REDEDICATE 250 PART 1

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Real America’s Voice – REDEDICATE 250 PART 1

Date: May 17, 2026
Location: National Mall, Washington D.C.
Hosts & Featured Guests:

• Ben Berkwam
• Michelle Backus
• David Zier
• David Bleas (Patriot Mobile)
• Pastor Lorenzo Sewell
• Neil McCabe (field)
• Stacy Schefflin (America First Women's Initiative)
• Andy Dean (Cornerstone Church)
• Dan & Stan (Preborn)
• Paul Berkwam
• Many voices from the gathering

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Overview of Episode Theme

This episode covers the Rededicate 250 event on the National Mall in Washington D.C., a part of the Freedom 250/America 250 initiative, marking the run-up to America’s 250th anniversary. Framed as both a patriotic and spiritual gathering, the event emphasizes America’s Judeo-Christian roots, faith, unity, and a call for national rededication to God. Voices from multiple backgrounds discuss history, faith’s place in public life, current culture, and revivals of hope and engagement in American society.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Purpose and Spirit of Rededicate 250

Time: 03:41–05:44

• Opening Montage: Highlights the event as a unifier for Americans of all walks, focusing on faith, freedom, and rededicating the nation to God.
• Ben Berkwam notes the anticipation: “We are on the National Mall... but we're here today to celebrate... the Judeo Christian roots of our country.” (04:39)
• Atmosphere: High energy, people from all states assembling for a prayer-focused day.

2. America’s Foundational Values and Faith

Time: 05:44–09:21

• David Zier: Stresses the historical foundation, “God was the foundation, the cornerstone [of America’s founding]” (06:54)
• David Bleas: Cites John Adams: “This republic was made for a religious people with biblical value.” (08:48)
• Event marks the anniversary of a historic pre-Revolutionary day of prayer and fasting—May 17, 1776.
• Memorable Quote:

  "Before the document that established the nation, it was first established on prayer."
  (David Bleas, 07:03)

3. Rooting Unity in Faith, Responding to Division

Time: 13:03–16:31

• Pastor Lorenzo Sewell: Shares his own story—overcoming hardship, mentoring, and the reality of liberty and opportunity in America.
• Advocates for uniting under God, rejecting “oppression Olympics,” emphasizes how faith leads to real freedom.

  “The church needs to be leading the state.” (Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, 16:13)

4. Faith, Politics, and American Renewal

Time: 21:06–24:04

• David Bleas (Patriot Mobile): Describes the importance of supporting churches and faith institutions, correcting misconceptions about the “separation of church and state.”

  "The separation…was a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote…trying to do was keep the government out of the church." (23:03)

• Ben Berkwam: Notes the resurgence of energy and hope in D.C. post-COVID, attributing it to moral and faith-based resurgence.

5. Young Generations and the Desire for Authenticity

Time: 29:57–31:00

• David Bleas: Observes a generational shift—Gen Z and Alpha seek authenticity, moving past “Christianity that’s just a rock concert and a TED talk.”

  “They're wanting something real and authentic… I think they're truly seeking after Jesus.” (30:03)

6. The Impact of Charlie Kirk & Youth Movements

Time: 31:00–32:00

• Discussion of the late Charlie Kirk’s influence in merging patriotic and faith-based revival on campuses—seeds planted for future renewal.

  “All effective leaders realize you have to have that foundation of God that inspires and informs our politics.” (31:00)

7. Women’s Engagement and Grassroots Mobilization

Time: 36:38–41:48

• Stacy Schefflin (America First Women's Initiative):
  • Shares her project’s “TRUTH” acronym: Transparency, Reformation, Unity, Trust, Health.
  • Calls for three ambassadors from each state to champion community engagement and unity.

  "We're not red. We're not blue. We're red, white and blue. We're Americans." (38:01)

  • Rebuts “wokeness;” calls for return to common values, working together.

8. Religion’s Role in Politics—Historic and Contemporary

Time: 44:00–46:05

• Deep dive into faith leadership, with reference to the biblical grounding of America and contemporary leaders like Trump being open about faith.

  "If the president can speak about his faith, it's okay for everyone else to speak about their faith." (56:06)

9. Personal Testimonies: Renewal, Tragedy, and Hope

Time: 52:24–54:44

• Andy Dean (9/11 survivor):
  • Shares a dramatic survival story and spiritual awakening from the day of the attacks.

  “When I found myself just a couple hundred feet from the towers… I begged the Lord to save my life.” (52:33)

  • Discusses the necessity for humility, prayer, and dependence on God from America’s founding to today.

10. Pro-Life Advocacy and Preborn’s Mission

Time: 59:53–66:05

• Dan & Stan (Preborn):
  • Detail their crisis pregnancy support mission: “Preborn is the alternative to the abortion industry.”

  “If she does hear the baby, the heartbeat and see the baby, then it doubles the likelihood to 80%... That’s a defining minute.” (62:40)

  • Share data, appeal for prayer and donations, emphasize education and support for mothers.

11. Gathering Stories: Ordinary Americans, Legacy, and Community

Time: 69:13–75:19

• Paul Berkwam reflects on legacy, hardship, and the perseverance of faith.

  “God's still at work. He's sovereign over all things. And just glory to God.”

• Attendees Julie and Terry Rosenquist highlight the “family reunion” feeling and reflect on the positive impact of leaders like Charlie Kirk.

  “Standing in line— they're all strangers, but yet they don't feel like strangers. There's such a commonality in values.” (75:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Historic Roots:

  "Before the document that established the nation, it was first established on prayer." (David Bleas, 07:03)

• On Unity:

  “We're not red. We're not blue. We're red, white and blue. We're Americans.” (Stacy Schefflin, 38:01)

• On Faith and Leadership:

  “If the president can speak about his faith, it's okay for everyone else to speak about their faith.” (Neil McCabe, 56:06)

• On Gen Z’s Craving for Authenticity:

  "They're done with the show. They're done with the politically correct answers... They're craving authenticity." (David Bleas, 30:03)

• From 9/11 Witness:

  “I begged the Lord to save my life... and it was then that I said, well, Lord, is there anything I can do to help these people?” (Andy Dean, 52:33)

• On the Power of Ultrasound:

  "If [the mother] hears the heartbeat and sees the baby, then it doubles the likelihood to 80%... That’s a defining minute." (Dan from Preborn, 62:40)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Content/Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 03:41 | Event introduction, purpose, focus on unity and faith | | 05:44 | Foundational discussion: America’s Christian roots | | 13:03 | Pastor Lorenzo Sewell on forgiveness, unity, and liberty| | 21:06 | Supporting churches, church-state discussion (Bleas) | | 29:57 | Gen Z’s spiritual hunger and authenticity (Bleas) | | 36:38 | Women’s Initiative and grassroots engagement | | 44:00 | Faith leaders, President Trump’s faith conversation | | 52:33 | Andy Dean’s 9/11 testimony and faith journey | | 59:53 | Preborn: The battle for life, tactics, and mission | | 69:13 | Reflections from the crowd—legacy, gratitude, hope | | 75:05 | "Family reunion" feeling at faith/patriot gatherings |

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Tone and Style

• Language: Conversational, warm, frequently referencing “we,” “us,” and inclusive spiritual language.
• Tone: Patriotic, earnest, faith-filled, sometimes combative toward “woke” or “leftist” ideologies, but consistently focused on hope, unity, and community.

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Conclusion

The episode encapsulates a live, spirited gathering of Americans consciously returning to what they perceive as the nation’s core faith and values. Through stories, history, testimonies, and calls to prayer and action, it serves as an invocation to Americans—of all backgrounds—to unite in faith, acknowledge past shortcomings, and work together for spiritual and civic renewal. The event highlights both the legacy and the future of the nation as rooted in Judeo-Christian thought, with a particular call for authenticity and involvement from younger generations and women, and a strong push for pro-life initiatives.

