Give him credit for going into the lion’s den: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has accepted an invitation to speak at Liberty University.
Yes, that Liberty University, site of Ted Cruz’s Republican presidential campaign announcement, mandatory pilgrimage for any serious Republican contender for decades, founded by Moral Majority lion Jerry Falwell.
Religion News Service reports that Sanders, who is Jewish and a self-proclaimed socialist, will address up to 12,000 students and faculty on Sept. 14. Why? He wants to evangelize, according to a statement his campaign gave The New York Times:
“I think it is important, however, to see if we can reach consensus regarding the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in our country, about the collapse of the middle class, about the high level of childhood poverty, about climate change and other issues.
“It is very easy for a candidate to speak to people who hold the same views. It’s harder but important to reach out to others who look at the world differently. I look forward to meeting with the students and faculty of Liberty University.”
According to Religion News Service, Liberty “has regularly invited top Democrats, many of whom haven’t even responded to the invitations,” making Sanders unique for this generation – though Jesse Jackson and Ted Kennedy gave speeches there decades ago.
The real divide isn’t denominational but “how to interpret the Judeo-Christian mandates of the Bible: as matters of doctrinal orthodoxy, or putting that faith into practice,” with Sanders falling in line behind Pope Francis on standard liberal issues.
No word yet on whether this convocation address by Sanders is mandatory for Liberty students.
Read the Religion News Service and New York Times stories.
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
IMAGE: DonkeyHotey/Flickr
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.