4 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 15, 2003 ." ' ' ..... Jason Wallace, a member of the Reformation Fellowship, spreads his message of finding God near the Union Bowling Alley. Where A Campus Minister Dedicates His Life to Teaching the Bible free gift: books and God. Spread out in front of him are a Story by variety of Christian Richard Markosian Photos by faith-relate- d books. "Take anything you want as long as you read it," he says to students. Very well versed on Bible passages, Wallace tells students to be - Jeremy Harmon Jason Wallace sits at a tabic in a noisy area on the first floor of the Union Building. On his right, a small crowd gathers, taking turns on the electronic dance machine. On his left, a sign reads "free gifts." "Would like a free gift today?" Wallace asks students who pass by. lie isn't trying to sign people up for credit-base- d consumption, he is there to give away a different sort of careful with their hearts and be careful with what they believe. "Ideas have consequences...all answers to any difficult religious questions are found from the word." "The word" Wallace refers to is the Bible. Reciting chapter and verse many passages from memoryhe believes he can demonstrate why some churches are untrue and why others are true. "Can you tell me who is saved and what it means to be saved?" a "He is there to give away a different sort of free gift: books and God." student asks him. Who is saved? According to ihe Bible, only God knows. No one believes this more than Wallace. According to Wallace, a member of the Reformation Fellowship, the key to salvation is knowledge that i w. x (I A " Wallace decided to learn about Cod after a one is dead in sin without Christ. He says that one must understand and know the holiness of God before a person can truly under- - girlfriend tried to brainwash him into joining a cult. stand the lowly state they are in. "'No one is righteous, no, not a one,'" Wallace said, quoting the apostle Paul. "Nearly everybody is running away from God, all try to hide God from their lives in their own way, some through sex, some by using drugs, some through work, many hide from God in religion." Wallace says he was running away from God using religion. "Religion and rituals can distract you with outward activities so that you don't have to actually look at your own heart," he said. Wallace thought he was living an upright fairly righteous life in comparison to his peers. The problem was, according to Wallace, "You can't make comparisons between yourself and the world around you, and only God sets the standard." He says that he has learned this lesson first hand. Wallace was unknowingly dating a girl who belonged to a cult, "complete with brainwashing and automatic weapons." She tried to get him to become a member by reciting. Bible verses claiming their living prophet and lifestyle is the true Christian way. "I was fumbling around, I didn't know the right words to say. I didn't know my Bible. I found out I really didn't know God," Wallace said. "When I was confronted by the God of the Bible I was drawn to my knees and in tears. It was like for the first time the mask was pulled off and I could see who I really was and I could see for the first time my real need of a savior from sin. Like the old hymn Amazing Grace, 'twas Grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.'" It was then that he decided to devote his life to God. He enrolled in seminary classes observing the world around him in a new way. Now, Wallace sees how common it is for people to use religion to run away from God like he did. After visiting Utah in 1988, he saw the Salt Lake Valley as an ideal setting for establishing a ministry. Ten years later, his wife and four children moved to Salt Lake City to help establish the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Wallace's beliefs are focused on d Christian worship services. He adheres to the beliefs established during the first Protestant Reformation. "We sing Psalms as it has been done since the very beginning in Christian worship," he said. Wallace has studied the history of Christianity and has opinions on modern Christian practices. He says the traditional Christian has changed drafamily make-u- p matically in the past 100 years. "It used to be the father at the head of the table reading from the Bible, but by the end of the 19th century it was mother playing the organ, acting as the spiritual head of the household. Fathers surrendered this role because they no longer wanted to be bothered with it." According to Wallace, this isn't time-honore- Biblical. "New movements in feminism contradict God's word." He backs his claims with quotes from and Timothy in the Bible. He also sees a dramatic change in the nature of Christian worship. In the past, Christians always exhibited reverence before God. "The very idea that God was nailed on a cross to die for our sins our was stir to enough services see we emotions...Now, with endless courses, dancing and entertainment meant to produce a warm fuzzy feeling, but with little or no content. Traditional service is what has stood the test of time Eph-esia- see BIBLES, page 6