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1,500 invited delegates from 73 nations gathered in London last week for the ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship) conference, organized by Jordan Peterson. In a sense, it was a healthy counter-response to Klaus Schwab's elitist, leftist World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. There were more than 90 speakers at ARC. The delegates were primarily from Europe, Australia (10% of the delegates), Canada, and the United States.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for those who made it possible for us to attend ARC by financially partnering with our “Europe Team.” Our next trip to Europe will be to Brussels for the European Prayer Breakfast with Members of Parliament and other elected officials in early December. Join the “Europe Team” by donating here

The ARC event was not overtly Christian, but it was quite obvious that the crowd was overwhelmingly Christian. One speaker asked how many secularists and atheists were present. About 10 hands went up. Some speakers were boldly Christian. The reference to the “Judeo-Christian” tradition was a constant theme. Even the poet-rapper – whose lyrics were Biblically brilliant – and the artist who spoke were evangelical Christians. Former deputy Prime Minister John Anderson of Australia, who spoke several times, is known for his strong faith.

The audience was made up of many elected officials, top-level business leaders, economists, academics, some clergy, and persons from the media. Likely as many as 40% of the delegates were in their 30s, thus it was highly focused on the next generation.

Jordan Peterson, the primary organizer, is a former atheist who has become a theist in recent years.  At the conference, it became more apparent that he was more than merely one who believed there is a God, but rather one who is now embracing the faith. Another powerful moment in the conference was when Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian Muslim who migrated to the Netherlands, eventually becoming a Member of the Parliament, shared her journey. She is quite well known for leaving and strongly criticizing Islam, and then becoming an atheist. What was quite surprising, however, is the fact that she now embraces the Judeo-Christian tradition. It seems as though it is becoming obvious to many previously self-declared secularists that the hope for the world can only be found in Biblical reality.

The conference had the consistent theme of “The Better Story” as opposed to the blatant pessimism of secular culture. Jordan Peterson called people to live selflessly and responsibly, for others, rejecting the hedonism and nihilism of modern society.  In that sense, ARC was a sophisticated version of a revival tent meeting, with an intellectual fervency to cause people to want to be better than they had been, or certainly to be better than the emptiness of the present day self-absorbed existence of modern humans.  Delegates were called to “The Better Story,” or a type of higher way. It had the tonality of Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “I show you a more excellent way.”
 
Three topics emerged repeatedly each day:

• Strengthening the Social Fabric, that is, the family (mothers and fathers) and community
• Free Markets and Good Governance, in opposition to crony capitalism and corruption.
• Energy and the Environment, which included massive evidence favoring fossil and nuclear fuels.

 
The inside cover of the 36-page program given to each delegate stated that:
 
“The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship is an international community with a vision for a better world where every citizen can prosper, contribute, and flourish.
 
“We reject the inevitability of decline and instead are seeking solutions which draw on the humanity’s highest virtues and extraordinary capacity for innovation and ingenuity.
 
“We are citizens from around the world but each of us recognizes that our societies are at a turning point; the time to develop a better story is now, and we invite you to join us in building this vision together.”

The speakers rejected the notion that the best description of our planet is “scarcity,” but rather spoke openly of the “abundance” of resources.
 
Personally, it was the finest conference I have ever attended. After being nearly smothered by wokeness and cowardly pseudo-leaders in our nation and the world in recent years, it was like walking into a room with fresh air where I could breathe deeply. Taking copious notes, and meeting as many people as possible, I wanted to absorb everything that I could.
 
I am trying to figure out how to best use the spectacular videos that are now available for free. Expect to hear us promoting these videos in the future, as they are truly exceptional. Well Versed is committed to “bringing Biblical principles of governance to government leaders… and to the people who elect them.” ARC did not cite “chapter and verse” of the Bible like Well Versed does, however, the undergirding values of ARC were clearly from the Judeo-Christian tradition as portrayed in the Scriptures.

We recorded a World Prayer Network broadcast about ARC from our hotel room in London just as the conference ended. Unfortunately, the video quality is quite weak, but we hope the message comes through clear. I interviewed internationally renowned British thinker Os Guinness, who spoke several times at ARC, former Slovenian Prime Minister Lojze Peterle, British Attorney Paul Diamond, and Valerie Huber, formerly with the U.S. State Department during the Trump Administration. Listen to it below:

Blessings,
Dr. Jim Garlow
CEO/Founder
Well Versed

Rosemary Schindler Garlow
Co-Founder
Well Versed