Cindy Smock was a self-proclaimed “disco ho” — a woman searching for self-gratification by fulfilling her sexual desires in whatever way possible. As a journalism student at the University of Florida in the 1970s, Smock considered herself far from religious – until a young preacher made his way onto campus and changed her life.
“I laughed and mocked, and he pointed me out of the crowd and said, ‘Repent of your sins, you wicked woman,’” Smock said. “Then I tried to seduce him … but when he wouldn’t, that opened my heart to the Lord Jesus.”
Four and a half years later, Smock married the preacher, Brother Jed, and began traveling from campus to campus to spread their religious teachings. For the next 39 years, the duo condemned acts of “immorality,” premarital sex, and “feminazi” behavior, beginning what is now called the “Ho No Mo Revolution.”
Smock, better known as Sister Cindy, rose to fame via TikTok in March 2021 after students began posting videos of her preachings at their universities. The social media sensation visited Wichita State for the second time in her ministry from Tuesday to Thursday after receiving multiple requests from students and followers.
“I became TikTok famous without ever having posted a video,” Sister Cindy said. “I think it’s the Lord that did it.”
After seeing the outpour of support and scorn, Sister Cindy decided to make her own accounts to share where and when she would preach next. The evangelical preacher boasts more than 420,000 followers on TikTok, with an additional 30,000 followers on Instagram.
Sister Cindy said that her large following allows her to amplify the word of God and the “Ho No Mo” message.
Sister Cindy’s teachings on Tuesday centered on “good old fashioned slut shaming,” “the margarita message,” and warnings about “feminazis.”
She scolded students for pursuing “master’s degrees in oral sex” and sodomy and emphasized women’s modesty in God’s teachings.
She also referenced That Chick Angel’s “Margarita Song”, which she inspired, and discouraged male students from taking Wichita State girls to Mexican restaurants because “she does not want a taco, or a burrito … she wants you to buy her a margarita.”
Additionally, Sister Cindy criticized “feminazis,” whom she said want to do three things to men.
“Number one, they want to titty whip you,” she said. “Number two, she wants to grab you by the balls and squeeze your manhood out. And number three, she wants to suck your blood.”
Throughout her four-hour sermon, Sister Cindy handed out “Ho No Mo” buttons to students who interacted with her, then took selfies and signed autographs.
“I have a wall in my apartment where I put cursed objects, and so I’m putting it (the button) up there,” student Rennie Jeffries said.
Sister Kathy, who helps Sister Cindy with her social media and travels, joined Sister Cindy in 2022 after Brother Jed died.
Sister Kathy said they travel to college campuses specifically because the students are questioning and more open than older audiences. She also said WSU students are more “decadent” than other crowds.
“Usually (when) people hear my story, they’re kind of shocked by some of the behavior and some of the things that happened to me,” Sister Kathy said. “It’s almost like Wichita, they were cheering for the bad guy.”
Many of Sister Cindy’s followers support her in a sarcastic, satirical manner. Sister Cindy says she understands how her sermons can be entertaining to audiences.
“I don’t mind at all that people are just out here for the entertainment,” Sister Cindy said. “I think I’m popular among college students because they love satire … and I use a lot of satire. But my satire also gives them hope … And there is hope in Jesus Christ.”
Many students in attendance, such as Jeffries, said most WSU listeners weren’t taking Sister Cindy’s messages seriously.
“If she thinks that we’re taking her seriously, she’s delusional,” Jeffries said.
Hayden Hartung, who brought his roommate’s couch outside the Rhatigan to listen to Sister Cindy, said he is agnostic and open to her message.
“I really started listening when she was talking about ‘Don’t take a woman to a Mexican restaurant and give her margaritas’ because I did that the day before, and she got a margarita in her, and not-holy things followed after that,” Hartung said. “So I was like, ‘Oh my God, this woman knows, she knows.’”
Alternatively, some of Sister Cindy’s messages are considered harmful toward those in the LGBTQ+ community and women, who are degraded in Sister Cindy’s ministry.
“I have seen a couple of girls from Greek life post pictures with her on Instagram … I personally don’t like that because our sororities are based in supporting women,” Emily Smith, a Gamma Phi Beta member at WSU, said. “I totally understand where people are coming from when they feel like laughing at her, but it just crosses a boundary that I’m not comfortable with.”
While Sister Cindy and her “Ho No Mo Revolution” beliefs cover several controversial subjects, she says her most important goal is bringing others to Jesus, along with building relationships.
Sister Cindy will wrap up her time at Wichita State on Thursday afternoon with one final day of sermons before departing for the University of Oklahoma.
