It really is impressive. The courage it takes do what they do is seldom present in our world — I’m perpetually in awe of their conviction. I know I couldn’t do it.

Occasionally, one will parade through the courtyards outside Hayden Library on the Tempe campus. Strict condemnation and no capacity for any form of an excuse, they plead with us to re-examine the hardness of the gospel.

With each quoted verse, another snarl from the crowd floods his mind. He blocks out the profanities, the insults, the outright disrespect and continues to speak louder and louder. More and more people gather to see what this guy is made of.

His yell is heard, but whatever he says will be disregarded because this is not the way it should be done. Right? I mean, seriously, times have changed. The street preacher is outdated. We’ve heard it all before anyway.

But for some reason, we keep gathering and we keep listening. There never ceases to be a crowd of outraged argumentative participators and offended onlookers. You can see it in their eyes; the disgust practically flows from their skin.

It’s almost as if whatever he is saying is the most outrageous and evil thing ever, or… It’s painfully true with vital implications.

The urgency of his presentation, the offensive approach and the disregard for all reasonable questions can only lead us to believe the former.

I once heard a story of a youth pastor who was supposedly happily married and successfully leading a growing youth group at a respectable church. He helped lead many adolescents into faith, which is a hard enough task in itself. He was a likable person and a good speaker, with a passion for what he did. He eventually left the church for unnamed reasons.

A select few were told that he had slept with another female leader in the youth group and was immediately fired. It was truly an undisputed tragedy and unfortunate situation.

Although I was initially marked with disgust, I soon realized that the message he conveyed was not nullified, nor a single one of his words void.

I acknowledge his credibility had been badly damaged, if not annihilated, but mistakes don’t cancel out all previous good that his ministry had done.

If you believe in God, I think we can agree that God is in the places we least expect Him. And if you don’t believe in God, wouldn’t you agree that the closest thing to God you’ve experienced has been in the most bizarre or unexpected circumstances?

I think the next time you hear his voice roaring outside the library, you will stop, listen and consider, or you will walk by trying to ignore the obnoxious thunder of the words pounding in your head. Either way, he is making you think, and I believe that is a good thing.

I know I cringe at the incessant banter each time I hear it. Regardless, I refuse to believe he is incapable of good or that his presence is completely worthless, though he is often treated as such.

Because usually, the message is significantly more important than the messenger.

So please, don’t kill the messenger.

Reach Houston at houston.friend@asu.edu.