classes, he plans to spend his time preaching on campus, mostly at the fountain, depending on the weather.

Rose Bear, a campus minister with Baptist Collegiate Ministry, said she has not seen Faulkner preaching on campus, but she said Christians approach proselytizing in a variety of ways: preaching in public and passing out Bibles, or they do so in private, sharing personal stories with others or praying for those who reject God.

"Different people come to God in different ways, and a variety of methods is needed," Rose said. "The key is in Ephesians 4:15: 'speaking the truth in love.'"

Faulkner said he takes every chance to preach in public, but he's feeling an added sense of pressure this year.

"I'm more nervous now than ever, now that I'm in with the people I'm ministering to," he said. Being a part of campus has forced him to make some adjustments and compromises, learning how to approach people and situations cooperatively and with an open mind.

"It's a shock to see the lifestyles of some students," Faulkner said. "But I'm adjusting. I'm learning to work with people. God calls on us to be uncomfortable sometimes."