Walking across America showed me why faith and free thought can still win

I person present made it from New York to the large authorities of Georgia connected my Walk Across America, a million-step effort to rise funds for Project H.O.O.D.'s Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center successful Chicago. 

I realized past week that I volition beryllium spending this New Year’s Day present and, with 2026 accelerated approaching, I’ve been reflecting connected what our federation needs the astir arsenic we statesman a caller year. 

For years, I person watched arsenic brave individuals from the hip-hop community, the R&B world, popular stars, movie actors and adjacent mundane folks travel nether fierce onslaught for simply voicing what they believe. 

ELITES CALL THE SOUTH BACKWARD — BUT WALKING IT REVEALED AMERICA'S NEXT BOOM

You person Justine Bateman retired successful California going against the atom with her criticisms of the governmental happenings there. You person Azealia Banks, who has been fierce successful her defence of Israel and different issues. And you person artists similar Nicki Minaj, who person faced backlash for speaking retired connected matters adjacent to their hearts, whether it's faith, household values, oregon questioning the mainstream narrative. 

CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (left) speaks with US rapper Nicki Minaj (right) during Turning Point's yearly AmericaFest league successful Phoenix, Arizona connected December 21, 2025.  (Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images)

I cognize I americium leaving countless radical out, but this is what we request much of successful the New Year: radical stepping forward, refusing to enactment silent, and arguing from rule and Judeo-Christian morality. The information that we’ve had question upon question of these brave individuals tells maine thing powerful: America is waking up. People are bushed of being told what to think, bushed of being lied to, and they're acceptable to deliberation for themselves.

She came to this state arsenic an immigrant, but arsenic we walked together, I recovered myself marveling astatine however profoundly American she is. She is simply a pistillate of God who believes with each her spot successful the individual. And she has been speaking retired for years. 

WHERE ADDICTS IN PHILADELPHIA BOW TO TRANQ, I SAW WHY GOD HASN'T GIVEN UP ON AMERICA YET

This, my friends, is wherever existent state begins — successful the mind. The powerfulness of idiosyncratic thought is God's acquisition to each of us. He didn't make america arsenic clones marching successful lockstep. He made america unique, with the quality to reason, question, and question truth. Proverbs 23:7 reminds us, "For arsenic helium thinks successful his heart, truthful is he." What you let into your caput shapes your life, your choices, and your destiny.

Too often, we're pressured to conform. If we don’t, we’re labeled racist oregon worse. Meanwhile, our federation declines, and truthful does the powerfulness of the individual. Aren’t we then, successful a sense, betraying the acquisition that God has bestowed upon america arsenic Americans?

That is why, successful this coming year, we cannot beryllium acrophobic to basal isolated from the norm. If your convictions—rooted successful faith, communal sense, and idiosyncratic experience—differ from the fashionable opinion, clasp fast. That's not rebellion. That’s responsibility.

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I've seen this play retired successful tiny and large ways. If your friends crook their backs connected you due to the fact that you ballot differently, oregon due to the fact that you talk up for biblical truth, they were ne'er existent friends. Real relationships withstand honorable differences. Stand up for what you want, what you believe, what God has called you to.

As I locomotion these roads, gathering Americans from each walks of life, I'm encouraged. People are bare for authenticity. They're rejecting groupthink and embracing idiosyncratic conviction.

This is the twelvemonth to marque it your resolution: Commit to reasoning independently. Read widely, commune deeply, perceive to opposing views — but determine for yourself based connected information and principle.

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In 2026, let's marque it the twelvemonth of much and much of america lasting up for what's right. God honors that benignant of courageousness — the benignant that built this federation and the benignant that volition reconstruct it.

After all, God does bonzer things done mean radical who situation to usage the minds He gave them.

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