CRESTVIEW — The Give Me Liberty conference, a multi-city tour to promote constitutional rights, is coming to Crestview on Sunday.
The approximately two-hour event — which has already visited Wilton Manors and Lake Placid — swings to Marianna and Panama City on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before coming to Woodlawn Baptist Church.
Featured speakers will include renowned pastors and political leaders, among others, who will discuss the U.S. government's biblical origins and solutions to the country's perceived "dilemmas," according to a news release.
It's not a partisan issue, according to supporters.
"It is not Republican vs. Democrat — it is liberty vs. tyranny," an event poster states. "God-fearing patriots have been rallying around the party to 'take back' Washington for over 30 years, but nothing ever changes. DC keeps getting bigger and more powerful, and the voice of 'we the people' falls on deaf ears."
The country has shifted from supporting traditional values to growing increasingly hostile toward the Bible, according to supporters.
Terrance Shoemaker, a Mary Esther resident and Panhandle Patriots Tea Party supporter, said there are reasons for that.
"Christians are not showing up to vote," he said. "Most of the churches fear, to the point of silence at the pulpit, talking about faith and moral issues that might just be a little political."
Such fear comes from the threat of losing tax-exempt status. "Consequently, we're not doing voter registration drives, we're not promoting from the pulpit," Shoemaker said.
Evangelists Rick Scarborough and Dexter Sanders, along with Alan Ross, founder of Kingdom Companies, a nonprofit organization that calls on business leaders to maintain Christian principles in the workplace, are among the conference's guest speakers.
WHAT: Give Me Liberty conference
WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7
WHERE: Woodlawn Baptist Church, 824 N. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview
COST: Free
Learn more about the tour here>>
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Give Me Liberty' conference promotes faithful citizenship