Investigation continues into 'Brother Stephen'

As Rev. Stephen White, better known to Penn students as "Brother Stephen," awaits a November trial on charges of sex solicitation, police say they are continuing to investigate and believe that the campus fixture may have victimized more than one person.

White was arrested in June after he allegedly offered $20 to a 14-year-old boy in Chester County for permission to perform oral sex on him.

He has since been released on bail and is awaiting trial, which is set for Nov. 24, according to West Chester police detective Stan Billie.

"We believe there may be other victims out there, and that this wasn't an isolated incident," Billie said.

However, he added that "none have come forward yet."

The West Chester Police Department is preparing for trial in conjunction with the West Chester district attorney's office.

Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Callahan will prosecute the case, but could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, at Penn, the charges against White have garnered mixed reactions from students, who remember White's condemnation of gays and sexual promiscuity in his campus preaching.

"I thought he was an interesting form of entertainment and a good example of one's right to express opinion freely," College sophomore B.J. Stein said. "But at the same time, it is sad and ironic that he is accused of acts that he accused minority groups of participating in."

Some students remember the preacher's abrasive methods and harassment of students as they passed him on campus.

After hearing that White had been arrested, "I was so happy," College senior Jessica Garrett said. "My boss, who graduated from Penn in 2000, sent me the article this summer. [White has] been harassing people since then."

"I wasn't shocked," Garrett added. "I think it's incredibly hypocritical. I'd love to see people berate him the way he harassed people on the Walk."

Representatives of Christian groups on campus said they agree with what White stands for theologically, but find fault in his approach.

His arrest on charges of sex solicitation "was a shock, but as a Christian group, we knew that something wasn't right there. He was presenting Christianity in an unbiblical way, so it wasn't entirely surprising that he wasn't a wonderful, morally abstaining person," said Andrew Rennekamp, a 2002 Penn graduate who now works for the Medical School and volunteers as an adviser for Campus Crusade for Christ.

Penn for Jesus -- the umbrella organization for Christian groups on campus -- holds an online communal discussion forum in which a visit with "Brother Stephen" was proposed after news of his arrest, according to Rennekamp.

"Someone proposed it, just to see if he understands what Christianity and salvation is all about," Rennekamp said. "We want him to understand that he is not the only one who is messed up, everyone sins, and no matter who you are you can be ultimately forgiven by God. From our perspective, he didn't quite reflect that on campus."

According to Rennekamp, no organization has collectively met with White. "The idea was just thrown out there," he said. "As a group, Penn for Jesus has not contacted him. If anyone has, it has been through individual initiatives and not group sanctioned."

Campus Crusade for Christ leader Erin Hespe agreed that her organization does not collectively support White.

"Brother Stephen is not involved or affiliated with any of the student Christian groups listed on Penn for Jesus," Hespe said. "The general attitude of these Christian groups has been one of distance, given certain aspects of both Brother Steve's theology and methods."

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