March 17, 2006
Liberty Debaters Make Their Point
Christian University's Debate Team Is A Powerhouse
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Play CBS Video Video Great Debaters Liberty University's debate program is about a lot more than bragging rights. Steve Hartman reports that it's about winning the culture war - once and for all.
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Video Hip-Hop Violinist For this week's "Assignment America," viewers sent Steve Hartman to San Francisco, where he met a violinist who blends classical music and hip-hop.
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Video Still A Cowboy At 104 The man who invented the western shirt is still working at the age of 104. As Steve Hartman reports, he's not done yet - and wouldn't dream of retiring.
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Liberty University recruits debaters the way some other schools look for top athletes. (CBS)
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Photo Essay Rev. Jerry Falwell Founder of the Moral Majority who turned the Christian right into a force in American politics.
This is a story more about making a point than scoring one.
Hartman was the entire reception committee when the Liberty University debate team returned to campus in Lynchburg, Va., after winning their national title.
"It's a big deal, and being a big deal is a big deal," says Lauren Zowastouski, one of the team's 32 members. Their coach, Brett O'Donnell, recruits high schoolers just like any college football or basketball coach does.
Following the speeches in a college debate can be difficult. The first part of the competition is simply making as many good points as you can — quickly. It doesn't matter how you say it, just as long as you get it on the record. Debaters on this year's topic — U.S.-China relations — can sound like they're channeling their inner Porky Pig.
O'Donnell says Liberty is a debate powerhouse mostly because the school's founder insists on it.
"We have a large coaching staff," he says. "We have an extensive travel budget."
But why the school's founder insists on it may be the most interesting part of all.
His name: Rev. Jerry Falwell.
For Falwell, Liberty's debate program is about a lot more than bragging rights. It's about winning the culture war, once and for all. Most of these kids will become lawyers, and lawyers become judges.
When Hartman asked a group of debaters which of them would like to see the Roe Vs. Wade abortion decision reversed, a lot of hands went up. Those hands stayed up when he asked whether they would reverse the decision if put in a chance to do so.
"These young people, for the rest of their lives, will be God's spokespersons," Falwell says.
Liberty is just one of a number of Christian colleges that now focus on debate. They're turning out graduates who aren't the least bit afraid to talk religion. In fact, they say, bring it on.
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