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"Brother" Ross Jackson preaching in Virginia Commonwealth University's free speech zone. (Kate Lewanowicz)

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Crowds gathered in the free speech zone at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., to listen to visiting street preacher “Brother” Ross Jackson.

Many students, however, found his message to be anything but “good news.”

Jackson, who refers to himself as “just a Bible-believing, born-again Christian," preached for several hours over two recent afternoons, often elevating his voice in order to speak to a growing audience. His message was simple:

“Turn to Jesus Christ. You might die today. If you die in sin, you will end up in hell.”

But that wasn't all that Jackson preached to students. His opinions on the role of women, homosexuality, smoking and fornication were just a few of the topics that sparked controversy among his VCU listeners.

At one point during his preaching, Jackson said the two proper places for a woman were “in front of a stove and behind a vacuum cleaner.” This statement was just one of many to elicit laughter and anger alike from the audience.

“Some of the things he says are ridiculous,” senior Ecila Robinson said. “I feel like there's an extent to preach certain things about religion and stuff, but I feel like he's doing this for attention.”

Laily Nassiri, a freshman, said that Jackson’s preaching was “to an extreme that definitely pushes people away from religion.”

Several students held hand-made signs with slogans; one said,“All you need is love.” Chants erupted from the crowd who yelled, “Two, four, six, eight, Jesus loves me gay or straight.”

Sarah Cordie called Jackson’s message one of hate.

“I don't have a problem with religion as a whole. I have a problem when people are so fanatical about it they feel the need to shove it down people's throats,” she said.

Jackson also preached that anyone who commits sin is not a Christian. Though he admitted that he had sinned since his conversion, he said that each sin put him in danger of going to hell.

“But if you truly repent from your heart, sincerely, and turn from it, then God will forgive you,” he said.

Sophomore Andrew Lewis identified himself as a Christian who disagreed with Jackson.

“He's preaching sinless perfection, in that if you sin you can't be saved,” he said, “which means that Christians can lose their salvation.”

According to Lewis, Jackson’s theology implied that Christians who sin are in a constant cycle of losing and regaining their salvation, which means that their salvation is based on their works.

That theology, Lewis said, “is not biblical at all.”

Jackson stood by his message, calling it the truth.

“People don't want to believe it because they don't want to live free from sin or they just choose not to believe it,” he said.

Since his conversion to Christianity in 2006 while studying at East Carolina University, Jackson said, he has preached on campuses in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. He and his best friend -- fellow campus preacher Micah Armstrong -- have together visited more than 30 schools along the U.S. East Coast.