Truth & Liberty Banquet in WP Honors Unsung Heroes; Attracts Huge Crowd
Trevor Phipps
Over the last decade, Woodland Park has become a gathering place for people from all walks of life who share similar beliefs, especially when it comes to taking a strong religious stand on key issues.
On May 2, hundreds of conservative Christians from across the country attended the third annual Truth & Liberty Awards Banquet fundraiser, hosted by the Charis Bible College in Woodland Park. The event has gained growing popularity every year, attracting mega crowds and featuring a variety of acclaimed speakers.
The main theme of the Truth & Liberty Awards night was that Christians still have much work to do, in order to improve society. The purpose of the annual awards banquet was to honor the stories of those who stood up to fight for their religious ideals
“That’s why we are here tonight, to talk about the people who have been standing up instead of shrinking back,” Charis Bible College Founder Andrew Wommack said during the event’s introductory speech. “I tell you we got to grow a backbone as Christians. We got a lot of people now that are coming out of the woodworks, and they are falling in line with some of these things that are being done and I’m glad to see them doing it.”
But featuring future theatrical performances, of which Charis is well known for, also commanded center stage at the banquet.
After Wommack’s introductory remarks, Charis Bible College Performing Arts Director Elizabeth Muren took the floor to present a creative performance. The actors who perform live action productions periodically at Charis Bible College performed a Civil War-era themed skit that focused on the end of slavery. The performance showcased may even become an excerpt of a new play, which could be coming to the Charis Bible College stage in the near future. Charis is well known for their theatrical performances, mostly highlighting popular Christian stories.
After the creative performance, the podium was taken by keynote speaker, Seth Gruber, whose website labels him as “the leading voice of the pro-life movement.”
As a son of a pregnancy resource director, Gruber told the crowd that he has been helping save unborn children for his entire life. Gruber hosts his own show, called the Seth Gruber Show, and he has spoken more than 300 times to more than half a million people.
Gruber used humor to grasp the crowd into his pro-life message. He also incorporated historical facts into his pro-life oriented speech.
Banquet Honors Those Who Fought for Pro-Christian Causes
Dr. Abby Johnson was honored first after being chosen to receive the Samuel Adams Award for Courageous Christian Leadership. Johnson was presented her award by Wommack and Truth & Liberty Executive Director Richard Harris before addressing the crowd to tell her story.
Johnson previously worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years and made her way up to director. She told the crowd that during her career, she helped facilitate more than 22,000 abortions.
But then one day, Johnson had a change of heart after she witnessed firsthand a live ultrasound-guided abortion. After that, Johnson changed her path in life and authored the book “Unplanned” about her journey. The book later turned into a major motion picture with the same name.
Johnson is now the chief executive officer of two successful non-profit organizations and hosts her own podcast. One of Johnson’s ministries has helped over 700 people leave the abortion industry.
Overcoming COVID Mandates
The event also honored Lieutenant Colonel Theresa Long for her fight against COVID-19 vaccination mandates. Long was presented the Samuel Whittmore Award for Heroic Christian Citizenship by Wommack and Harris.
Long is an aerospace medical doctor who has specialty training in medical management of chemical and biological warfare casualties, the medical effects of ionizing radiation, epidemiology and medical research. During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, Long risked her reputation and career to stand up against vaccination mandates.
According to Long, she single-handedly prevented a suggested military policy of forcibly vaccinating soldiers with one single complaint. During her speech, she presented facts while discussing medical issues she had to deal with as a result of the vaccine mandates for military personnel.
During the four-hour-long event, the speakers’ presentations were met with cheers from the large audience. Most who attended agreed that conservative Christians need to continue to fight for what they believe, even with a Republican-controlled federal government.
