Liberty University hosts annual Christian lawmakers conference

Liberty University, in partnership with the Standing for Freedom Center, hosted the 2023 National Association of Christian Lawmakers Policy Conference June 8-10 in the Montview Alumni Ballroom.

The three-day conference included appearances from state senators and congressmen, among others. Several members of university leadership spoke at the event. The conference included over 130 total attendees from 25 states.

On Thursday, newly appointed Vice Provost for Engagement and Public Relations Dr. Dave Brat welcomed participants and emphasized the school’s goal of supporting Christian leaders. Brat previously served as dean of Liberty’s School of Business and was a two-term U.S. representative for Virginia’s 7th District. Executive Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances Glenn Clary also addressed the guests in a recorded message at the evening banquet.

Liberty University School of Law Dean Morse Tan, who previously served as Ambassador at Large for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, spoke on Friday, along with Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Engagement Ryan Helfenbein, who also serves as executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.

Jason Rapert, founder and president of NACL, expressed gratitude at the opportunity to meet on Liberty’s campus.

“Liberty University is on the cutting edge of where we need to go as a country overall. It is a university that tends to the mind, body, and spirit, and the NACL is the only paralegislative organization in the country that (shares its values and beliefs),” Rapert said after the event.

Rapert, who served as a state senator in Arkansas from 2011 to 2023, called Liberty “a gem amongst college campuses around the country.”

“Our members, guests, and attendees had very positive remarks about Liberty and its campus and facilities,” Rapert said.

In addition to the conference itself, the NACL National Legislative Counsel met to discuss various topical issues and passed a national model law called the Unborn Child Protection Act, which bans all abortion with the exception to save the life of a mother in a medical emergency.