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Transcript

[David Zier]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Real America's Voice Announcer]

From the heart of Washington D.C. welcome to a historic national gathering of faith, freedom and revival. Today, Americans from every walk of life unite to boldly proclaim that our our hope is not gone, our foundation is not broken and our nation still belongs to God. This is Rededicate 250. We are joined by Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth, David Zier, Ben Berkwam, Michelle Backus and voices from across America standing together in prayer and purpose. This is more than an event. This is a rededication of a nation. Live coverage begins right now here on Real America's Voice.

[Ben Berkwam]

It's a glorious day Here in Washington D.C. we are on the National Mall for the Freedom 250 rededicate. In the series of the Freedom 250 events, America 250 in anticipation of America's 250th anniversary. But we're here today to celebrate. Open to all Americans but the Judeo Christian roots of our country. Our founding fathers a declaration of independence. And we're joined today by Michelle Backus, Ben Berkwam and David Blease from Patriot Mobile. We want to give a big shout out to Patriot Mobile and also preborn today's sponsors and we have a great slate of speakers. We will be here all day on the ground to make amazing day. Right Michelle?

[Michelle Backus]

Yeah, it's going to be a great day. Americans from all across the country are going to be right behind us here on the National Mall for a national day of prayer. It's going to be such a magical day. And now the gates open at 9:30. So it seems a little small right now, but that energy is about to pick up. So you're going to want to stick with us all day, Ben.

[David Zier]

Yeah, it's packed outside the line, wrapped around this area.

[Julie Rosenquist]

In fact.

[David Zier]

We were. I was walking out and it was. It felt like, you know, one of those massive events here when you come for the inauguration. Huge numbers of people from all over the country have flown in and we've done all these events all across America. The 250 events, the Marines, the Navy, the Army. This one, to me is the most important. This is getting to the foundation of our nation. It's what makes America so special. It's that foundation of God as the guiding light of our nation. And you look at our founding, our founding documents, everything started with God and his provision, his guidance and our reliance on Him. That's really what's blessed this nation. And if we're going to continue, it's what we have to rely back on in order to keep that blessing.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. And to put it into a cultural context, many founders were traditional Christians who founded this country here. Unorthodox leaders like Ben Franklin and George Washington, they believed that biblical morality and religious populace were vital to sustaining our virtue going forward. Establishing the founding documents. So although God doesn't appear in the Constitution, there are references to God and the Creator and the Declaration of Independence, and they drew heavily on Enlightenment ideals.

[David Zier]

And in every state government, every state constitution before that as well. You look at the history, the Federalist Papers, God was the foundation, the cornerstone.

[David Bleas]

Yeah. They mentioned the most holy God. And I know I went to public school, I know where my public school people are. But I was not taught about all of the days of prayer and fasting that were sent out from the government. The public arena, saying, we are calling for a day of prayer and fasting. And the second one that was ever called for was on May 17th. And this is right before they declared independence. So right before July 4th, the day that we all celebrate as the day that we declared independence, there was first a day of prayer and fasting. So isn't it cool that before the document that established the nation, it was first established on prayer? It's amazing.

[David Zier]

Yeah. And the history of that, you know, you think about all of those documents, but you get to the Declaration and my shout out to my friend David Shostokis, who Challenged us. We did the event. I actually had the opportunity, the privilege of going to the Mount Rushmore when President Trump was there for the fourth of July and we did a road trip across America, and he said he wanted to challenge us. To all learn the first 51 words of the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That in order to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Those 51 words, I think 51 words, those words are that foundation. And they are so different than every other government up until that point. I mean, they've become kind of, you know, common. Now you look around the world, other nations that have adopted America's style constitution. But at that time, there was nothing, no idea like that, that, that all of these powers that we have, that government has come from us. But all of that initially comes from God.

[Dan from Preborn]

Yeah.

[David Bleas]

And I think it was John Adams that said that this republic was made for a religious people with biblical value. So he's basically saying that all of this only works if the public believes in God, understands the need for God. I mean, that was how this started, was the revolution. We were like a JV high school basketball team going against Michael Jordan and the Bulls like we had no shot. They realized the only way we could do this is as if we first dedicated it to the Lord. And that's what the foundation we're standing on. But we've forgotten many times.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. And the Declaration of Independence just quickly references God four times in it, and it establishes the moral authority for independence, describing God as the Creator here, a legislator, a supreme judge, and a protector for divine providence for the United States. So even we crafted the Constitution to be a framework that was somewhat secular, but also protects religious rights. We want to go out in the field right now to Neil McCabe standing by.

[Neil McCabe]

Hey, good morning, everybody. There's a real buzz here on the National Mall as we get ready to kick off rededicate 250. How are you guys doing?

[David Zier]

Doing great, Neil. Great to have you, brother.

[Neil McCabe]

Yeah, it's.

[David Zier]

What are you anticipating?

[Neil McCabe]

I've been hearing the musician. Well, I. I've been listening to the musicians tune up and practice. So I think for people who enjoy good Christian music, it's going to be a phenomenal day. And then we're just going to have some great speakers. And I'm looking for the Feedback from the crowd. You could see people lining up. You could see the buses pulling in as I came in this morning, I think it's going to be an absolutely remarkable day of rededication.

[Michelle Backus]

Neil, how big does the line look out there? I haven't been around to see how many people came today.

[Neil McCabe]

Yeah, I'm seeing hundreds of people lining up. I first came up a few hours ago, actually, because I wasn't sure how my credential situation was going to work out. And so I was surprised to see people lining up so early. But I'm seeing buses coming in and I'm seeing vans and I'm seeing families. I'm seeing a lot of strollers, which is always a good sign.

[Ben Berkwam]

Neil, I wanted to ask you, I've been covering the Freedom 250 events, America 250. We were at Ellis island with Ben Berkwam and Amanda Head, celebrating 12 million legal immigrants coming into the country. 40% of Americans can trace their roots back to Ellis Island. We were there for the Freedom Truck Launch, North Carolina, and then on the National Mall, educating our kids across the country and everything else going on in anticipation of this at America 250. What do you think it means to you and what does it mean to the American public? And are they. Do they have some pride again?

[Neil McCabe]

I think the president has given us enormous sense of pride again, because we're a country that is taken seriously. We're not a country that has to sort of apologize for our culture, apologize for our civilization. We don't have to apologize for who we are and what we think is important. I remember there was somebody who worked for President Reagan and they asked her, you know, what it meant that Reagan was president, you know, to the rest of the world. And she said, we took the kick me sign off our back, and that's sort of what President Trump is doing. We took the kick me sign off our back, and people have to deal with us. And we may, you know, we may not get everything we want. And things might take time, but nobody wants to be on the wrong end of Donald Trump and the United States of America.

[Ben Berkwam]

Well, Neil, appreciate that insight. We're going to be coming to Neil McCabe throughout the day here, but we have a very special guest with us. Last time I saw you was at the RNC 2024, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell from the 180 Church in Michigan. Right. How are you, sir?

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

Man, I'm so Holy Ghost, happy to be with you all today. I'm so proud to be an American for at least I know I'm free.

[David Zier]

Amen. You know, Lorenzo, you look at this. Where we're at today, 250 years, the foundation of our nation and how we got here. But then how we continue. Would you do me a favor? We haven't done this yet, and I haven't even asked you yet, but would you open us up in prayer for the day and just God's guidance on where we're at and where we're heading?

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

Absolutely. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for the prayers of our forefathers, for matriarchs and patriarchs that prayed for this moment. We thank you that you have not forsaken America. Thank you for the present that you've given us for Savior, such a time is this. And we pray that we would obey that heavenly hypothesis. We are your people, called by your name. We humble ourselves and pray. We seek your face. We turn from our wicked ways. Thank you that today you are hearing from heaven forgiven our sin in healing this land in Jesus name.

[Dan from Preborn]

Amen.

