U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio challenges Liberty students to stand on faith and truth in a world of hate

Liberty University welcomed United States Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to the Convocation stage on Wednesday morning to speak on the intersection of faith and politics and encourage students to stand on their faith in the face of evil.

“Christianity is not a political party,” Rubio said. “What I mean by that is that it must transcend our politics. It can influence it, but it must transcend it.”

Rubio, who won a third term as senator in Florida last year and made a run for U.S. president in 2016, was introduced on the stage by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares who, like Rubio, is the son of Cuban immigrants.

The senator began his remarks by touching on the “crisis in academia” and the ongoing conflict in Israel, saying that the events that have taken place prove that there is still evil in the world, an evil that can only be fought with truth.

“It’s hard to see the images of people cheering in the streets …” Rubio said. “It’s hard to see people in our own country, as I saw images and videos yesterday of protestors who supported these groups, mocking pro-Israel demonstrators and the victims of these atrocities. It’s troubling to see some of the statements coming out across our college campuses. Not because the statements are offensive, but because it reveals a deeper rot. And it’s a war on truth.”

Because of the fall of man, Rubio said, the natural reaction to hatred is more hatred. But through faith in Jesus, Christians ought to stand on their truths when it comes to political issues, rather than dividing others with more hatred.

“Our faith should participate in our political lives,” Rubio said, “and it must, in order to protect our freedom to worship, to stand for truth — the truth that an unborn human being is a human being, the truth that every single human being born into this world is the product of a biological male and a biological female, (and) the truth that the family is the most important truth in society.”

Rubio referred back to biblical times, when pagans struggled to see why early Christians lived with so much joy, proving that truth can win out.

“They were puzzled by it. They didn’t understand it, (they were) almost threatened by it,” he said. “But then something changed … because ultimately what happened amongst people is that they saw the joy of (Christians) in the face of brutality and suffering. And they decided, ‘I want that.’”

Liberty student Mary Hilbrink said it was refreshing to see a politician take the stage to talk about our faith rather than divisive topics.

“He did a great job of representing Christianity in politics,” Hilbrink said. “He wasn’t just trying to talk about hot-button issues. It was nice that his central focus was on our faith in Christ.”

Rubio’s visit to campus coincides with the university’s third annual CEO Summit, a gathering of business and governmental leaders from across the globe. The summit provides students with the unique opportunity to network with and learn from many prominent figures in business, politics, entertainment, and a range of other fields, with events taking place on campus Tuesday through Thursday.

With the summit in mind, Rubio challenged students and business leaders alike to take their faith beyond the campus at Liberty and to “live it wherever life takes you.”

“Whether you’re a CEO of a major corporation or a 30-year, low-level employee at a company; whether it takes you into missionary work or into the service of our government, to allow the teachings of your faith to be the anchor of our truths is something that this country needs more of, not less,” he said.

In addition to hosting Rubio, Liberty also welcomed the 70th Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Convocation, who spoke briefly to students on how his faith shaped his career. Chief Academic Officer and Provost Scott Hicks announced that Pompeo has joined the faculty as a Distinguished Chair in the Helms School of Government. Pompeo comes to Liberty after a decorated career as a public servant, having graduated at the top of his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1986 before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, where he served from 2011-2017. In addition to serving as Secretary of State from 2018-2021, Pompeo was the 6th director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2017-2018.

At the start of Convocation, Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell led students in prayer for the country of Israel and all those who are victims of the current conflict.