'On the Edge'
A great deal of this website is based on and draws inspiration from a 2009 in-depth report compiled by Matt Comer.
Download a .PDF copy of "On the Edge: Religious militancy in the Queen City" by clicking on the image below. This Aug. 2, 2011, print version of the original online report contains an informational preface.
Background
On July 25, 2009, Dr. Michael Brown held his first "God Has A Better Way" rally at Pride Charlotte, which was held in Uptown Charlotte at Gateway Village. Accompanying Brown was radical evangelist Lou Engle of "TheCall" and approximately 500 followers.
In preparing for his rally, Brown and Engle entered into three weeks of prayer and fasting preceeding the event. Engle was on hand at the kick-off, where his use of violent and militant imagery and allegory surpassed even that of Brown's.
The 2009 "God Has A Better Way" rally went peacefully, though many reports of uncomfortable LGBT attendees of the Pride Charlotte Festival flowed in to festival organizers. Held on private property, some protesters were asked to leave after attendees complained of harassment. One protester, street preacher Flip Benham (who, in 2011, was convicted of stalking a local abortion doctor), was asked to leave after he broke out in a violent outburst, standing on top of a chair and preaching condemnation toward peaceful Pride Charlotte attendees.
God Has A Better Way 2011
On Aug. 27, 2011, Brown will again bring protesters to Pride Charlotte. As in 2009, Brown kicked off his event with three weeks of prayer and fasting. Though Engle was not present at the kick-off, it was announced he'd be participating in the event. Brown has since said Engle will not be in Charlotte on Aug. 27.
Brown and his followers will meet at noon at First Baptist Church in Uptown Charlotte on 3rd and Davidson Sts. There they will meet in prayer for an hour before marching up to the Pride Charlotte Festival, to be held on S. Tryon St., between 3rd and Stonewall Sts., where they will "either walk through or surround the event to evangelize, sing, pray, hand out water, and reach out with love to those in attendance while resisting the agenda."
Learn more about Brown and Engle, their use of militant and violent ideologies and more in the menu to the left.
Note: The material on this website and its various pages are the sole opinion of Matt Comer and are not endorsed by or affiliated with and may not represent the opinions or views of organizations or individuals with which Matt Comer may be affiliated or associated.