[David Zier]

Amen.

[Ben Berkwam]

Amen. Amen.

[David Zier]

Lorenzo, I want to ask you. You know, it's we. I just read that. The. The. The Declaration of Independence, those first 51 words. And you think about where our nation was. We still had slavery. We still, you know, we still had injustice in the world. And you think about where we're at today. For those that are still. That still use that. You know, you look at the left today, it's this crutch of injustice. You know, I call it. It's the oppression Olympics. Compared to somebody like yourself who says that's where we were is not where we are, and God is calling us to something better. How do we unite as a nation? We call ourselves the United States of America, but it sure feels like we're the Divided States of America.

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

Yeah, well, we have to understand we are the people and we have the power. Right? We have to understand that our forefathers, when they were able to frame this amazing declaration, when they were able to frame the wells of our democracy, they had a mindset to say we're doing it up under the auspices of the God of the Bible. And the God of the Bible says what he says, where his spirit is, there is liberty. So for everyone on the left, well, look at a kid like me. I was born and raised on the east side of Detroit, mentored by murder

[Ben Berkwam]

student up the street.

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

My dad is in prison for murder today. But I have 300 pastors gathered at the USDA. Mike Johnson's about to come speak to him. President Trump came to my church. Oh, there's no country like.

[Ben Berkwam]

And then, and then, Lorenzo, they said there were no black people. Where Trump came there and you were like, no, it was like 90% black. What are you talking about? Right.

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

Well, you know, I think a lot of times they play with semantic silence and they use words to try to virtue signal. They use words to try to play identity politics. But every American knows enough is enough. You can do anything in this country.

[David Zier]

Amen.

[Michelle Backus]

Lorenzo, a lot of people say that the church and politics should be separate, but there's an overlay in a lot of that.

[Mood.com Advertiser]

What would you tell people?

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

Well, Jesus was a politician. Jesus was crucified for a political turn. You're no friend of Caesar. Jesus on his, on his crucifix, it said that he said he was a king.

[David Zier]

Right.

[Pastor Lorenzo Sewell]

So we're a country whereby our founding fathers understood we can't be a country that has a civil law without a moral law. They knew one was able to inform the other. They would have never had this false dichotomy of the church and the state. They would have said, no, the church needs to be leading the state.

[Ben Berkwam]

Lorenzo Sewell from the 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan. I want to thank you so much for joining us today. And we're going to go to a break here. We want to give a special shout out to our sponsors today. Patriot Mobile, America's only Christian conservative wireless provider and preborn. Save babies, save souls. A $28 ultrasound can change everything in your life. And we'll be right back from the Freedom250 rededicate on the Washington Mall.

[Real America's Voice Announcer]

America is rising in faith and purpose. More live coverage from Washington D.C. and Rededicate250 is coming up next right here on Real America. America's voice.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens the thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public

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Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures this

[Martha Stewart]

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[Real America's Voice Announcer]

Historic Live coverage as America gathers in faith, freedom and unity for rededicate 250 only on real America's voice.

[Ben Berkwam]

Welcome back. You're watching Real America's Voice news. And we're bringing you today's coverage of Freedom 250 rededicate another chapter in the series of Freedom 250America 250 events in anticipation of America's 250th anniversary. We want to thank today's sponsors, patriot mobile and preborn. 28 hour ultrasounds can change everything for somebody. And we're joined here by our good friend Michelle Backus. Ben Berkwam working with you guys for so long. And we have David Beast from Patriot Mobile. How are you, David?

[David Bleas]

Doing great. It's a pleasure to be here. Like you said, Patriot Mobile, we just started Patriot Mobile Faith because there's an initiative that we want to help not only, you know, organizations that defend our freedom, but also the churches because that's really the life of flow of America. From the beginning. So many of the people that signed the Declaration of Independence were actually pastors, what we would call today evangelical Christians, but again, not something we're talking about. But this is the rededication. It's not just a rededication and a remembering of our foundation of America.

[David Zier]

What do you do for Patriot Mobile? By the way, you've got a great face for tv. You seem like you do. Is this what you do for Patriot

[Michelle Backus]

Mobile and you know your history? Yes.

[David Zier]

Facts like you don't seem like a cell phone guy.

[David Bleas]

I'm not a cell phone guy. No, I have a cell phone, which

[David Zier]

I think we all do now. Yes. Patriot Mobile. By the way, if you don't, we're going to say this all day, but if you don't have a Patriot Mobile phone yet, you need to do it. So easy to switch. Keep your current phone or you can get a new one if you want to, but you can keep your current phone. The service at Patriot Mobile is incredible. But beyond that, you're giving your money every month, which you're already doing right now, to a company that supports the values that you believe in.

[David Bleas]

Yeah, totally.

[David Zier]

Why give it to a company that supports all the crap that you don't want support. Support companies that you believe in Anyways. Okay, so what do you do for.

[David Bleas]

Yes, I'm a pastor by trade, so I've been a pastor at gateway church for 14 years, was a youth pastor for seven years and. And now moving into Patriot Mobile Faith, which like you said, is a.

[David Zier]

Okay, this all makes sense now.

[David Bleas]

Now it all makes sense. Exactly. And it's Patriot Mobile, like you said, there's a portion of every dollar that they give to ministries and organizations. And I'm Here to really oversee the faith based aspects of the company and the places that they're giving to, to help expand the kingdom.

[David Zier]

So are Scott and Glenn just this smart? How. I mean, I'm watching this all come together. I'm like, you know, they're great guys, but something's going. Or is it their wives that really.

[Ben Berkwam]

It's more.

[David Bleas]

It's always the wives, Jenny, always the girls.

[Michelle Backus]

Remember that girl power here, gentlemen. The men need the women. I do want to ask you though, why is it so important right now to be helping out the churches and expanding that mission?

[David Bleas]

Yeah, well, I think so many of the churches are afraid. I think they're afraid of being divisive, they're afraid of splitting the church and there's really a lack of education. Like we said in our public school days, we're not taught about the foundation of America being a Christian foundation. We're taught at the very best. The founding fathers were deists. They maybe believed in a God, but he was far off. But that's not the true understanding of our foundation as Americans. And, and there's this big lie that there's a separation of church and state and so the church shouldn't be involved in politics. When that actually was not in our founding documents. That was a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote and what he was trying to do was keep the government out of the church. Because you have to remember they came

[Ben Berkwam]

from England, the Connecticut congregation.

[David Bleas]

Yeah. They came from this overarching king that had a national religion. And they said that's not what's going to happen in America. We're not going to be dictated by the government. And so the separation of church and state is really to protect the churches and allow the churches to speak into public life. And we need to get that back.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. In America was founded on a biblical literacy. And we celebrate all religions in this country. About 2/3 Christian, we're about 2% Jewish, 1% Hindu, 1% Muslim and other. But this country had a founding generation that was steeped in Protestant tradition. And biblical metaphors were frequently used as political discourse to justify liberty and self governance for our country. So a really integral part of our country. I wanted to shift gears a little bit and Ben and I and Michelle and David were talking earlier about, you know, D.C. is such a different place now from that black hole of the COVID post, you know, Biden, Biden inauguration. I was able to make some theft. There was no, there was nobody present at Biden's inauguration. All the businesses were shuttered in Dupont Circle and Georgetown, it is back in force. Trump. You can't get a reservation in a restaurant, you can't get a hotel. The buzz is back, right, Michelle?

