“The students literally heard ‘no’ 50 times, but they just kept knocking and praying and just believing,” Hall said. “And on Feb. 8, the same day that the Asbury revival broke out…the university, for some reason, said, ‘Okay, we’re gonna let you guys have the stadium.’”
At the students’ request, the team at Pulse, which is Hall’s campus ministry, has come alongside the students to help with logistics. Hall said, “I told them I have been praying for this since I was a college student when Pulse launched.”
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“To be clear, this effort is the product of generations of prayer, and sacrificial work and giving from many,” Hall tweeted. “It’s truly a 1 Samuel 17:37 moment, one where the faith of a young generation meets the influence of the old, and an older generation says, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you.’”
Because of generous donations, many of them from students, the event is free, Hall explained. “They’re putting their money where their mouth is.”
“The students’ hearts are to fill the stadium for a concert and a gospel proclamation,” Hall said. “They’re not doing this because this is cool.”
Hall added, “These kids have been volunteering their time. Not because it was cool, not because the stadium was booked, and not even because Chance the Rapper was coming. They were doing it because they felt God told them to do it.”
Hall believes that “Fill The Stadium” will be the largest student-led event in American history.
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With regard to the students’ choice to book Chance the Rapper, Hall told ChurchLeaders, “God gives people a platform, and that platform is very time-bound. And when you’re given a platform, everybody wants to monetize it. And so the question is, if those people, in that moment, are wanting to point to Jesus…is there room for them to do that?”
Hall explained that Chance the Rapper is a “secularly known person that my lost friend or family member would know, who is publicly trying to—imperfectly for sure—walk out their faith.”
“So it’s a question of, like, do we want or have space for them to do that? Do we celebrate that or criticize that,” Hall told ChurchLeaders. “This is an outreach event. Now, if this was the church, I think there probably are different rules…This isn’t a church service. This isn’t a worship service. This isn’t designed for Christians. Everything about this party is designed to welcome people who currently aren’t in.”
, an evangelistic event created by college students for college students, has come under criticism for featuring secular rapper Chance the Rapper.){kind=link}
