Brother Jim
Encyclopedia
James Gilles better known as Jim Gilles or more commonly Brother Jim, is an American
evangelist
whose ministry is concentrated on college campuses, particularly in Indiana
, Kentucky
, Ohio
, and surrounding areas. He is currently based out of Symsonia, Kentucky
.
. As early as eighth grade, Gilles was already beginning to embrace the counter culture lifestyle that was still strong in the early 1970s. His first major encounter with law enforcement came during his freshman year of high school when he was arrested for possession of alcoholic beverages and under 30 grams of marijuana. Not more than a month later, Gilles was once again arrested for possession of alcohol and marijuana following an automobile accident driven by a friend. Heavy pot usage eventually led Gilles to harder drugs including cocaine. The drugs also led him to lose jobs three different times by the time he was 18.
A lifestyle of alcohol
abuse, heavy drug
use, and an obsession with muscle car
s began to take a toll on Jim Gilles. In 1980, an unemployed and desperate Gilles was persuaded by his brother's former roommate to start attending church and reading the Bible
. The chance encounter eventually led to Gilles completely changing his lifestyle on November 7, 1980, while Gilles was attending a Van Halen
rock concert. Van Halen's original lead singer, David Lee Roth
, shouted to the crowd, "Not even God
can save your soul at a Van Halen concert." Roth then began to sing their hit song, "Runnin' with the Devil
".
in his home church about a year after his conversion, Jim Gilles arranged to preach with Jed at Southern Illinois University
for a week during his vacation time. The two worked well together, and they arranged to work together for another week with Max Lynch and Cindy Lassiter the following spring. In the fall of 1982, Gilles began preaching full-time with Brother Jed, Max Lynch and Cindy Lassiter. He has since travelled nationwide to 328 colleges and universities preaching to students.
Gilles utilizes the "confrontational evangelism" variant of evangelism that is shared by many street-preachers and other evangelicals, who hope that a spiritual rebuke will influence sinners to repent. Brother Jim's confrontational style of preaching have resulted in him being arrested at least 30 times in the last 25 years for various charges ranging from trespassing, loitering
, disorderly conduct
, breach of peace and unreasonable noise on university campuses and public sidewalks.
Most recently, Brother Jim gained media attention when he filed a federal lawsuit
against Murray State University
in late September 2006. The lawsuit alleges that Murray State deprived him of his rights to free speech when he was told that he would have to stop preaching until he secured sponsorship from a campus organization. Gilles contended that he has frequented Murray State since the 1980s and never before required a sponsor. Giles lost the lawsuit when the court ruled Murray State's speech policy requiring speakers to obtain on-campus sponsors is legal. However, he reached a settlement to be allowed to speak on the Murray State campus in November 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
whose ministry is concentrated on college campuses, particularly in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and surrounding areas. He is currently based out of Symsonia, Kentucky
Symsonia, Kentucky
Symsonia is a census-designated place in Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The community lies in the far northeastern part of the county, southeast of Paducah, northwest of Benton, and north of the county seat Mayfield, in the Jackson Purchase region of the state...
.
Early life
James Gilles was born in 1962 in Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
. As early as eighth grade, Gilles was already beginning to embrace the counter culture lifestyle that was still strong in the early 1970s. His first major encounter with law enforcement came during his freshman year of high school when he was arrested for possession of alcoholic beverages and under 30 grams of marijuana. Not more than a month later, Gilles was once again arrested for possession of alcohol and marijuana following an automobile accident driven by a friend. Heavy pot usage eventually led Gilles to harder drugs including cocaine. The drugs also led him to lose jobs three different times by the time he was 18.
A lifestyle of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
abuse, heavy drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
use, and an obsession with muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
s began to take a toll on Jim Gilles. In 1980, an unemployed and desperate Gilles was persuaded by his brother's former roommate to start attending church and reading the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The chance encounter eventually led to Gilles completely changing his lifestyle on November 7, 1980, while Gilles was attending a Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
rock concert. Van Halen's original lead singer, David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
, shouted to the crowd, "Not even God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
can save your soul at a Van Halen concert." Roth then began to sing their hit song, "Runnin' with the Devil
Runnin' With the Devil
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a rock song and the first track from Van Halen's 1978 eponymous debut album. The song lyrics were inspired by the Ohio Players song "Runnin' from the Devil". In 2009 it was named the 9th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1....
".
The Campus Ministry
After meeting Brother JedBrother Jed
George Edward Smock , better known as Brother Jed, or Jed Smock, is an American evangelist whose ministry is concentrated on college campuses. In his autobiography, he states that he has preached at most major universities in all fifty states...
in his home church about a year after his conversion, Jim Gilles arranged to preach with Jed at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
for a week during his vacation time. The two worked well together, and they arranged to work together for another week with Max Lynch and Cindy Lassiter the following spring. In the fall of 1982, Gilles began preaching full-time with Brother Jed, Max Lynch and Cindy Lassiter. He has since travelled nationwide to 328 colleges and universities preaching to students.
Gilles utilizes the "confrontational evangelism" variant of evangelism that is shared by many street-preachers and other evangelicals, who hope that a spiritual rebuke will influence sinners to repent. Brother Jim's confrontational style of preaching have resulted in him being arrested at least 30 times in the last 25 years for various charges ranging from trespassing, loitering
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
, disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
, breach of peace and unreasonable noise on university campuses and public sidewalks.
Most recently, Brother Jim gained media attention when he filed a federal lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
in late September 2006. The lawsuit alleges that Murray State deprived him of his rights to free speech when he was told that he would have to stop preaching until he secured sponsorship from a campus organization. Gilles contended that he has frequented Murray State since the 1980s and never before required a sponsor. Giles lost the lawsuit when the court ruled Murray State's speech policy requiring speakers to obtain on-campus sponsors is legal. However, he reached a settlement to be allowed to speak on the Murray State campus in November 2007.