[Michelle Backus]

The energy is back. And you know what I'm noticing is a lot of younger people coming into D.C. obviously working for the Trump administration, amongst many other great places here. But you're seeing young people throwing events, for instance, parties, meetups, get togethers. The energy is so different here this time around that I genuinely look forward to coming to Washington D.C. yeah, you

[David Zier]

know, it's sad because when I first came here, actually, my dad is here with me now. This is the second time we've been here together. We're at President Trump's first inauguration. My dad, who was a pastor, by the way, he's also missionary, missionaries in Africa. I'll be talking to him later, but shout out to Paul Berkwan, my dad. But we came for the inauguration. I came in my eighth grade trip. We were in California, and I came out here and I thought at that time I was like, wow, amazing history. I didn't know all the other darkness that went on and that's been invited into this place. I came back after that, after the inauguration. The inauguration was hopeful, but then under Biden, it just felt so dark, so evil. And then now you see, see that? Where the light is coming back in. And really that is the battle of every generation. But in particular right now, you see it, it's palpable. The battle of good versus evil. And it all comes back to what you said our nation was designed for, a moral, Christian nation. Anything outside of that, it just, it's incompatible. And that, you know, although we're, we're open to other religions, the founders understood that the God of the Bible is the truth. And that's the direction that this nation needs to stay on. And as soon as we get off that track, that's where we fall. Speaking of education, too, you were talking about that earlier. We homeschool our kids now, and you don't get this in public schools, but the first school book that was given to kids, the New England Primer, we have that for our daughters. It's all, every letter. When you learn your Alphabet, it's all about the Bible. It's all Bible verses or it's truths about God, the apple that Eve ate, and all of these things, things that our founders understood. And now we live in a place where the darkness has overshadowed that. But you're right, David, it's coming back. You walk around the city, even Mayor Bowser, who was A huge opponent to 180 now that you've got National Guard out here. Crime, I don't. You may have the stats on this. The crime stats in D.C. are incredible.

[Ben Berkwam]

What is happening? Yeah, they're at a 40 year low. And I've been coming to D.C. for 50 years. I, I met Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale on the Easter egg roll when I was 7. But I always remember D.C. to be crime ridden. And it really wasn't until Trump took term in 2017 when he bought the old post office. That was the meeting place. Everybody wanted to be part of it. Things got a little better, but there was still a lot of crime. And then you had J6 and then you had Covid and they used that to just, you know, shutter at all the business and it got worse. So my son went to GW here and I remember my daughter walking down the street, a homeless man grabbed her ankle as she's walking down the street. There were problems. But it is a different scenario right now. Michelle.

[Dan from Preborn]

Right.

[Ben Berkwam]

You can walk downtown, you can go anywhere, pretty much. There's still elements of homelessness, but they're not as aggressive. You don't have Tent City in front of Union Station. It's a sea change, right?

[Michelle Backus]

They're not aggressive whatsoever. In fact, I'm a 5 foot 2 girl here and I felt completely comfortable walking yesterday to Union Station. I felt even more comfortable when I saw the National Guard standing outside. We said hello, I said, thank you for being here. But it is, it's a different energy. It brings business and life back into this place. And I'll tell you what, Washington, D.C. a lot better off right now than New York City, Louisiana, San Francisco.

[Ben Berkwam]

And David, you know, one of our Brian Glenn was robbed of his briefcase. We had a White House correspondent in the White House who was held at gunpoint in Union Station. I've had several run ins in Union Station over the years. And then I go back to Penn Station in New York. It's no better and it's still bad. But a big difference. You see the difference here.

[David Bleas]

I mean, I haven't been here since I was in seventh grade. So I. There was a moment where I thought the national mall had a J.C. penney's and a Brookstone. So this is a good experience for me to realize that this is what the National Mall is. But no, I think it is exciting and you can definitely feel the energy. You feel the excitement. You feel the next generation coming up. Because I think the next generation felt for a long time as we're Growing up in this very woke world where, you know, there's gender confusion and, you know, you had to be careful of everything that you said. But what we've seen happen throughout history is as the pendulum sweep, swings and overcorrects, the next generation sometimes tries to push back. And I think we're seeing the pushback right now of, no, we want to follow Jesus and we want to follow the truth. And that's not an abrasive, aggressive truth. This is a loving truth. But we're finding that tension of being able to tell the truth with love. And that's what Jesus did. He told the truth with love. And I think that's what the next generation is craving, that authenticity, that real, true relationship with Jesus that informs everybody decision.

[Michelle Backus]

David, let me follow up on that. In your work as a pastor as well, are you noticing that with younger generations, what are they saying?

[David Bleas]

Totally. I think when I was growing up, I'm still. I'm still young, but when I was growing up in, you know, youth ministry, it was the first time that Christianity could be cool. You remember the, the youth ministries with the fog machines, pizza, free pizza. You know, it's just like this idea of like, oh, wow, and guess what? The worship is a rock band, electric guitar. Like, that was revolutionary for us. And then as that became kind of the norm, I think the next generation coming up behind me, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, they're wanting something real and authentic. I think they're done with the show a little bit. I think they're done with the Christianity that's just a rock concert and a TED talk. I think they're truly seeking after Jesus, which, praise God, right? So I think that's what I see the next generation craving is that authenticity. And that's both in the political world and the religious world world. They're done with the show. They're done with the politically correct answers. They're done with saying one thing on the platform but doing other things behind closed doors. I think they're craving authenticity, and that's what I think we should be craving.

[David Zier]

You saw that this. We're coming up this year, not quite a year yet, a couple months away from when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. And you think about that impact, the young people both, you know, what Charlie did for it was bringing that together, that lie of the. The separation of church and state. Charlie realized that you have to have both of those. And all effective leaders realize you have to have that foundation of God that inspires and informs our politics. What he did with young people, you really saw that revival in colleges, the patriotic revival as well as the Christian revival. And I just pray that we're seeing that you're seeing cancel culture start to die. You're seeing the wokeness start whatever the enticement was from that start to fizzle. But my biggest prayer is, but you're also seeing a lot of division in this as well. And so all of these things as we're moving forward, it's always all right, where's God leading us and where's the devil trying to attack and how do we prevent that and stay focused on his mission?

[Ben Berkwam]

Ben, I wanted to add to that, you read my mind because I was going to bring up the Yale poll that said it was like 18% like more conservative shift than was one of Charlie's last things that I watched him say and talk about. And that shift over here. We're going to go back to a commercial break here. We want to thank today's sponsors of Rededicate, Freedom, 250, Patriot Mobile and Preborn. We're going to be right back with more Don't Go anywhere. Stay tuned. It's a beautiful day on the National Mall here. D.C. is back. And don't go go anywhere. We'll be right back.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public

[Public Investment Disclosures]

Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures Ever wonder

[Martha Stewart]

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[Ben Berkwam]

Welcome back everybody across America. We are so proud to bring you today's Freedom 250 rededicate bringing back celebrating Judeo Christian roots of our country, our founding fathers, our important documents but open to all religions across the country. It's a glorious day here in Washington D.C. we want to thank our sponsors today. Patriot Mobile and preborn with $28 ultrasounds has 800,000 abortions a year. One in baby four pregnancies end up in abortions in the country. So maybe this can help change some people's minds. And I want to get to our next guest here with our great panel here, Michelle Backus and the great Ben Berkwam. We have Stacy Schefflin from the America First Women's Initiative as part of the America First Policy Institute. How are you ma'?

[Andy Dean]

Am?

[Stacy Schefflin]

David so excited to be here and thank you guys all for tuning in today on such a monumental event. I mean people from all 50 states are here. I've met so many people standing outside waiting to get in this is a date, really, that dates back to May 17, 1776, when the Second Congressional Congress observed a special day for workers to put down their work, pray, talk about humiliation, talk about fasting and what that meant. So here we are. 250 days, 250 years again from that day when lawmakers asked people to take up a moment for greatness, for guidance, for just genuine gratitude. And that, I think that's what this day is the most important, that our founding fathers, I mean, James Adams heard a sermon he wrote to Abigail, his wife, and he said, this sermon is influential today. It is going to change the trajectory of our world. It's all about us thinking that now we are free people. We're going to separate from Great Britain and have a moment to really look at what America is all about. And then days later, you all know what happened. The Declaration happens, and we the people are greater than any other time. But this is really a spiritual warfare. And you guys speak about it a lot, about good against evil.

