A group of six evangelical self-titled Christian missionaries arrived on campus around 11 this morning. Stationed at the Bell Tower, they spoke about their beliefs to a growing crowd of students.

The men were from different churches around the country, including Poquoson Baptist Church in Poquoson, Virginia and Lighthouse Bible Fellowship in Fremont, California. They were organized by Robert Parker of Christians from Bread of Life Fellowship in New Jersey.

“We travel to college campuses because we want to make [the Gospel] known to this current generation,” Virginia retiree Don Karns said. Karns also said the “cross-country evangelism” is performed by independent born-again Christians across the US, organized via Facebook groups.

At its peak, there were approximately 100 people gathered around the Bell Tower. Most in the crowd were students, with some faculty members interspersed.

Temple Police also arrived to monitor the situation.

The evangelists and students engaged in heated discourse about topics like evolution, premarital sex and same-sex marriage. There was no physical violence but several students came close to the evangelists and several of them were shouting.

Students held up handwritten signs saying, “On behalf of the Christian people, I apologize” and “Coexist” to counter the evangelists’ “Evolution is a lie” posters.

“It’s a complete waste of time on both sides,” Eddie Ntuk, a junior biology major said. “People are just spitting opinions. They come close-minded.”

Several students spoke individually with the evangelists. Other students gathered into smaller discussion groups. The evangelists visit Temple approximately two times a year.