Evangelical Christian social media figure Sister Cindy – whose real name is Cindy Smock – visited Colorado State University Sept. 16 spending the afternoon preaching to a crowd of students near the Lory Student Center plaza, as part of her “HoNoMo Revolution Tour.” Smock’s tour focuses on promoting sexual abstinence and modesty while rejecting modern college party culture. 

In total, Smock visited four universities in Colorado, adding a stop at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs by popular demand, according to an Instagram post on her account. Smock has nearly 43,000 followers on Instagram and 415.5k on TikTok, where she first gained traction.

Smock brought along preacher Vijay Pisini, known as Brother Vijay, who shared similar messages with the crowd of students. Pisini has accompanied Smock for at least 10 years, according to reporting from The Arrow, Southeast Missouri State University’s student newspaper.

After Pisini spoke, a crowd of students listened as Smock taught them what she calls “Ho-ology 101,” in which she reviewed what she said are the different levels of being a “ho”: the boyfriend ho, the oopsie ho, the hookup ho, the mega ho, the giga ho, the vampire ho, the establishment ho and the HoNoMo. Multiple times during her four-hour sermon, Smock said her advice was “genderfluid,” and anyone could fall into one of her eight categories.

Smock said her goal was to get the audience to make different choices.

“My grandkids, some of them listen to Michael Jackson,” Smock said. “One of his songs I really like … (is) ‘Man in The Mirror.’ The Bible teaches that we are a product of our choices. You are who you choose to be. And if you look in the mirror and you don’t like who you see, make some new choices.”

To support her explanations of her eight levels and how they go against the Bible, Smock called upon students to read various Bible verses and shared stories from other college campuses she has visited and people who she said asked her for help. Participants during her lecture received a signed button with her tour slogan HoNoMo. 

To conclude her CSU tour stop, Smock shared her own story of “being a ho,” and held what she called a “prayer circle,” with audience members. 

Throughout the day, Smock drew a crowd of dozens of students, many of whom participated in chants and asked Smock questions about her ideology. While many were participating in the event, many crowd members held mixed reactions to her presence, some of whom viewed Smock as an internet meme, while others reflected deeper on her religious messaging. 

“This is kind of a crazy situation,” said Bernice Vanderleek, a CSU student. “I think a lot of people are just fucking with her, honestly. I don’t think a lot of these people actually agree with what she’s saying, but it’s definitely interesting to watch.”

Many students referenced her large following on social media platforms, emphasizing her style of engagement resembled that of an influencer seeking to build an online platform. 

“I just feel like she’s just honestly doing it for clout,” CSU student Madeline Ragus said. “She has a big following on TikTok, and she’s giving out merch and stuff.” 

The crowd also represented a wide spectrum of religious beliefs, many of whom acknowledged that they were not religious and just stopped to listen to Smock. CSU student Meg Sisul highlighted that even if she was religious, she’s not sure she would align with Smock’s messaging. 

“I’m not a religious person, but if I were, this is not the kind of thing I would want to listen to,” Sisul said. 

Among the crowd, students and listeners who somewhat aligned with Smock took the opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs. Todd Schmidt, an evangelical Christian preacher who said he came down from his ministry at the University of Wyoming, said Smock’s style of preaching does not align with traditional preaching methods, and that it was “not at all” effective on a college campus.

“I’m not in favor of the way that crowd reacts,” Schmidt said. “I have listened to everything she says, but when an unbelieving crowd is cheering you, that’s not a good sign. We shouldn’t be loved by the world. Jesus said the world’s going to hate you.” 

Adam Eicher, a CSU student who identifies as Christian, said that while he was curious to hear from Smock, he thought her presence ultimately served as more of a spectacle and that “it doesn’t feel reverent.” 

“She’ll say really good things (that) are Gospel-related, but then say something very crass and inappropriate,” Eicher said. “There can be fruit, (and) there can be good when we go around to have conversations about what people believe, but I think the downside is that it usually just creates kind of a spectacle and more of a mockery.”