[Ben Berkwam]

Tell us about the agenda of the Women's Initiative.

[Stacy Schefflin]

The Women's Initiative is all about truth. Very easy. The acronym is T R U T H Transparency in Government Reformation for women in our country to be reaffirmed. You for unity. We have to come together. We're not red. We're not blue. We're red, white and blue. We're Americans. It doesn't matter what your ethnicity is. We all have the color red going through our veins. And that's what God meant for all of us to. To be a unified group. The next T is trust. Trust in our goodness and greatness of this great republic. And H is for mind, body, spirit and the health of our great land. You see Secretary Rawlins working day in and day out. She was the founder of America First Policy Institute at the usda. Now she's working with ranchers and farmers to make our land great again. And I think it's really important that we focus on what's important to the people.

[Michelle Backus]

So with the Women's Initiative.

[Stacy Schefflin]

Yes.

[Michelle Backus]

What is that going to be doing?

[Stacy Schefflin]

We're going across this great Nation. We have 20amazing senior fellow women that are at AFPI. They're our advisory team. Each state. We're asking for three women to represent your state as an ambassador for your state, to work with these 20 women and ourselves here in D.C. we're 600 steps from the White House. We're at the tip of the spear. 90% of all legislation and affirmations with President Trump in this administration. We don't like to brag, but kind of came out of our think tank. We're a do tank. We're getting it done. We're making impact. So it's for women to carry the message into their communities, unite and come together. We have to start talking to each other. Yeah. We cannot separate ourselves anymore.

[Michelle Backus]

Wait, Stacy, is this an open call?

[Ben Berkwam]

It is an open call.

[Stacy Schefflin]

It is an open call. So you can text women wo M E n. Thank you so much for talking to 70107. Text WOMEN to 70107.

[David Zier]

I'm just glad you guys know what a woman is. I mean, that's very nice. It's very important these days of wokeness.

[Stacy Schefflin]

You know, you mentioned woke as a joke, my friend. Woke is a joke.

[Michelle Backus]

I like that.

[David Zier]

Or as President Trump says, everything won't turn, but we're not going to say that. So, you know, but this, you mentioned that the day of prayer.

[Stacy Schefflin]

Yes.

[David Zier]

Before the Declaration Independence, I was thinking about the dichotomy between our side and you're right, we need unity, but we also, we're in a spiritual battle right now. And you compare that to the emptiness and the misery. By the way, the gates have opened. People are starting to fill in.

[Neil McCabe]

They're walking in.

[David Zier]

This place is going to be packed. It's amazing.

[Stacy Schefflin]

We wish you were all here. But you're here now.

[David Zier]

You're here in spirit.

[Stacy Schefflin]

You're coming.

[David Zier]

And by the way, pray across. All across our church, our church in Arkansas Christian Ministries, they're doing a big deal today. I know churches all across America rededicating to America. Incredible, incredible day. But you compare that. I was just thinking about that when Amer, when Christians patriots fast, we, we take a day off to pray and to celebrate and to be thankful. And then you compare to what we just saw from the left, where they had their May Day, where they all took work off to go and to

[Mood.com Advertiser]

just, if they had jobs,

[David Zier]

to just be vile. I mean, the contrast between light and darkness, it is so apparent today.

[Stacy Schefflin]

It's so apparent. It's so easy to pray. People that have never prayed ask me, stace, I don't know how to pray. I'm like, it's really easy. It's a conversation between you and your God in your own peaceful location, wherever it be, it doesn't matter. And you just say, dear God, give me wisdom, give me strength, give me guidance. Protect the ones I love. Bring my community together. Make our republic strong again. That is all we need. It's such a simple thing. And President Trump read that second Chronicles, 14th from the Oval Office. When he said, we will be one nation under God. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sins and will heal their land for a time such as this. We are ready, right?

[David Zier]

Amen.

[Stacy Schefflin]

I know your church is ready today. That's a blessing.

[Ben Berkwam]

Stacey Schefflin, Very powerful words. Stacy Schefflin, everyone, from the America First Women's Initiative. On behalf of the America First Policy Institute, thank you so much for joining us. We have an incredible day ahead. We're gonna go out in the field now to our reporter on the scene, Neil McCabe. What's up, Neil?

[Neil McCabe]

Hey, guys. Yeah, you stole my headlight. This thing's really popping. They've opened the gates. People are now flowing into the seats. And so you're really going to start to feel that sort of that buzz and that momentum. And, you know, the stage faces the U.S. capitol. And I just sort of imagine all that power, right, the power of the Lord and the power of all the people here rededicating themselves in faith and praise and prayer and thanksgiving, and then sending all that power right into the Capitol dome to wake those guys up and make sure that they hear us and they feel the power of the Holy Spirit. I also want to sort of highlight some of these speakers you're going to have today, Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House. You're going to have Bishop Robert Barron, who's a Catholic bishop from Minnesota, who's very active in Catholic media and is not really a lot of people, a lot of people concerned about Catholic bishops maybe not being on board and on duty with the MAGA movement. But certainly Bishop Barron has reached out and has been very helpful and very supportive of a lot of the initiatives that the president is trying to do. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be here. We're going to have Ben. John.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Neil McCabe]

I'm sorry, you're going to have.

[Ben Berkwam]

No, finish your thought. I have a question for you.

[Neil McCabe]

Okay, absolutely. And I just want to highlight three of the specific faith leaders you're going to have. Catholic Bishop, excuse me, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who just retired as the Archbishop of New York. You have Franklin Graham, of course, the great preacher and son of Billy Graham. And then Jonathan Falwell, the son of Jerry Falwell. Go ahead, please. I'm sorry.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yes, Neil, I wanted to ask you really quick. You know, Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas is going to be speaking later. And he was talking about he and other faith leaders were in the Oval Office three days after the Iran conflict started. And he was talking about how Trump explained that Iran could have a nuclear weapon within weeks. And he also said that Pope Leo, you know, as a Catholic myself, you know, I get disappointed with some of the stuff that comes out of the Vatican. But he said Pope Leo was a good man and the pope was sincere in his faith, but sincerely wrong when it comes to Iran. And he said that Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches than the pope. On the question of military action against Iran. I just want to get your thoughts.

[Neil McCabe]

Well, I'm not going to put my soul in too much jeopardy when I answer this, but I'll say this. The pope, Catholics believe that the pope, when he speaks in matters of faith or morality, is infallible because he is speaking from the chair of Peter. But when the pope weighs in on interest rates or wars with Iran or baseball, whether you should have the bunt in the ninth inning or not, like anything else the pope weighs in on, he's just a guy like everybody else. And so I respect the pope and the Holy Father and everything that he means to me and my church. But, you know, there's a reason why we have a president of the United States and this country is not run by the Pope. I would also say, you know, Reagan said that it is possible for an atheist to become president, but it is impossible for a man to leave the White House an atheist. And we're it's just been remarkable over all these years to see President Trump not only, I don't want to say grow in his faith because I don't want to speak to what his faith was, but his being more open about his faith and sharing his faith and speaking about it, it's really given confidence to others that it's okay and cool to be faithful.

[Ben Berkwam]

Neal, I really appreciate what you just said. And we're going to come back to you in the field. We want to bring in our next guest and we'll probably carry him through the break here, but Andy Dean from the Cornerstone Church. As a New Jersey native, he found himself at the bottom of the collapsing Twin Towers on 9 11, disciple of Jesus, husband to Shannon and three wonderful children. And I also enjoy hot wings. I heard you like hot wings. Andy, how are you?

[Andy Dean]

I'm doing really good, thank you.

[Ben Berkwam]

Great to have you here. And we want to thank our sponsors, Patriot Mobile today along with pre born $28 ultrasounds and 800,000 abortions a year. So they can probably go a long way to help stemming that tide here. But you moved to California in 2012 and you're the director of a Bible college. We have about a minute left. Tell us about what you do quickly and we're going to bring you back.

