Grand Rapids, Mich. – Cornerstone University, a Christian liberal arts college, announced an anti‑communism event scheduled for Oct. 1. The forum, titled “Why Not Communism? A Wisdom Conversation on Freedom, Faith and the Future of America,” will feature a lineup of speakers who have lived under or studied oppressive regimes.
University leadership explains the need for the event
President Dr. Gerson Moreno‑Riaño said the university chose the theme months ago after noticing a shift in public opinion toward communism and socialism. “We became alarmed and concerned because the history of communism and socialism is a dark one,” he told Fox News Digital. Moreno‑Riaño added that Cornerstone feels a responsibility to educate “men and women for our country” about what he called the “moral bankruptcy of communism and socialism.”
Speakers include scholars, media personalities and a North Korean survivor
The program will include Seth Dillon, CEO of the satirical site The Babylon Bee; Dr. Gary Saul Morson, a scholar of Soviet communism; Xi Van Fleet, a survivor of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution; and Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who escaped at age 13.
Park described her experience living under a real socialist government, noting that “many people think it’s an amazing thing as a theory, but they have no idea what it would do to our local population if we bring this policy into our government.” She warned that more than 70% of humanity lives under authoritarian regimes, citing data from the Varieties of Democracy Institute.
Local political context
The event takes place in Kent County, where Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed won over 61% of the primary vote. El‑Sayed previously campaigned with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has defended communism as an “honorable end goal.” The university’s decision to host the forum adds a local counter‑point to those viewpoints.
Faith and liberty at the core
Moreno‑Riaño emphasized that the university’s Christian identity underpins its stance on liberty. “The gospel sets us free,” he said, linking the principle of Imago Dei – the belief that humans are created in God’s image – to the need for freedom and civic responsibility.
He urged students to become active citizens rather than “sit on the sidelines watching.” “As people of faith, we want our students to model what it means to be great citizens of our great country,” he added.
What to expect
The Oct. 1 event will be open to the public, with a schedule that includes personal testimonies, historical analysis and a Q&A session. Organizers hope the conversation will inspire attendees to recognize the dangers of authoritarian ideologies and to champion the freedoms afforded by the Constitution and the Christian faith.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
