In a moving conversation with John Doyle, 20-year-old author Christian Hodges put into words what too many in his generation have forgotten: faith still changes lives and truth still wins hearts. His story is not a polished PR line but a raw testimony of survival, surrender, and the hard work of preaching the Gospel to a skeptical culture. Conservatives should pay attention — this is the kind of young leader our movement needs.
Hodges’ testimony is dramatic and unmistakable: in early 2023 he was struck down with viral encephalitis, spending nine days in the hospital and six days unconscious before waking to a life redirected by God. He describes the moment he couldn’t speak or read, found his Bible, and forced out the words “I surrender,” a turning point that launched his rapid recovery and lifelong mission. That miraculous recovery is the backbone of his message to Gen Z: faith is not a theory, it’s lived experience.
Out of that crisis came a fierce commitment to freedom and truth — Hodges wrote America, Don’t Give Up: Your Right to Freedom of Speech, turning a high-school capstone into a 70-page manifesto and becoming a published author before his 18th birthday. He hasn’t been shy about bringing conservative ideas and Christian conviction into mainstream media, using television appearances and social media to push back against cancel culture. Young patriots who still care about free speech should take note: he’s proof you can fight and still be kind, and you can be unapologetically Christian in public life.
Hodges has translated that momentum into a podcast and regular media commentary, and he’s now a visible voice for the pro-faith, pro-freedom wing of Gen Z while attending Liberty University. His work targets the very cohort the left has written off, arguing that revival — spiritual and civic — is possible when young Americans hear the Gospel and are taught to defend their liberties. Conservatives who lament the cultural drift should celebrate and amplify people like him who are building real alternatives to the woke narrative.
This isn’t just another feel-good human-interest piece; it’s a strategic shot across the bow of a media and academic establishment that tries to silence dissenting voices. Christian Hodges’ combination of personal testimony, intellectual work on free speech, and media savvy is precisely what will move the needle in battleground communities and campuses. The left’s complacency about indoctrinating young people has created an opening — and Christian is stepping into it with conviction and courage.
Hardworking Americans should see in Hodges a mirror of what made this country great: faith, providence, grit, and the willingness to speak uncomfortable truth. If conservatives want to rebuild institutions and win hearts, we should be putting resources behind these young warriors, mentoring them, and getting their books and podcasts into the hands of fence-sitters. The fight for America’s soul will be won one surrendered heart at a time.
God used an unexpected crisis to create a generation’s messenger, and the result is worth celebrating and defending. Young people like Christian Hodges remind us that miracles still happen, that speech still matters, and that a nation built on faith and freedom can be renewed if we choose to fight for it. Patriots, take notice — this is hope in action, and we need more of it now.
