Liberty University校长Jonathan Falwell在大会开幕式上说：美国最大的盼望在教会，不在白宫
位于弗吉尼亚州 Lynchburg 的 Liberty University（自由大学）10月23日迎来一场大型信仰大会。该校 Standing for Freedom Center 主办的 Freedom Uncensored 大会当天在校园开幕，校长、Thomas Road Baptist Church 主任牧师 Jonathan Falwell 在开幕式上对与会者说，美国最大的盼望在教会，而不在白宫。
Falwell 说：「作为基督的跟随者，我们没有把头埋进沙子里的奢侈。我们必须站起来，继续宣讲真理、分享真理、活出真理。」他表示，社会越来越拒绝圣经真理，基督徒有责任宣扬福音，而不是退出文化对话。
「我全心相信，这个国家的盼望不在白宫，不在州议会大厦，也不在法院，而在神的殿里。」Falwell 说，「我全心相信，今天的教会必须站起来发声，确保我们把人指向耶稣基督福音的真理。因为归根结底，我们的盼望就在那里。」
本届大会的讲员包括 Erika Kirk、Lucas Miles、Benny Johnson、Riley Gaines、Isabel Brown、Shane Winnings、Nick Freitas、Ben Carson、Bill Federer 与 Ryan Helfenbein 等人。
Falwell 在讲话中回顾了自由大学的创办：他的父亲、已故的 Jerry Falwell Sr. 于1971年创办该校，首批学生只有154人，使命是训练「为基督的冠军」。他说，如今该校在读学生逾15万人，但基督徒的使命仍未完成；信徒蒙召作「黑暗中的灯塔」，走进世界，而不是与世界隔绝。（GSM 据 ChurchLeaders 现场报道）
Liberty University Chancellor Jonathan Falwell: America's Greatest Hope Is in the Church, Not the White House
Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, opened a major faith gathering on Oct. 23. The Freedom Uncensored event, hosted by the university's Standing for Freedom Center, began on campus Friday, and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, who is also senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, told attendees that America's greatest hope is found in the church, not the White House.
'As followers of Christ, we do not have the luxury to stick our heads in the sand,' Falwell said. 'We must stand up and continue to preach truth, to share truth, and to live truth.' He said society has increasingly rejected biblical truth, and that Christians have a responsibility to proclaim the gospel rather than withdraw from cultural conversations.
'I'm just a firm believer that the hope for our country is not found in the White House, it's not found in the State House, it's not found in the courthouse, it's found in God's house,' Falwell said. 'I believe with all of my heart that the church today must stand up and let our voices be heard to make sure that we're pointing people to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because ultimately that is where our hope lies.'
Speakers at the event include Erika Kirk, Lucas Miles, Benny Johnson, Riley Gaines, Isabel Brown, Shane Winnings, Nick Freitas, Ben Carson, Bill Federer and Ryan Helfenbein, among others.
Falwell also recalled the university's founding: his father, the late Jerry Falwell Sr., established Liberty in 1971 with 154 students and a mission to train 'champions for Christ.' The university now enrolls more than 150,000 students, he said, but the Christian mission remains unfinished, and believers are called to be 'lighthouses in the midst of darkness,' engaging the world rather than isolating themselves from it. (GSM, based on ChurchLeaders' on-site reporting)
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：美国弗吉尼亚州 Lynchburg 的 Liberty University 校园航拍资料图。照片：CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Aerial view of the Liberty University campus in Lynchburg, Virginia (file photo). Photo: CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
