Liberty Alumnus And Director Of Center for Apologetics Shares His Testimony During Convocation

Director of the Center of Apologetics and Cultural Engagement Kevin Richard shared his testimony with students during Convocation Feb. 28. 

Richard, an alumnus of Liberty University, recently took his new position as director. During his time as an undergraduate, Richard played football for the Flames. Halfway through his degree, he switched his major to Biblical Studies and decided that he wanted to become a teacher.  

After Richard shared his educational background, he recalled his experience with starting a family. He said when his wife went to an appointment with her doctor, she found out they were having twins. 

Their excitement faded when they found out that one of the twins was smaller than the other due to a heart defect and intestinal issues. The pregnancy was stressful as they worried about losing one of the twins. 

At 35 1/2 weeks into his wife’s pregnancy, she went into labor. Richard was not allowed to be in the room while they were doing the C-section, so he waited in the recovery room across the hall. She gave birth to both sons, and they were doing well. However, the doctor noticed that Richard’s wife began to bleed. She was suffering from an amniotic fluid embolism, which is a rare, and often fatal complication that caused fluid to enter her bloodstream.   

Richard said a large team of nurses and doctors ran into the room where his wife was.  A surgeon told Richard that they needed to do open heart surgery on his wife or she would die, but that the surgery would not save her life indefinitely. After the surgery was completed and the surgeon did all he could, the other doctors and nurses worked to stabilize her.  

Later, a nurse brought Richard back into the room his wife was in. He then realized that she was not going to make it, and at 2:15 a.m. she died.  

Both babies were healthy despite future surgeries needed down the road, so Richard spent much of his time taking care of them. With all the busyness there was no time to reflect, except in the evenings; it was during that time Richard said his doubts crept in. 

“Evil was no longer a theory on a page or this abstract idea that was out there,” Richard said. “The problem of evil was staring me right in the face.” 

There were three things that brought him through that difficult time. The first was turning to reflect on the resurrection. He reminded himself of all the good reasons for the truth of the resurrection and the significance of them. This Scriptural meditation helped him to remember the significance of John 16:33: to have courage because Christ has overcome the world. 

The second was the love and support he and his family received from others after his wife passed. His parents, siblings, in-laws and friends all pitched in to take care of the twins, sending supplies such as diapers and bringing meals to them. 

“It’s not just that they showed up once it’s that they kept showing up,” Richard said. “Long after the story had died down people kept being there for me. That radical kind of love spoke to me, helped me walk through my doubt and grief.” 

Richard said the third lesson he learned was remembering that God cares deeply for his creation and can bring the best out of a bad situation. Doubt is a part of being human, but Richard said that it needs to be confronted with the truth. 

Richard invited the Liberty Worship Collective back to the stage and told the students that the group was going to perform Red Rocks Worship’s song, “Good Plans.” The song was released three weeks before his wife passed and she had put it on a worship playlist she was making to help get through the newborn stage. Listening to the song also comforted him in his grief. 

“Even in the worst moments of your life, there is this truth there that he has good plans for his children,” Richards said. 

Senior Cameron Bonin, a student worker for the Center for Apologetics and Cultural Engagement, found that Richard’s testimony showed another side of apologetics. 

“I think the biggest takeaway for me is that apologetics is more than a matter of the head, it is a matter of the heart,” Bonin said. “Our faith is something that is not just grounded in our understanding of certain arguments but in the person of God who is the foundation of our life even in the ups and downs.” 

Twitchell is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.