On Tuesday, I had an opportunity to watch Chris Elston, known as Billboard Chris, do what he does best: say reasonable things to people and let them make up their minds about a contentious issue.
Calvin followed us from the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where a crowd of 40 to 50 young people had gathered around Chris like a magnet until campus security told us to leave.
When we found the Jehovah’s Witnesses recruiting across the street from the campus, we knew we had found a safe space for free speech again and rested outside a convenient restaurant. That’s where Calvin caught up to us.
He wanted to ask questions, and Chris asked if it was okay to record. You can watch their entire conversation in the above video. My overlong write-up of the experience follows.
I sat close by, sending a tweet and keeping an eye out for anyone who might approach us. Colin Wright of Reality’s Last Stand sat down with us to observe. He is a scientist. I am an historian. Chris is a…
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