Page 2 of 2

What was it like when Bryan Hall approached you for the first time?
Most Mormons are obedient, and when they are told to leave the conference, they don't look at us or talk to us. It turned out that Bryan stepped out in faith. He made the initial contact. I'm sure he was a little bit nervous. He looked a bit intimidated. He asked a handful of questions, and then lots of things were happening around us, so he asked me to come out for lunch.

I know that Mormons are told not to make any contact, so it was rare for someone to approach me like that. Because it was rare, I decided to spend some quality time with him.

That night, I invited him to dinner at a place where we were staying. He brought drinks or something—I know he didn't come empty-handed. We forgot about the camera and the sound system and just talked to each other.

Now, I see him every time I am in Salt Lake City. One of the interesting things about his film is that he showed a different side of me. Some of the Mormons at his church gave him a hard time because it humanized me instead of making me look like a monster. He took it on a leap of faith.

We talk regularly. I'm a Lakers fan, and he's a Jazz fan. He'll call me and talk about how the Jazz beat the Lakers. We do more than just argue about religion and politics.

What props do you use when you preach?
One year, I drilled a hole through a Book of Mormon and dragged it on the floor for the three days I was there. Only one little old lady had the courage to say, "Please don't drag my holy book." I'm one of those guys who waves the Mormon underwear. I believe that the underwear that Mormons consider sacred—according to Mormon founders, it was supposed to be all the way to your wrists and ankles and neck—and that was considered sacred. With Mormons today, it's like most stuff: They've modified it. I want to say, if you're angry with me for waving it, your church has mangled it. Some things that took place in the temple used to take several hours, and now they take about an hour and a half. They've mangled a lot of things. The founders believed in having multiple wives. Why don't Mormons have multiple wives now? I don't think Mormons believe in the Book of Mormon. The Mormon church has become a business.

Have you met other Mormons at Hall's house?
We try to work out times when Bryan is home, and put aside one day for Q & A. Mormons can come there and pick my brain. They ask me questions like, "Who supports you?" and a gazillion other questions they might be ashamed to ask on the street. It's not a problem for me. I go to college campuses and preach and take question after question. I have nothing to hide. I'm not going to plead the Fifth and not answer. My whole purpose is to talk. Since Bryan's film, you will be surprised how many Mormons come up and talk to me. They give me prayer requests, and ask me to pray for certain people. Much of that was the foundation of a man [Hall] who stepped out in faith, in what might be termed disobedience, but was actually something much better than that.

What about Mormons and street preaching?
What we've done is very biblical. I told Bryan, do you know that you have a street preacher in the Book of Mormon? There is a picture of a person standing on a wall with a light. That is a man who was preaching. It caught him off guard. Street preaching is a way that God has used to communicate. If you have a newspaper or a radio station, you have to buy it. If you have a church, people have to go inside. I raise the voice to stir up conversation. I just simply read the Bible and was inspired at age 18. I've been doing it for 35 years. Away from this, I live a regular life, have a normal family, take the trash out and walk my dog. Then, when it comes time, I convey God's message.

Speaking of funding, how are you supported? How does your ministry receive offerings?
I own a business, and so that's primarily how I do most of my travel. However on my website, OfficialStreetPreacher.com, there is a donation window. We are not a 501(c)(3), so I'm not married to the state, because I do partake in preaching against politics.

What congregation are you affiliated with?
It is a nondenominational group called Bible Believers. That is the actual church started in the Bible, so we are just going back to the roots of Christianity. That is why meeting in homes is paramount to us. At home churches, we pick up a lot of people who, over the years, have been spiritually and physically abused by churches. We are like their last resort before they throw in the towel on Christianity. They feel more comfortable in a living room than on a pew. We'll also even welcome Mormons.

Church is good, but having faith in Jesus Christ and staying with the Bible is what God wants. We have home churches and home Bible studies. We network across the United States.

Where would someone go if they feel called to be a street preacher?
All they would have to do is look at my website, let me know what city or state they are in, and I would recommend them to a group or an individual in that location.

What it is like when you come to Salt Lake City and visit Bryan?
I'll stay at his house and have breakfast. On the days I preach, I'm gone by 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and I don't get back until 8:30 at night. He brings food to me. He'll even bring me coffee. Can you believe a Mormon bringing caffeine? I might see him at conference, and we might say a few things to each other. We're almost like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. We sometimes go at each other, then we clock out and are friends again. At his house, I'm like any other guest. He would give me the keys to his house, and the key to his car. When I'm done, I'll play pool.

One thing you did align with the Mormon church on was your support of California's Prop 8?
I went to Conference at the time of Proposition 8 and thanked the church for promoting Proposition 8. I give credit where credit is due. I'm in favor of traditional marriage.

Have you also come to Utah to preach during the Utah Pride Festival?
Yes, I have, as a matter of fact, I go back to when they had a permit to walk from a local park on a residential street, to now when the parade route goes all the way up to Brigham Young's home and then they make a U-turn and then finish their route at the City & County Building. It's a lifestyle that God considers an abomination and reprobate. It's a sin that has crept into Christianity and has now invaded Mormonism. I just hope to preach God's standard to homosexuals. If Salt Lake City hosted an adultery pride parade or a fornication pride parade or a masturbation pride parade, we would be there, too. Those are only an invitation for someone like me to be there.

How often do you preach?
Several times a month. I fly out of Los Angeles to Phoenix, to Washington, DC. I travel all over the nation to different events where I meet with very active Christians and we preach a standard against whatever event is happening. If somebody wishes to give a message to the Mormon church, conference would be the time to do it, which is why I come. In Los Angeles, there is a lot of Hollywood type stuff, movie awards, Hollywood Boulevard, Beverly Hills, college campuses, beaches and book signings—just to name a few

Do you have a day job?
For over 25 years, I have been a contractor.

How large is your family? How many mouths do you have to feed?
Right now, it is just my wife and me because our son and daughter have grown up and are now productive citizens.

Does your family understand your need to travel?
Yes, they do. They would have to be understanding, being married to me. That would be like Obama's daughters not being active in being an American. This is the way of life, and personally, we don't know of Christianity any other way. After 35 years, it is like breathing. They know if they don't see me in person, they can watch me on the local news somewhere in America.

Do you hope to convert people?
Oftentimes, we don't see the conversion. Somebody else gets the conversion. That's the way Christianity works. My job is just being faithful to my job, to plant seed, water seed and hope that somebody else gets that harvest.

What do you believe yourself?
That the Bible is the word of God.

How do Mormons respond to your message?
Most have been very nice. During conference, when we go to lunch and dinner, there are Mormons who approach us and say they would like to buy our meal and sit down and talk.

The worst beatings I've ever got have been from Jews and Muslims. Catholics have been known to whip us with the rosary beads when we speak against the Vatican and the Pope.

There are lots of police around us. I've been punched more times than I can remember, jailed more times than I can remember. It's just part of the deal. If they did it to Jesus, it's not going to be any different for me. People are not going to like you for what you have to say. The day I start doing this so people will like me is the day I hang up my megaphone.

What would you say to Mormons and others who read this story?
Learn a lesson from Bryan and come on out and spend some time.