[Neil McCabe]

Sure.

[Andy Dean]

You know, I'm the lead pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Wildemar and so I lead a congregation there about three to 4,000. And we, we're at church, we love

[David Bleas]

the Lord, we seek the Lord.

[Andy Dean]

And it's been great. It's been amazing to see the spiritual interest growing even in California, people reading their Bibles, young adults group that have hundreds of people there. It's been awesome.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. And then Ben, you have a lot of churches in central California and I'm sure you have some questions for Andy as well.

[David Zier]

You look at we're going to get this, maybe get the answer on the

[Ben Berkwam]

other side of the break.

[David Zier]

But you look at the direction. I just left California. I said we escaped, moved back to America, but my dad is still out there. Our family's still out there. What is your message to the people that feel that California is lost? Is there still hope for California?

[Andy Dean]

Yeah, we need to be a light to the world. Right. And if there's no hope for California, there's hope for my neighbors. And so I'm going to be a light for Jesus in my neighborhood, in my city. We're going to serve our city and I think that's all we can do is just love those around us.

[Ben Berkwam]

You know, Andy Dean, the polls are looking pretty good for Steve Hilton out there in California right now. Not to get too political, but we're going to be right back from the break. We have Shel Backus, Ben Berkhom, Andy Dean from the Cornerstone Church, Neil McCabe and Neil McCabe out in the field. Sorry and Freedom 250 Rededicate. We'll be right back with more. You're watching Real America's Voice news. Download the Real America's Voice news app today. And once again, thanks to our sponsors Patreon, Street Mobile and Preborn. We'll be right back with more.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Support for the show comes from public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index, and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customized and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public

[Public Investment Disclosures]

Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice.

[Public Podcast Announcer]

Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures Ever wonder

[Martha Stewart]

how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret when prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it. Done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco.

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[David Zier]

I heart Radio.

[Ben Berkwam]

Thank you for joining us today. I'm David Zier. We're coming to you from the national mall in Washington D.C. it is a spectacular weather day. It finally stopped raining and it's it was 40 degrees last week I was on the ground here. But where with Michelle back is Ben Berquam. We have Andy, Andy Dean from the Cornerstone Church. Want to thank our sponsors, Patriot Mobile and Preborn. And we're gonna bring Patriot Mobile back up here in a little while. But Andy Dean is a New Jersey native, relocated to California was it at 9 11. And he talks about, you know, how he found himself, you know, in that situation. The day of 9 11, I wanted to ask you. I lost one of my closest friends from Long Island. Everyone and my family lost friends and relatives and fathers and uncles and brothers and cousins and everybody knew somebody.

[Andy Dean]

Right.

[Ben Berkwam]

And it was a tragic day. But you talk about how you were asking God to save your life. Can you talk about that?

[Andy Dean]

Yeah, I needed to because 25 years ago on September 10, I was not walking with the Lord. I was out drunk and partying and went to bed. And that did not prepare me to meet my maker. And so when I found myself just a couple hundred feet from the towers, when the first one began to fall and running and then hiding in a shop, and then we began to choke and it really felt like we were going to die. And so in that moment, I begged the Lord to save my life. I recited the gospel to myself. I apologized for my sins and I didn't deserve it. But he gave me a peace and an assurance of my salvation in that moment. And it was then that I said, well, Lord, is there anything I can do to help these people? And he gave me a picture in my mind of a building across the street that would have more oxygen. That's never happened before or since. And I walked across the street, couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Found that building and then walked back and led the 15 people over there and we could breathe. And so then I was with the firemen all day. But you know, the Bible says it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. And the fact that he saved my life multiple times, times that day really drew me to follow him.

[Ben Berkwam]

Amazing.

[Michelle Backus]

So after that life changing experience on 9 11, how did you then move to California? What was that process like to then start a congregation out there?

[Andy Dean]

Yeah, I finished college, began to work at a church in New Jersey and met my wife. And then I wrote a book. And then through that book being read, I was invited to a Bible college in California and began to work there for years. 8. Eight years before the local church there found me. And I now work at Cornerstone.

[David Zier]

You look at New York now you know, you said 25 years. It's crazy that it's 25 years, almost 25 years since that happened. But now you got the mayor and you've got all this. It's like we've forgotten history. We've forgotten where we came from. We've forgotten God's blessings and a lot of. And I look at California the same way. What a great state the Golden State used to be. And you look at what it is now. But just like your life, God can redeem that. Yeah, you know, same thing. It's today, this. This critical day of prayer and fasting and rededication of America to the Lord. How important is this for not just what we're doing here, but for everyone out there that's watching?

[Andy Dean]

Well, this event connects back to 1776. This is a faith event. In 1776.

[David Zier]

Right.

[Andy Dean]

The new Jersey governor, home state William Livingston proposed, we need to pray. We're in war. We're uncertain about this. And so the Second Continental Congress declared May 17 a day of humiliation, humility, prayer, and fasting. But they specifically said that we should confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions. And they mentioned Jesus Christ and say that we should seek him for forgiveness. So that's the gospel. We need humility. This is a great nation, but we need to depend on God. So the more people that can be inspired today to depend on God and pray, the better.

[Ben Berkwam]

Andy Dean, It's a great message. And the Cornerstone Church, where can people follow you?

[Andy Dean]

Cornerstone.org is our church.

[Ben Berkwam]

All right. Wonderful. We're going to go back out into the field near the stage with our very own Neil McCabe.

[Neil McCabe]

Hey, guys. It's really filling up here, and we're pretty excited. And it's the rain. You should. David said the rain stopped. I'm not sure about that. It looks like it's starting to pick up a little bit. Maybe a drizzle. It should be all right, though. It should burn off by the time the real speakers start.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. So, Neil, tell us about some of the speakers coming up and about the guests.

[Neil McCabe]

Okay. So I think it's really interesting that we're going to hear from Jonathan Falwell, who is the son of Jerry Falwell. He is someone who has really carried on. You know, everyone's familiar with Jerry Falwell Jr. Who sort of took over and was running Liberty University. But Jerry Falwell Jr. Was not actually a pastor. He was an attorney. And so it was Jonathan Falwell who carried on the work of his father and his father's church. And I think it's also interesting when you have that cross section into the sort of the secular world. Marco Rubio released a video about a week or so ago about his own personal faith. And so it'll be very interesting to hear some of these guys, these political leaders stepping out of that sort of that political bubble and talking about their own faith with our Lord Jesus Christ and with God. And I think we're going to hear from Pete Tegseth and also Mike Johnson. But, you know, you were talking earlier, I believe the pastor was talking earlier about this sort of idea that there's a wall between church of state, which is really a myth. It's, you know, like he said, it was in a letter between Jefferson and Madison, nowhere in the Constitution. But somehow in this culture, being religious and being public about your religiosity was seen as a problem, is seeing like being uncool. One of the things that President Trump has done for all of us is that he's created that positive environment where it's okay. And so if the president can speak about his faith, it's okay for everyone else to speak about their faith. And that's what we're going to see now. I'm very interested to hear Ben Carson talk today. Of course, he became famous, really, 30, 40 years ago as a brilliant surgeon and brain surgeon who operated on children, separated Siamese twins locked at the head. There was even a TV movie made about Ben Carson. Excuse me. And so Ben Carson was seen as this great hero, celebrity doctor. But as soon as he started speaking about his faith, he started speaking about his politics. All of a sudden it became a problem, and all of a sudden he was attacked. And I'm really interested to hear him talk about his personal faith and how he's, how his faith has sort of driven his career, has driven him from poverty to the heights that he's experienced, of course, being in Trump's cabinet. And so those are one of the, those are some of the people I'm interested to hear from. Well, you know, let me say this, too. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth carries a tremendous burden. And for him to take time out today and to participate and rededicate 250 really speaks to what a priority he puts on it, because certainly there are many people with worries in this world. And on the top of that list is Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah, yeah, there's no doubt about that, Neil. I was with Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon Christmas service, which was an Interfaith operation ceremony. But he also took the army spiritual fitness guide and they overhauled it as an unacceptable and unserious document, putting back instead of the military chaplains becoming spiritual advisors to actually be able to rely on God and faith and virtue, you know, to be incorporated back into the military. So that's definitely something that has been a another success for Pete Hegseth at the Department of War. But we have very special guests, one of today's sponsors for the freedom rededicate, freedom 250 rededicate. Dan and Stan from Preborn. How are you guys?

