SPRINGFIELD – A slate of well-known speakers, including Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, best-selling author Bill Federer and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, urged participants at the Cultural Impact Conference, Sept. 7, to engage biblically in politics, standing firmly for freedom and the sanctity of life. The day-long conference was hosted by First Baptist Church, Ozark.
“The gospel of Christ touches every area of life, and if (for you) it doesn’t, you’ve got a neutered, half-gospel,” declared Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) President Chris Williams, pastor of Fellowship Church, Greenwood, as he opened the conference.
Later in the day, Williams urged Christians to vote, run for office and pray. “God can do more in a moment of prayer,” he said, “than we could ever do in a lifetime of work.”
Williams urged them especially to stand for life – especially since pro-abortion activists are endeavoring to add expansive abortion rights to the Missouri Constitution.
“When the Bible speaks, we speak,” Williams said. “The Bible has spoken clearly about life. Therefore, there is no equivocation. … We speak with boldness and clarity about life.”
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley likewise urged Missourians hand down to the next generation the “foundational biblical truths that have made this country what it is.” The current era in United States history is a “time of consequence,” and Christians must stand faithfully for what is right.
In particular, Hawley called Christians to oppose Amendment 3, the proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would codify extensive abortion rights in the state.
“This amendment must be defeated,” he said, calling it the “most radical attempt to destroy the family in the history of our state.”
Highlighting the nation’s Christian heritage, Bill Federer – known for his radio feature, the American Minute, as well as for many his books – encouraged Christians not to withdraw from the public sphere.
Secular culture is “undermining the entire gospel” by saying that “there’s no God” and “no sin” and – as a result – no need for a savior. If Christians disengage from culture and politics, what should they expect for future generations?
“The most important thing is to bring people to Christ,” Federer said. “But the second most important thing is to preserve the freedom to do the most important thing.”
Christians must defend truth and righteousness in the United States, he said. “God is pushing us to a decision-making moment,” where silence isn’t an option. Silence in the face of evil equals consent.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, highlighted the spiritual realities behind the political battles of the age – especially in the fight to protect unborn life. He reminded participants at the conference that Planned Parenthood recently performed abortions for free just outside the Democratic National Convention. “We need to have spiritual eyes to see what is happening,” Perkins said. “This was an altar to the principalities of darkness.”
He called Missourians to oppose Amendment 3. “This is a trojan horse,” he said, “and the people of Missouri must stand against it.”
Other featured speakers at the Cultural Impact Conference included: Seth Gruber, founder/CEO of The White Rose Resistance; Lisa McIntire, executive director of Springfield Pregnancy Care Center; Jodi Hammond Widhalm of Jodi Grace Ministries; Kathy Forck of 40 Days for Life; and Jason Rapert, president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.
To learn more about the conference or to watch the keynote speakers, visit https://www.ciconference.org/watch. At press time, a video recording of the conference was also available on the Cultural Impact Conference Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560548213129.