Fox News Features Cornerstone’s “Why Not Communism?” Wisdom Conversation
Cornerstone University’s upcoming “Why Not Communism? A Wisdom Conversation on Freedom, Faith & the Future of America” received national attention this week through Fox News, with the story also picked up by the New York Post.
Featured speaker Yeonmi Park spoke with Fox News about socialism, oppression, authoritarianism and freedom, drawing from her firsthand experience escaping North Korea.
“I had to live through [a] real socialist government every day until I escaped from North Korea,” Park said. She contrasted living under socialism with studying it as an appealing theory, warning that people may not understand what government policies mean for ordinary people once they are actually enforced.
Park also addressed the meaning of oppression. After escaping North Korea at 13 and being trafficked in China, she told Fox News, “I do understand oppression.”
She warned against taking freedom in America for granted, calling it “a very special thing” and pointing to the large share of the world’s population living under authoritarian governments.
President Gerson Moreno-Riaño explained why Cornerstone chose the topic amid growing interest in communism and socialism.
“We thought we need to step up as a university committed to educating men and women for our country and really inform the community, educate the community and our students and the country at large about the moral bankruptcy of communism and socialism,” he added.
For Moreno-Riaño, the defense of freedom is directly tied to Cornerstone University’s Christian identity. He explained to Fox News Digital that the principle of liberty was, in his view, “at the bedrock” of the Christian faith.
“I mean, we believe that the gospel sets us free. So, liberty and freedom are at the core of our Christian faith through the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Cornerstone’s 10th Wisdom Conversation on October 1 brings Park together with Xi Van Fleet, a survivor of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution; Dr. Gary Saul Morson, a leading scholar of Russian literature and Soviet history; and Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee.
Read the National Coverage
- Fox News: “North Korean Defector Issues Stark Warning About America Ahead of Christian University’s Anti-Communism Event“
- Also picked up by the New York Post: “North Korean Defector Told She Doesn’t ‘Understand Oppression’ Fires Back“
