The “Standing for Freedom: Biblical Principles in a Woke World” summit hosted by Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center kicked off on Friday evening with over 10 speakers taking the stage.
The night began with a worship session led by singer Sean Feucht before Liberty Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell welcomed the crowd of over 800. Falwell stressed the importance of remaining strong in one’s values and the importance of the church involving itself in every facet of American life. He urged those in attendance to positively impact the world.
“The problem is that when Jesus said to go into all the world to preach the Gospel, to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth, what we have to recognize is that the uttermost parts of the earth cannot be found in the walls of our churches,” he said.
Following his speech, Falwell was presented with the center’s Freedom Tower Award for his contribution to the Gospel both at Thomas Road Baptist Church, where he serves as senior pastor, and beyond.
Kristan Hawkins, responsible for launching Students for Life, next took the stage to champion the lives of the unborn. Arguing that the abortion movement does not truly embody women empowerment, she called for Christians to make radical choices for change. Hawkins quickly acknowledged, however, that defeating abortion will require individuals who are dedicated to working tirelessly to see it come to fruition.
Political commentator William Wolfe echoed the call of Falwell for Christians to engage in politics. He stated that Christians must be weary of falling into the temptations of letting their faith serve as an excuse to dodge politics. Wolfe argued that Christians must be militant in defending the truths and values found in Scripture.
The conference next included a panel discussion on the issue of male athletes competing in female sports and featured several notable guests knowledgeable on the topic. One of these guests was Selina Soule, a former athlete who lost the opportunity to compete in state championships because she was defeated by two male athletes. Soule and the other guests urged listeners to fight for fair competition in sports as well as to fight against the transgender indoctrination of children.
After a brief intermission, the conference returned with a fiery speech by author Eric Metaxas who once again urged the church to speak against injustice. Harkening to the German church in the 1930s as well as to the abolitionist William Wilberforce, he demonstrated how Christians must rebel against tyranny and falsehood to stop evil.
Metaxas urged pastors and leaders in the church to boldly confront the issues of modern society instead of focusing solely on the Gospel.
“Worry less about losing people for saying something that might be offensive, worry more about losing people for saying nothing,” Metaxas said.
He closed his time by emphasizing the importance of Christians voting in elections and remaining active in the political climate.
Next, Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, spoke on the current immigration issues in the United States and all of the problems that poor border security causes. He also critiqued President Biden’s handling of the drug trade, war in Europe, and abortion.
Citing the Apostle Paul’s claim as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar, Reed argued that Christians must likewise use their rights to spark positive change. Yet, Reed fully acknowledged the source of those rights.
“Our rights do not come from a king, or a congress, or a parliament, or a region. They come from Almighty God,” he said.
Executive Director of the Standing for Freedom Center Ryan Helfenbein proudly stated on stage that the intended audience for the event is students and spoke about the center’s goals.
“We exist for life, we champion liberty, and we champion the truth of God’s Word. It is unchanging. It is the authority and the basis by which we understand the principles of freedom. Freedom is first and foremost spiritual,” he said.
Political commentator Liz Wheeler then addressed the crowd before reading a letter she wrote to Elon Musk. In her letter, Wheeler argued that compromise with liberal thought is not an option for conservatives.
“The reality of politics in our nation is that when we compromise with the left, it’s not the nice thing to do, it’s not the loving thing to do. We are willingly giving away the rights and dignity of other people to a political party that’s been compromised by an ideology that is antihuman,” she said.
As the final speaker for the night, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson issued a call for average Americans to stand up for freedom. Through stories of historical figures such as General Joshua Chamberlain, Robinson claimed that the greatest heroes in American history were those Americans who were willing to sacrifice everything for their homeland.
Robinson noted the integral role Christianity plays in making the United States the country it is today.
“Without God there will be no United States of America,” he said.
The summit was scheduled to resume early Nov. 5 with a full day of speakers, including political commentators, counselors and sports coaches, however a widespread power outage caused the summit to be canceled.
For regularly updated content, including ongoing discussion on many of the summit topics, follow the Standing for Freedom Center on all main social media platforms and StandingforFreedom.com.
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