Police warn `fiery' preacher over alleged verbal abuse

Evangelist preacher Stephen White, better known on Penn's campus as "Brother Stephen," incurred not the wrath of God, but of two University Police officers yesterday, after he allegedly called a female graduate student a "whore."

The student, who asked not to be identified, was walking past White's fiery presentation on College Green at around 2 p.m. and was reportedly singled out from the crowd. She said White "walked up" to her, "stuck his finger forward and said, `Burn whore, burn.'"

The student, who is pursuing a doctorate in the School of Arts and Sciences, entered nearby Van Pelt Library to call University Police. Two officers arrived on the scene roughly a half hour later and eventually approached White, serving him with a formal warning.

According to White, who has almost become a fixture on College Green during the warm-weather months, the incident was his first formal exchange with University Police.

"It's the first time police approached me at Penn," White said, interrupting his sermon on sexual purity before a crowd of amused onlookers. "I called no one a whore, yet."

But according to the complaintant, what allegedly happened to her is not out of character for White, who visits campus several times a year.

"He specifically picks women who are dressed in a specific way," the graduate student said, although she felt "that wasn't the case" with her.

She said she complained to police to get White's alleged actions on record.

"I've had students complain to me about it, so I wanted to report it," she said.

White, who runs a campus ministry at Temple University, said he always obeys the law, although he added,"If I have to disobey the police, I will."

White has been in trouble with police before, at other college campuses. In 1998, he was arrested for trespassing at Princeton University after police received complaints that he was disrupting classes with his preaching.

And while at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, White reportedly was told to leave campus and when he did not, was arrested.

"I was out there preaching on public property," White said. "They called the police [who] told me to leave. I did not. They arrested me." White said.

White said he is currently in the process of taking legal action against St. Joe's.

In reference to the alleged incident yesterday, Matt Bourgaulp, another preacher who was with White, said that the police officers who approached White told him he was not doing anything wrong.

"They told us we didn't do anything," said Bourgaulp, who runs the Consuming Fire Campus Ministries.

White contended that he was not even calling people names, and was justified in what he was saying.

"God wrote it," White said. "A woman who opens their legs whether for money or not... The Bible calls that individual a whore."

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