Last weekend 22,000 young people gathered for Teen Mania’s BattleCry event at the AT&T stadium in San Francisco. Teen Mania founder Ron Luce said teens are inundated with negative images and activities in the culture and that BattleCry events are a way to give teens positive alternatives. “They're pillaging these kids,” Luce told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We've got a whole generation, an innocent generation, a virgin generation being raped on the sidewalk by the perverseness of this culture.” Luce said BattleCry is an example of positive cultural alternatives. The two-day event included a rock concert featuring popular Christian bands, speakers, a comedian and a rally at City Hall. During last year’s BattleCry event in San Francisco, an abortion protest led to a verbal brawl with city officials, causing some local leaders to criticize this year’s conference, the Chronicle reported. But despite the controversy, participants said it was incredible to see so many young people praising God and standing up for their beliefs. “Just seeing all the people in one place, it’s amazing to see just how powerful God is,” Seongwoo Chae, 18, told the Chronicle. This was the first of three BattleCry events scheduled this year; the other two will be held in Detroit and Baltimore.
