Like many college students, Jaden Heard got many of his political views from his parents and the liberal media. All that changed when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a conservative and soon devoted his life to following Christ.
Now, Heard is the president of Auburn University's chapter of Turning Point USA and hosts his own show, "Let it be Heard," with Right Side Broadcasting Network.
Heard said on "1819 News: The Podcast" that he started watching conservative content online during the COVID lockdowns, which helped him make sense of the things he saw happening in government and society. He said he became a conservative when he voted for Trump in the 2020 election and finally came to Christ a year later.
Through his work with TPUSA and interacting with students on campus, Heard said one of the main problems facing Alabama is a type of fake "cultural Christianity."
"I think a lot of the problems that are in Alabama are because a lot of people think they're OK with God when they're not," Heard told podcast host Bryan Dawson, CEO of 1819 News. "There's this thing called cultural Christianity where people go to church on Sunday and that's it, and they think they're OK."
SEE ALSO: Auburn TPUSA president Jaden Heard: 'Black Americans who are conservative have to speak out'
Living in a red state in the middle of the Bible Belt, Heard said too often, people take Christ for granted and go through the motions of occasional church and Bible reading instead of truly following Christ.
"The life of a Christian is a relationship. It's abiding in Jesus," he said. "...When I hear all this stuff from people at Auburn, I'm like do you really know Jesus or do you know of him? I think that's the biggest problem, especially with Auburn. There's a church on every corner, there's a ministry on every corner, and there's people that will come up to you and say, 'Yeah, I'm a Christian,' but in their life they deny Him."
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com.
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