Student reactions to free New Testament booklets vary

Taurean Willingham, center right, freshman in Business, carries a copy of the New Testament given to him by Paul Otto, center left, of Arthur, Illinois. Erica Magda

By Marie Wilson

Staff Writer

They stood at the corners of paths on the Quad in groups of two or on their own, holding out their hands and offering small green booklets to people as they passed by.

There were about 70 of them on campus Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and they were all men.

They were members of the Christian group Gideons International, and their presence meant Wednesday was free New Testament day.

Members of the evangelical organization stop at the University once a year on a visit they plan in advance, said Craig Berger, a Gideon since 1997.

"We like to distribute the Word hand to hand whenever possible," said Berger, 56.

Berger and his fellow evangelists manned their posts on the Quad, as well as along Gregory Drive, Matthews Avenue and Wright Street Wednesday as part of their mission to deliver God's word, specifically in the form of the Bible and the New Testament.

Gideons International began in 1899 when three Christian businessmen united to serve God and spread his word, according to the group's Web site.

Now, the group has members in 180 countries handing out Bibles in 80 languages. Berger said the local Gideons branches, called camps, visit hospitals, high schools and law offices as well as public and private college campuses to distribute their materials.

On campus, some students walked by the Gideons while listening to music or rode by on their bikes without pausing.

"If I don't get people's eyes, I figure they're not interested," Berger said. "That's fine; I don't want to bother people."

Kieffer Milam, a Gideon for three years, said he estimated 15 to 20 percent of people who passed by his spot in front of the Chemistry Annex on the Quad stopped to take a New Testament booklet.

Casey Barnash, freshman in Engineering, decided to pass by Milam's spot because he said he is not religious and did not want a copy of the New Testament.

Though he was not interested, Barnash said the Gideons presence did not bother him.

"They're nice guys," Barnash said. "They might make some people uncomfortable, because some people are uncomfortable with religion. But that's their own thing, whatever they want to do."

Milam, 71, thought the Gideons would be able to distribute about 7,000 copies of the New Testament throughout the day. They brought 11,700 with them.

Reactions to the Gideons and their offer of free religious literature were mixed, Berger said.

A response he heard often: "I already have one."

Megan McGovern, sophomore in LAS, declined to take one of the small green booklets from Berger because she already had one.

She said she remembered seeing the Gideons on campus last year and said she took a copy of the New Testament and went on with her day.

Moon-Whan Park, senior in Business, said he took a New Testament because he is a Christian. The Gideons presence on campus did not make him uncomfortable, he said.

"They were not screaming any line from the Bible, and they were not forcing people," Park said. "They were just standing there. I had to ask him for it."