Alisa Childers and Joshua Broome Speak at Convocation

Alisa Childers and Joshua Broome both communicated the intellectual and practical power of the gospel during the Convocation services that occurred Sept. 11 and Sept. 13.

Childers, author and former singer from Christian band ZOEgirl, shared part of her testimony on Wednesday.

“I don’t even remember a time in my life when I wasn’t aware of the presence of God,” Childers said.   

As she grew older, she felt compelled to follow God’s calling to be a member of the Christian band ZOEgirl. In this season of ministry, she began to fall out of the pattern of reading God’s Word and praying. Childers was then introduced to faith deconstruction, which seeks to reexamine and break down the beliefs of the evangelical Christian.

The deception left her vulnerable to the discipleship of a deconstructed pastor, and her faith and the beliefs she had held since childhood were challenged.

In the midst of doubt, the first thing she did was cry out to God. In that moment, all she felt in response was an “utter void of spiritual darkness.”   

Childers said that even when we don’t feel God’s presence, he is always true, and he is always there. After much research and study, she confirmed that the Bible is reliable, Jesus is the Son of God and Christianity is objectively true.

Freshman Jamie Zinn found encouragement from Childers’ message.

“Truth comes from Jesus Christ, … from God … and from the Bible, … so you can defend your faith if people try to question it,” Zinn said.

Childers ended with accrediting the intellectual basis of Christianity for deepening her faith, and she encouraged the audience to enter into the power of the Gospel.  As she expressed that Jesus has overcome our sin and has granted us his righteousness, she echoed the lyrics of “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” sung at the beginning of Convocation: “But this I know with all my heart; his wounds have paid my ransom.”

In similar fashion, Broome expressed the gospel’s practical power over lies and temptations during Friday’s convocation. Beginning with his testimony, Broome shared that his father wasn’t involved in his life, which created great confusion and frustration for him. This void from his childhood led him to find his identity through works.

“I thought enough high fives and pats on the back would make me feel better about myself,” Broome said. “But … my heart was actually craving … ‘Son, I’m proud of you.’”

This mindset caused him to search for satisfaction through his accomplishments. Because his father was not present, he never felt the fatherly love he longed for, nor did he receive guidance for sexual purity. Eventually, he was led to pornography hoping that it would fill the hole in his heart.

As he went deeper into this struggle, he moved to Hollywood where he was offered a job in the porn industry, which he accepted. Upon entering this occupation, Broome felt his job became his identity during his six years in the industry, and he felt that he would never amount to anything in the future.

As depression set in, Broome decided to seek wisdom from his mom. She asked him to come home, reminding him that she would always love him. After leaving the porn industry, Broome worked in the health and fitness community, but he still felt lost and without identity.

Soon after he returned home, he found himself on his first date with his future wife. During that date, he realized he had to explain his broken past. In response, his future wife told him that “you are not defined by the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

Afterwards, she invited him to church, and he learned that God doesn’t define him by the worst parts of his life. He  accepted the grace of the gospel as he believed that despite his failings, his heavenly father loved him.

Freshman Matthew Rohner found hope in this message.   

“God has your identity in his mind. … You are a child of (God),” Rohner said.

At the end of Convocation, Student Government Association President Isaac Kantola announced the new efforts made by their partnership with the Office of Spiritual Development to counter the impacts of pornography for students. Current undergraduate residential students are now able to receive a discount for the program Covenant Eyes, which provides screen accountability and bars users from accessing pornography online. Students received an email with access to the discount code.

To learn more about Covenant Eyes, visit http://www.covenanteyes.com.

Fitzgerald is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.