By Brianna Willis, Assistant Features Editor
Seats were filled with students, faculty and community members gathered to hear Rice Broocks, author of “God’s Not Dead” and other Christian-based books, now turned into films, discuss his evidence for the existence of God at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Curris Center Ballroom hosted by The Christian Faculty Network (CFN).
The night began with some technical difficulties, but that did not keep the energy of the audience down. Todd Broker, Director of the Center for Economic Education, took the stage to introduce Broocks, and to inform the audience of the difficulties.
He was met with cheers and applause as he welcomed the audience. Once the technical difficulties were resolved, Broocks and Dr. Bryan Miller, a physicist who provided some consultation to Brooks in the crafting of his books, accompanied Broocks to the stage.
“You should always travel with a physicist,” Broocks said.
Broocks joked that Miller was “Siri’s husband” and knew a lot about various topics including religion and science. He chose Miller to be there with him, he said, to help explain some of the scientific evidence he used in his book.
They started the presentation off with their own personal testimonies of faith, and why Broocks decided to write his book. The serious nature of God, and proof of his existence they presented, did not stop the two from keeping the atmosphere light. Brooks made jokes as he introduced himself and the topic of the evening.
Broocks not only discussed from his perspective God, but Miller talked about science and his belief in God.
“A lot of people believe science and faith are in conflict, but that’s not true,” Miller said.
Broocks and Miller used videos and simplified explanations of scientific concepts to support their beliefs. This multimedia aspect appealed to many of the college students, including Mitchell Clouse, sophomore from Glasgow, Kentucky. Clouse said he came for extra credit for an economics class, but he enjoyed the talk.
“I enjoyed the videos, even though they started late because of that,” he said.
CFN hosts these events not only for students, but Broker said for everyone on campus – including faculty and staff – since it is a good way to get engaged in the collegiate experience.
CFN is comprised of multiple Christian denominations, Broker said, and there’s diversity in races, ethnicities and political views.
“We have five tenants we ask those who join to agree too and believe in, but other than that you know, what color is the carpet in your church, we don’t care about those sorts of things,” Broker said.
An anonymous student from Frankfort, Kentucky, said he felt Broocks and Miller were well-versed and thorough in their research and presentation.
Broocks said that studies show college is where most students lose their faith. Broker echoed this sentiment and said he encouraged all college students to come to events hosted by CFN.
While these events aren’t strictly for students, Broocks acknowledged how many students were in the audience and gave them all a free copy of his book. Anonymous said, for incoming freshman who may be away from their faith community for the first time, to “never forget who you are.”
Broker said the CFN felt that Broocks was the right choice for the campus’ needs at this time.
“These events are open to everybody, whether you’re Christian or non-Christian,” Broker said. “We feel these events are designed to be open and inviting and really non-threatening.”