Standing atop a 5-gallon bucket, the preacher clutched his Bible and railed against the sins of tourists.
A crowd, mostly teenagers, gathered around him and his partner, who silently held a large yellow sign, on the Boardwalk near 17th Street. More began wandering over from the Dairy Queen, as the man known as "Tommy Paul" launched into a sermon on drugs and sex out of wedlock.
"God will judge you!" he shouted. "Marijuana makes you feel good when you're down - it's a delusion! I was a hippie back in the '60s, I know what I'm talking about!"
Some in the crowd snickered. Others rolled their eyes. A woman pushing a stroller shouted, "Shut up!"
But Tommy Paul kept going, lambasting "rebellious women" and provocative attire. He lit into homosexuality. He lamented children stealing from their parents.
Tommy Paul - whose real name is Tommy Pouchie (poo- shay) - and other preachers along the Oceanfront walk a fine line between giving a sermon and angering tourists. Police say some have incited crowds or provoked assaults that led to criminal charges.
Pouchie, 57, of Norfolk, hasn't been cited since 2006, when a Virginia Beach officer charged him with disturbing the peace for preaching too loudly. His friend, David W. Gibson, has had several run-ins with the law during 25 years of street preaching, including two incidents this summer. Both involved women who accused him of calling them names.
The first case was dismissed after the woman didn't show up in court. The women involved in the second case declined to press charges.
Gibson, 60, is a parts-delivery driver and pastor of True Vine Baptist Church, a Norfolk congregation with about 35 members. He makes no apologies for his sermons.
"The way women are dressed down at the beach, I think that's harlot's attire," said Gibson, who has denied disparaging any woman in particular.
"The Gospel is offensive to some, and to others, it's good. That's just the way it is... I'm trying to awaken the conscience of nonbelievers that they're going to be held to account by God one day," he said.
"We do win souls, do have some folks get converted, but it's not that kind of ministry. It's an awakening of the conscience."
Conversion may be an ambition, but Pouchie acknowledged street preaching isn't the most effective method to achieve it. A gentler tack wouldn't attract attention, he said.
"Our ministry is a shock-and-awe of evangelism," Pouchie said, "and we're into the face of the sinner with the sins."
Liz Phillips, who lives near the Oceanfront, finds that approach "just really disruptive."
"If a group of teens stood around and screamed like that, it would be construed as disrupting the peace," she said. "It's not the message so much that I have a problem with. It's the way they convey it. It's, like, militant."
That style has led to fights, including one this summer when a preacher was assaulted by two military service members, said police Capt. Tony Zucaro, who commands the city's 2nd Precinct and Oceanfront operations.
All three were charged with disturbing the peace, but the preacher declined to press charges, Zucaro said.
"Citing them is a last resort," police spokesman Adam Bernstein said. "Our difficult job is trying to make both sides happy: giving this guy the platform to say what he wants to say, but keeping a peaceful resort area for all the visitors we have coming in."
Pouchie and a preaching partner, Byron Pulongbarit, 36, said they wouldn't report attacks to police unless they were injured. Both said they had been shoved and spit on. Once, Pouchie said, a woman hit him with a bag of rotten fish. "All we did was preach the cross of Christ," Pulongbarit said. "There's something spiritual about that that gets people angry."
That, and the large yellow sign they carry that condemns, among others, "rebellious women," "foolish drunks" and "anarchists."
On the night they preached near the Dairy Queen, Pouchie ended a brief break by raising the sign.
"As soon as I put this one up, people come," Pouchie said. "It's like honey to the bees."
Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com
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It Is Done
It Is Done.
Salvation has been achieved through Jesus.
Use science (biblical science too) to make life better.
Jesus will teach people the true gospel at his return.
Build for the Kingdom, which will be here RIGHT ON EARTH.
No people were forsaken to "hell."
So stop postponing the progress with dark age misinterpretations.
We're all the same. The world is to blame for the way people are.
Go after the "institutionalized lies" and not the people.
You were given the tools. Use them with wisdom.