[Dan from Preborn]

Blessed and highly favored by Jesus. This is a privilege to be here. Thank you guys.

[Michelle Backus]

Yeah, thanks so much for being here with us. Obviously we love what you do. For those that don't know, however, explain a little bit about Freeborn's mission.

[Dan from Preborn]

Well, Preborn is the alternative to the abortion industry. And so we are in direct competition on an hour by hour basis all across the nation. It's the largest pro life organization in the world to try to stop these girls, reach them and give them an alternative to aborting their children. So it's very simple. We find them on the Internet, where they get their friends, where they get their package from Amazon, where they get their entertainment, where they get their abortion pills. 70% of women abort by abortion pills. And then we send them into our network of 250 clinics all across the country.

[Ben Berkwam]

So Stan, you have a lot of different aspects of your organization. General Giving, Heartbeat Heroes. Tell us about some of the programs you offer and how can you enlighten people to maybe decide to keep their child?

[Stan from Preborn]

Well, you know, our heart is to see babies saved and souls saved. So we offer the invitation, which the invitation actually helps equip the pregnancy clinics around the nation in the most vulnerable areas where abortions are happening. And so we equip them to teach and equip. Listen to the Holy Spirit, that word of truth into the heart and soul of the women as well as the bind, which the bind is actually empowering them with a boldness to reach them.

[Michelle Backus]

You mentioned areas in which abortions are happening a lot. Where are those areas in the United States if you have that data?

[Dan from Preborn]

Yeah. So the most abortion county, prolific county, is Los Angeles county, which has 110,000 abortions every year. That county. Next would be New York and then Miami. We have clinics in all of those areas giving women real alternatives. And then three years of help. Maternity clothes, cribs, car seats, you know, doctor visits, whatever they need for free. And most importantly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[Ben Berkwam]

I had four kids, five grandkids.

[Dan from Preborn]

That's pro life.

[Ben Berkwam]

Very much so. And we were a young family. I started young, and we never thought about it twice, and we never looked back. And, you know, and. But outside of the birds, the first thing you notice is the fingernails and how that could not be created by an intelligent design by God or something like that. You know, the physical anatomy and everything. It's so amazing. But when we saw the heartbeats on the ultrasounds. Right? Is that. Is that a determining moment for a lot of people? And what percentage of people may change their mind after they see that?

[Dan from Preborn]

Yeah, you nailed it. So if a woman comes in and we try to talk her out of having an abortion and we don't show her baby on ultrasound and she doesn't hear the heartbeat, maybe 40% of the time, we're successful. But if she does hear the baby, the heartbeat and see the baby, then it doubles the likelihood to 80%. At least some of our clinics, over 90% of the time, they will choose life if they just hear that heartbeat. That's a defining minute. And you know what's really crazy is that day 21, the first organ that God forms is a person's heart, and that's where he dwells. And this is the best weapon we have is to humanize. It's not a fetus. It's not a blob of tissue. It's not a mass of cells. It's a baby. And that motherly instinct kicks in. I've been told by a physician, an obstetrician, that there's a endocrine reaction when a woman hears her baby's heartbeat.

[Michelle Backus]

Wow.

[Dan from Preborn]

So I believe that's the case. And it just. And then we come beside her with the support that she needs. But what's really cool about being here at a 250 that you may not know is this is our 20th anniversary, and Stan is a founding board member 20 years ago. And you'll hear some from some other founding board members throughout the course of the day here, where we're celebrating not only the birth of America, but Preborn's 20th birthday.

[Michelle Backus]

Well, congratulations, and happy birthday to you guys. Obviously a celebration. You know, you look at the. The pro choice argument, and it's obviously massive in the polling data, especially with younger women. I see it a lot in my generation in which you see a lot of younger women that are single issue voters on the issue of abortion. How do you reach those people to educate them?

[David Zier]

Yeah.

[Dan from Preborn]

This is the greatest challenge of our time with the passing of our friend Charlie Kirk. He did a great job of reviving young men of that age, not the women.

[Ben Berkwam]

You know, that's the challenge I wanted to. Oh, yeah, go on, Go on.

[Dan from Preborn]

I just really feel like the key is that they're built to be mothers and there needs to be examples that are set forth. And the truth about motherhood and the truth about abortion and the fact that it the physical damage, 11%, 10.8% of women that take the abortion pill, which is 70% of all abortions, 10.9% end in severe hospitalizations for the woman. So it's just a matter of what Jesus said 2,000 years ago. They'll know the truth and the truth will set them free.

[Ben Berkwam]

You don't hear those numbers a lot. And we're going to go to break. But before we do, how are you funded and can our audience help?

[Dan from Preborn]

Yep. We're funded by people that love Jesus and hate abortion. And so if that's one of you, go to preborn.com preborn.com $28 will write a underwrite a free ultrasound and a heartbeat.

[David Zier]

Right.

[Dan from Preborn]

For a young woman. And $15,000 will buy an ultrasound machine. We are hoping to place 300 of those this year throughout the United States for free in our clinics. And everybody can do something. So your $28 donation will double the likelihood that a woman will choose life. You can do something very inexpensively cheaper. You can go out to eat these days, actually for $28.

[Stan from Preborn]

Well, I think it's vital as well that we ask people to pray, pray for preborn, pray for these pregnancy clinics, pray for these precious young women that have been through broken homes and hurt, pain and shame. And it's the father's heart to impart that we need to reach this young generation.

[Ben Berkwam]

Wow. Really powerful moment. I want to thank you for coming on. And today's sponsor for the freedom rededicate freedom250preborn.com everybody go there right now. And when we come back, we've got more great coverage ahead. We're coming to you live from the National Mall. Michelle Backus, David Zier, Ben Berkwam, Neil McCabe in the field. Great speakers, a super lineup today. Don't go anywhere. You're watching Real America's voice.

[Real America's Voice Announcer]

Stay with us. More inspiring moments, powerful messages and live coverage from rededicate. 250 continue after this on Real America's Voice. From the heart of Washington, D.C. welcome to a historic national gathering of faith, freedom and revival. Today, Americans from every walk of life Unite to boldly proclaim that our hope is not gone, our foundation is not broken and our nation still belongs to God. This is Rededicate250. We are joined by Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth, David Zier, Ben Berkwam, Michelle Backus and voices from across America standing together in prayer and purpose. This is more than an event. This is a rededication of a nation. Live coverage begins right now here on Real America's Voice.

[Ben Berkwam]

Welcome back live from the National Mall. You're watching Real America's Voice News Freedom 250 Rededicate. We are our sponsors. Here we have David Bleas from Patriot Mobile. We just had Dan and Stan from Preborn.com. we're here with Michelle Backus. Great to see you today, Michelle.

[Michelle Backus]

Great to see you. It's a David sandwich. I have two Davids, one on my left, one on my right. But it's wonderful to be here. The doors open. Great name, great name. The doors opened at 9:30 this morning. Morning. So we're starting to see folks pour in here. It's going to be a great day, full of speakers. The weather I think is holding out but we can always go out to Neil McCabe and see what it's doing out there because we're a little pampered right now with the roof over our heads. I'm not sure if we have Neil.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah.

