Freedom Uncensored: Summit speakers honor Charlie Kirk, encourage students to stand for truth

A powerful lineup of speakers at Liberty University’s Freedom Uncensored summit energized hundreds over the weekend to courageously defend biblical truth in their spheres of influence.

The fifth annual summit was hosted by Liberty’s Standing for Freedom Center and focused on the theme of remembering and honoring Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Kirk was originally scheduled to be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s summit. He was a regular guest at Liberty’s Convocations and forged many connections and friendships at the university over the years. His wife, Erika, is a Liberty alumna. In 2020, Kirk was instrumental in starting what is now the Standing for Freedom Center.

The center’s Executive Director Ryan Helfenbein welcomed the summit guests on Friday evening, telling them the event was dedicated to Kirk’s monumental influence on the American church, college campuses, and the Great Commission.

“What Charlie Kirk lived for and died for was an understanding of freedom far greater than the binary politics of Republican versus Democrat,” he said. “But Charlie knew something greater — that freedom wasn’t man’s idea. It’s God’s idea. True freedom is otherworldly. … Freedom begins with the Lord Jesus Christ, who said ‘If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.’”

“The future does not belong to the cowardly,” he added. “It belongs to the Charlie Kirks of the world — those who stand firm for the truth of Jesus Christ without fear. For far too long, Christians have been taught to believe that silence on politics makes us more credible witnesses to the Gospel. That is not true. Silence on political issues does not clarify the Gospel; it confuses it.”

Kirk founded TPUSA in 2012, and it quickly became a national student movement that empowered young people to champion conservative principles. Since Kirk’s death, TPUSA and TPUSA Faith have received hundreds of thousands of requests to start new high school, college, and church initiatives.

More than a dozen leading conservative voices either spoke or participated on panels, including Daily Wire’s Isabel Brown, who led a Gen Z panel; Virginia Del. Nick Freitas; actor Leigh-Allyn Baker, known for her role as Amy Duncan in Disney’s “Good Luck Charlie”; pro-life advocate Seth Gruber; former ESPN analyst Sage Steele; CNN’s political pundit Scott Jennings; and other major conservative content creators influencing the arenas of life, politics, and culture.

Four years ago, Baker boldly voiced concerns over mask mandates at a Tennessee school board meeting. She told the audience on Saturday that her willingness to stand firm at that meeting resulted in major pushback, including losing friends, receiving death threats, being labeled a racist and an extremist, and being placed on a domestic terrorist list.

“I brought the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the Bible (to the school board meeting) as evidence that I do not need any man’s permission to move freely, live organically without gene therapy intervention, or breathe oxygen,” she said. “My purpose grew stronger, my connection (and) my reliance on Jesus grew stronger. My love for Gen Z — my love for the generation that calls me ‘mom’ — grew stronger.”

Guests had an option to attend a meet-and-greet and gala on Saturday night in the Montview Student Union, Alumni Ballroom, with keynote speaker Jennings, who stressed the importance of fighting for and preserving the West — the very values that built the Free World.

“It is my sincere belief, whether you know it or not, that every person in this room is currently on the front line of the fight for the future of Western civilization,” Jennings said. “We now face the most radical, anti-American political opposition that any of us could possibly imagine. It is scary, frankly, how much the liberal movement has been hijacked by enemies of the West — by those who believe that America’s founding is rotten to its core and that it must be ripped out root and branch.”

Helfenbein presented the newly established Courageous Faith Award to TPUSA Chief of Staff Michael McCoy, a close confidant of Kirk, for carrying forward the mission of conservative principles. McCoy spoke in Friday’s Convocation, where Kirk was also scheduled to speak, and at the summit.

“Charlie Kirk stands today as the modern example of an ancient Christian martyr,” McCoy said on Friday evening. “He may not have been nailed to a cross or thrown to lions, but he lived and ultimately died for the same reason: faithfulness to truth, courage in the face of oppression, and devotion to the cause of Christ and His kingdom. … Christians are oppressed in Nigeria, North Korea, in China. Christians are persecuted for their faith. And here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, Charlie Kirk was martyred for his boldness to speak truth in a world that hates it.”

Christian revival was a central theme throughout the summit. Speakers shared that Bible sales are up over 40% since 2022, Christian app downloads are up by 80%, Christian music streams are up 50% since 2019, and church attendance, salvations, and baptisms are all trending upward.

“For Charlie, death was simply eternal life,” McCoy said. “For us, his death is the spark for a revival.”

Kirk’s memorial service, held Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., was the most-viewed Gospel presentation in human history, with over 85,000 in attendance and more than 100 million streaming online.

The Standing for Freedom Center offers a wide variety of educational resources for Christians, college students, and churches to champion issues about life, politics, and culture. Resources include daily articles on current events, theology of politics that tackle the most pressing social issues from a biblical perspective, and a weekly Give Me Liberty podcast. Students can join the Freedom Center Society, where they can get involved with political events on and off campus and have access to exclusive events, speakers, books, and merchandise. The Standing for Freedom Center has reached over 61 million people on social media this year.

“It was inspiring to see students come together in unity to learn about truth, politics, and faith,” said Freedom Center Society President Josie Huyard, a sophomore politics and policy student. “Events like Freedom Uncensored are vital to Liberty University because they help students understand culture and politics through a Christian worldview. Politics is ultimately a spiritual battle, and as Christians, we are not called to sit idly by but to engage with wisdom, fight with the sword of the Spirit, and stand boldly for truth. This is what it means to be a Champion for Christ: to lead with conviction, speak truth in love, and reflect Christ in every area of influence.”