Matt Bourgault, a missionary from the Consuming Fires Campus Ministry, was present on the University of Wyoming campus on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Bourgault carried with him a sign that called for sinners to repent, and it warned of the disastrous consequences of going to hell. His remarks directed at passing students and faculty eventually created a large gathering that lasted for several hours.
Students generally had a negative reaction to “Brother Matt’s” message, and several students shouted at him throughout the afternoon. Brother Matt himself was quoted as saying a wide variety of inflammatory remarks, including calling Muslim students terrorists, saying that all gay people were pedophiles, and saying, “I used to put people like you in jail,” to a black man. When asked what he meant by “You people,” he responded, “drug dealers, rapists, and criminals.”
While most students did not agree with Bourgault’s message, some were on his side. One student who supported Bourgault was punched by another student, which was the only violent altercation in the event. This came after the group of supporters was making remarks to support Bourgault, yelling various slurs at the counter-protesters in the crowd. One counter protestor, Dana Porter, when asked about what Bourgault was trying to accomplish stated, “He’s trying to change our mind to make us less accepting of other human beings who are just living their lives.” Porter also stated that she thought it was possible to have a respectful dialogue with him, saying, “I believe if I could just sit down with him I would . . . I believe in spreading love instead of hate.”
Other students claimed that he was simply spreading hatred. Elias Khan said, “He never met me, he called me a terrorist. There is no saving that man.” Another, Sev Newsom, espousing a similar sentiment, said “He called me filthy . . . he’s literally just profiling me based off of looks.”
Gay students kissed in front of the man, and one girl was quoted as saying “Allahu Akbar, I love women!”
When reached out for comment, Bourgault was asked several questions about the nature of his presence on campus. “I’m a missionary from Consuming Fire Campus Ministries, have been for 25 years… The Lord saved me and then he called me to preach as a missionary on campus.” Consuming Fires Campus ministries is an organization that sends preachers to various campuses around the United States with the aim of converting college students. When asked about where his strong faith came from, he stated, “We all have a measure of faith. Everybody does… I was in college, and I got under conviction of the Holy Spirit. Another friend of mine had recently gotten born again. It was a change, he turned his life over to Jesus, and Jesus changed him. Everything fell away, no more booze, no drugs … You know, repent or perish. People here are in danger.” Bourgault stated that his message was not supposed to be a controversial one, but that it was biblically destined to be one. “It doesn’t make the message wrong, actually it complements the message.”
“Brother Matt,” as he preferred to be called, certainly introduced a divisive topic to the University of Wyoming Campus. While reactions were incredibly varied on the man’s speech, it certainly created a buzz around the whole school. Brother Matt has stated he will be returning to the campus in the near future and will continue to preach his message.
