If you have spent any time driving on Kentucky’s back roads, you have most likely seen a sign erected by Evangelist Dewey Cooper.
The signs are all the same: “Warning: Jesus Is Coming, Are You Ready?” and “Be Prepared: Jesus is Coming” they read with their red, white and blue colors.
According to a 2007 article, Cooper began erecting these signs throughout Kentucky in 1997. Although my first introduction to a Dewey Cooper sign was in Garrard County (US 27, just south of the Kentucky River), I couldn’t resist photographing this Russell County sign.
The community has its own religious/patriotic name: Freedom, Kentucky. It is the junction of US-127 and KY-55. According to the article, this is one of 31 of these signs erected by Cooper.
Dewey Cooper is an evangelist to 40 churches in the West Union United Baptist Association. The United Baptists have a long history in the United States and are the forerunners to today’s better-known Southern Baptists. Interestingly, it was originally those of faith – and particularly the United Baptists – who encouraged and promoted a strong separation between church and state.