WATCH: Sean McDowell urges young leaders to help those without a voice

Dr. Sean McDowell, a professor at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, spoke at Live Action's Young Leaders Summit in March, sharing a powerful story about his personal hero, his father, and encouraging the audience to be heroes to others.

Key Takeaways:

• Dr. Sean McDowell shared that despite his tough childhood, his father still saw that he was a valuable child of God.

• McDowell called his father his hero, and asked the audience if they were a hero to anyone in their lives.

• He urged them to use the gifts and power God gave them to help those who can't speak for themselves: the vulnerable, including the preborn, those at risk of euthanasia, and those questioning their gender.

The Details:

The World Needs More Heroes. Will You Be One? | Young Leaders Summit 2026

McDowell's father — Christian apologist, evangelist, and author Josh McDowell — had a difficult childhood with an alcoholic father. He also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of someone who lived on the family farm, and his older sister died by suicide. At one point, McDowell's grandfather told his father that he was never wanted and was a mistake. McDowell's father once said he had no good memories from his childhood.

But McDowell's father told him, "My value doesn't come from how people treat me. My value doesn't come from how I was conceived. My value doesn't come from how many subscribers I have on YouTube or books I sell or how famous I am. My value comes because I am made in the image of God and have infinite dignity and value and worth."

His father also said he was grateful he grew up in an alcoholic home because "it's out of that pain and out of that brokenness that God has broken my heart and motivated me to speak up for people who cannot speak up for themselves."

Zoom In:

Sean McDowell told the audience, "Friends, my dad is my hero. ... I admire my dad because he's spent his life standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. He spent his life caring for those who can't care for themselves. He spent his life defending those who can't defend themselves. So let me ask you a question... Who do you think considers you their hero?"

He added:

All of you, whether you realize it or not, you have a voice. You have a voice. The question is, how are you going to use it?

Are you going to use it to elevate yourself? Are you going to use it to make money? Are you going to use it for yourself? Are you going to use it like Jesus said — You only find life when you give it away?

... Now, the world is dark... But Jesus is the light and he says the darkness will not overcome it. The way we overcome darkness is by speaking truth and shining the light. The question is: Will your life be that light?...

Will you use the power God has given you? And yes, God has given it to you to help those who cannot help themselves. Who are those without a voice today?

Friends, 60 million unborn people have lost their lives because of abortion. Who's going to speak for them?...

What about those not only at the beginning of life but at the end of the life right now...?

The Bottom Line:

McDowell urged the audience to use the power God has given them to help those who cannot help themselves, like the preborn babies targeted for abortion, individuals who are targeted for euthanasia, or people suffering from gender confusion and being told lies.

"Friends, you are made in the image of a God who loves you," he said. "You are not a mistake. You are not an accident. The question is, are you going to speak truth boldly and be a hero for somebody who cannot speak for themselves?... Who considers you a hero?"