Gertz Point
The thing is that the Apostle Paul talked about using the method appropriate to the person. For some hardcore folks (read: guys), this method may actually work. Not for you, Gertz, and probably not for me. But we wouldn't go there either, would we? Cheers, MGM
Why there's a hell
1. God is the judge (Psalm 75)
2. Everyone is going to be judged by his standard (Hebrews 9:27, Romans 14:10 Revelation 20:13)
3. The guilty (Revelation 21:8) get God's death sentence which is the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:41). The saved/redeemed are pardoned through God's salvation provision and spiritual legal advocate, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Gertz...
Here's the mindset Tommy Paul has towards the unsaved:
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
tommy paul
I don't think Tommy Paul is doing anything right to promote christianity. Infact, I think he is a complete turn off, and would chase off those he is tryig to save. Going back to my childhood of Baptist preachers who preached "at us", well.....the whole thing makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
If I encountered Tommy Paul, I would have to RUN to a safe distance out of ear-shot. To me, IT IS that traumatic!
Ed
All kinds of possible scenarios can be set up, but thankfully, if there is a God, He is the one who knows our hearts and He is the one who gets to be the judge of what is in them. People attribute evil to each other all of the time, from their own paranoia or because the person's ways are unfamiliar to them, or whatever. But God knows hearts and knows who belongs to Him. I am glad I don't have to judge all of that. Cheers, MGM
Hitler a Christian?
Jesus also talked about people who would do things in his name (like Hitler) claiming Christianity
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
narrow minded Christians
Jesus Christ and his apostles were real NARROW minded
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
What was the reaction of his opposers?
Luke 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
Mary,
I did not say that he did, I was just setting up a possible scenerio that may be true.
mary
Religion is such a touchy subject, and hard to discuss in the first place. What I resent is people who claim their religion is the only right one and the rest are just wrong (believe as I do or go to hell).
I hope you are doing well.
Ed
Hitler ended up rewriting the Christmas songs and hymns to do homage to himself. I don't think he left this world believing in God, despite what he may have done as a child. And, no, I don't believe infant baptism gets a person "saved" forever (except perhaps the parents, who are actually making the commitment for the child). Cheers, MGM
P.S. Sorry, Gertz, the limitations of these posts makes us all a bit terse in explaining our theologies, etc.
Jealous City Officials for Neptune god
Who is really offending our tourist city? Is it Virginia Beach’s Neptune god or God’s preachers? Remember Judgment Day!
mary
You only heard a small portion of my faith. Please don't give it a label. I don't believe in hearven or hell. When we die, we are dead!Thanks!
Gertz Point
In case you ever want a label for that belief, it is called universalism and it is making inroads in the Christian faith nowadays (other groups have been universalists all along). The Christian universalists teach that salvation does come through Christ's death and resurrection, but that everyone gets to be saved, with or without their choice of that option, because Christ's death covers all sin, not just repented sin.
I don't believe that myself, because I do believe in hell. I wish no one had to go there, but I think some will.
Then there are the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. who believe in annihilationism. That means that those who are not saved don't go to hell, they go to "soul sleep" and never wake up again.
Just thought I would throw in some interesting doctrinal differences. Cheers, MGM
Freedom of Speech
These men are not scared to say what they think. They mostly have a postive message. Someone needs to talk about problems. Bring it to the streets. I walk past the same preachers on the boardwalk or main strip at the resort. They do not bother me. Keep on walking or stop and listen.
mary
If God is all forgiving I think people like Hitler whould have been forgiven and so would the jews. Just a thought!
But Mary,
According to modern Christian beliefs, if Hitler chose Jesus as his savior, he would be in Heaven right now... Anyone who has read Mein Kampf will tell you that he was a Christian. Or do Catholics not count?
Gertz Point
Just curious about your theology, but, if everybody goes to heaven, what is to keep heaven from seeming like hell to the Jews who have to interact with Hitler there (esp the ones who died by his hand). Or the people murdered by Mao Tse Tung or Pol Pot or Mussolini who have to look up and see them there, fully forgiven for their sins without ever having repented. Cheers, MGM
I love these guys!
Between them and the televangelists, hopefully this mythology will die soon.
crazy street preachers
is this the same guy who harasses everyone in line outside the norva? he yells about "rebellious women" in miniskirts