[Michelle Backus]

Oh, we have Ben Berkwam out there ready to go. Ben straight at his desk set for the field. Ben, who do you have with you right now?

[Andy Dean]

What?

[David Zier]

Well, the line is coming in. We got people coming from both sides. They're, they're basically, it's like we're swimming upstream through salmon right now. But I've got like the Salmon of Capistrana is my, one of my favorite movies. Dumb and Dumber would say. I got my dad here. Speaking of guys that likes great movies. Dad, pastor, missionary. We lived in Africa for 10 years. Well, you did. I was a little baby when you guys had me. But talk to me about today, the importance of today. Your second time in Washington D.C. and you look at the direction of our country. Why is today so important?

[Paul Berkwam]

I see. Thank you. I'm happy to be here today. This is a blessing. Thinking of my past, thinking of the history of this country, my parents and all that's come about through being in this country and immigrants and family that came here and how God has blessed this country through thick and thin and the wars and the people, the education that's been available to us. It's been really A land of opportunity. And as I think back of all the things that God has allowed me to do and to be and even go through the difficult times, it's been a blessing and it's a work that God has done in me. I just remind Myself of Romans 8, 28, where God works all things together for good. Even those tough times where you get put on the sideline I had. You have your plans sometimes, and God has bigger plans. And as you look back and see that, I've seen that, and I see just all the different people coming in here today. And I'm just amazed that seeing God's been at work here, even sometimes you look and you around and you think things are falling apart. God's still at work. He's sovereign over all things. And just glory to God. Jesus has done in my life things that I never could have imagined. I'm very, very grateful.

[David Zier]

Well, I'm grateful for you and I'm grateful for mom and our girls. Shout out to Olivia where they're down in Florida right now celebrating her birthday. We had to break away to come to this, but we'll be back. But it is to all the dads and moms out there. Raise your kids right, teach them the ways to go, and when they grow up, they shall not depart. And paraphrasing, but, you know, I fell off track for a few years there. But I'm thankful for you and mom never giving up and praying. And so my dad, Paul, everybody, an amazing guy. Ed Tarpley, another amazing guy here, Ed, attorney for Stewart Rhodes. And you look at the, you know what you guys have seen the injustice in our country, what we saw after January 6th, and just the divide. You know, we talk about equal protection under the law, and you look at what was done to President Trump and so many others, and now the restoration of that. What's your prayer for today? How important is this day? And. And what's your prayer for us going forward?

[Unidentified Speaker]

Well, God has always had a special plan for America. Look back at our history. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The first thing they did was pray. Look at what they did in Jamestown and Williamsburg, even in Louisiana, with the French and the Spanish in Florida, all throughout the history of America, God was always supreme. He was always first. They always dedicated this land to him. And that's true. It's been true all the way through our history. So we are a special place, we're a special country. And yes, we have a special mission in the world, and that is to preach liberty and freedom for all the captives, wherever they may be. And so it's an honor and a privilege and a blessing to be a citizen of the United States, to live in the greatest country in the history of the world, and a country that Christianity is the foundation of. There's no question about that. So what we have see here today is the rededication of our country to God, knowing that God brought our country into existence in the first place and that without him, we would not be in existence. So think of all the freedom, the prosperity, and everything that we've had in America. That's because of the blessings of God. That's not what we did as humans. That's what God did for us. And so this is a great day to be here to rededicate this nation to the one and only, the true and living God, the Alpha and the Omega. Yes, indeed, our wonderful God. Praise the Lord.

[David Zier]

God bless you. Well, I appreciate you, sir. I know you got to jump in there. I want to get some of these folks over here as well. Come here, Dad. I love you. Come here, my friend. And I love your shirt. You know, you talk about a guy that made a huge difference in my life and our network's life and in particular, the life of so many young people across America. What does today mean to you? What did Charlie Kirk mean to you? Turning Point, usa Real America's voice. Even like, what is this day all about? By the way, tell us your names again.

[Terry Rosenquist]

Hi, I'm Julie. My husband, Terry Rosenquist. Council Bluffs, Iowa. Thank you so much. Well, first, we're just thankful to know Jesus as our savior and to know how our country was founded. And our mantra always has been, the Lord allowed us to be born here in the United States. We're not here to breathe air. We're to do what we need to do. So we're in the fighting lines all the time, even though we're behind the scenes compared to you. And we're just thankful for Charlie and how forward he was, but with truth and love and kindness, just like you do when you're talking to folks. And so that's something that we want to continue to do and as we pray for our nation, that we would come back to Christ. And at least we will be leaving seeds for those who are left maybe aren't, you know, raptured.

[David Zier]

Well, and I think about that with Charlie. You know, that was my prayer even the day we found out he had been. He had died. And that was my prayer that day, was that those seeds that he had planted would grow into the fruit of liberty that we don't see today, but we'll see in the future.

[Julie Rosenquist]

One of the things about Charlie that really impressed me was he was very courageous. And I know after, after he was shot, I became aware that two things that God hates. Number one is a proud heart, and number two is cowardice. And Charlie was no coward, but he was not prideful either. And I just, I think he was a good example for leadership.

[David Zier]

What are you hoping to see today? Anyone in particular? You guys came from Iowa just for this?

[Stacy Schefflin]

Yes, yes.

[Terry Rosenquist]

Well, we love a lot of the folks who are here, but we love Pastor Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. We love visiting his church and watching him. So we're looking forward to seeing him today too and just meeting up with friends. We met a lot of wonderful people, a lot of patriots. Yeah.

[David Zier]

God bless you. Thank you for coming over. I know you, you wanted a picture, but I'm like, hey, you got to come on, you got to come on TV with me. What the heck?

[Julie Rosenquist]

One thing I wanted to say too is that standing in line is they're all strangers, but yet they don't feel like strangers. There's, there's such a commonality in values and, and just fellowshipping with the Lord. It's awesome. And I think maybe someday it'll be like this in heaven.

[David Zier]

Except it's such a good point. We always talk about that. I had never made that connection, but we always talk about that. Whether it's a political rally or religious rally, you come to these things and it's like, I feel like I've known you. It feels like a family reunion of sorts. But you're right, man, that is so that's it. It's what we're gonna see in heaven. Amazing. God bless you both. I love it. David, Michelle, David,

[Ben Berkwam]

thank you so much. Ben and Ben Berkwam, everyone. Always comfortable talking to the great hard working people across America. People never ask for anything. And Pastor Gary Hamrick. Michelle, we're going to go to break in about a minute here, but thousands prepare to gather at this national mall on today, ahead of America's 250th anniversary. Right?

[Michelle Backus]

Yeah. I have to note, great shirts, by the way, the Freedom Charlie Kirk shirts. Do you guys remember when an elderly Target employee wore the Freedom red shirt and a woman came over and harassed her aggressively? Do you guys remember that viral video? It was right after Charlie Kirk's death. And, and I'll tell you what, the same people that are preaching about equality and peace and being kind to everyone are then coming up and harassing people for their beliefs. But she really, karma really came back because I believe that woman lost her job. And the elderly woman, I think There was a GoFundMe. She was rewarded. A really good ending to what started out as a very horrible story.

[Ben Berkwam]

Yeah. It's incredible. And we're going to be right back with more. You're watching Freedom 250 rededicate on Real America's Voice news. We've got incredible program ahead. When we come back, we're going to touch on the upcoming Memorial Day. I visited Arlington National Cemetery yesterday and talk about some of the speakers, like Pastor Gary Hamrick, who Ben just referenced a little bit ago. But thank you for watching Real America's VOICE News. A special shout out to our sponsors today. David Bleas from patriot mobile preborn.com saving lives. You know, preventing a $28 ultrasound may save a baby's life. We'll be right back with more. And really appreciate you watching.

[Real America's Voice Announcer]

On this Sunday morning, America is rising in faith and purpose. More live coverage from Washington, D.C. and Rededicate250 is coming up next right here on REAL America's VOICE.