Joel Muddamalle and Darren Whitehead speak at Convocation

Students heard from theologian Joel Muddamalle on Jan. 29, while author and pastor Darren Whitehead, spoke Jan. 31 during Convocation in the Vines Center. 

 Wednesday’s Convocation began with sisters Hannah and Bethel Queen singing “Glad Adoration” in Korean in celebration of Lunar New Year. Chancellor Jonathan Falwell then announced the Liberty Worship Collective’s recent release of several of their songs in Korean and Spanish on Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Amazon Music and Deezer. 

After worship, Muddamalle, theology and ministry director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, stepped onstage to share his thoughts on the passage of Luke 24. He detailed how his walks with his wife usually end with a goal of reaching a certain destination.   

“We’re going to find a beautiful collision, a collision of something every day and normal, like a walk, but then also something incredibly cosmic in the risen Christ Jesus himself,” Muddamalle said.  

He continued the story, using Scripture to guide his message. He described Luke 24:13-35, in which two of the disciples were making a seven-mile journey to Emmaus, unknowingly with the recently crucified — and risen — Jesus in tow. Muddamalle pointed out why the passage uses the word “crucified” instead of “cross,” which was forbidden to say during this time period. 

“If you lived in the ancient Roman time period, ain’t nobody walking around with a cross as jewelry, nobody’s branding clothes with a cross as a jewelry,” said Muddamalle, “Listen, you would not even whisper the cross because of how devasting and destructive it was.” 

He then continued to tell the audience how Jesus broke bread with the disciples, blessed them and then disappeared. Muddamalle finished with verse 32: “They asked each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”Muddamalle explained the culture of fear that people in ancient Roman time experienced during Jesus’s crucifixion. He encouraged the students by saying every Christian must not forget that Jesus is never far behind, and not take the price he paid on the cross for granted. 

“I thought he was well educated, he did his research and I liked it a lot,” junior Samantha Swaim said. 

Friday’s Convocation started with an announcement regarding the Antoine Bradford concert Jan. 31, as well as upcoming sporting events, such as the women’s basketball and men’s D1 hockey games occurring over the weekend.  

Following announcements, School of Music’s E-41 kicked off worship with a bluegrass version of “Victory In Jesus,” followed by Chancellor Jonathan Falwell recognizing the postal service team for their service on campus.  

Afterward, Darren Whitehead, Australian pastor and author of “The Digital Fast,” came on stage to encourage students to partake in a 28-day digital fast in February and to promote his guide, “The Digital Fast Workbook.” Whitehead discussed the problems society faces because of uninhibited access to smartphones, noting that research has indicated its negative effects on college-aged individuals.   

“We use our phones to control our lives, but what if they are controlling us? … 97% of college students own a smart phone, 92% of college students report using their phones to send text messages during class,” Whitehead said. “98% of college students are active on social media platforms daily.” 

Whitehead said fasting from our digital lives for an extended period has numerous benefits. He listed the benefits of digital detoxing, such as refreshing your mind, restoring your relationships, reclaiming your focus, renewing your connection with God and relying on community support throughout the process.  

“The decisions you are making during your college years are going to put you on a trajectory that will lead your very life. This is crucial. This is a paramount time for you to be discerning the will of God,” Whitehead said. 

Whitehead prompted the students of Liberty to begin the digital fast by “making your smartphone dumb.”  

He listed the distracting apps that students should set aside, such as social media, news and email. Sophomore Connor Fay said he looks forward to embarking on this month-long challenge.  

“I think we definitely struggle in society with our phones, and we’re pretty addicted,” Fay said. “We don’t even realize it, so it definitely inspired me to want to do this fast. I’m a community group leader, so I think my group is going to try to do it.” 

Simpson is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.