Stand Blog BG
Don Crawford

Don Crawford

President of Crawford Broadcasting and the voice of the STAND Podcast

Liberty University, Christian University

Do you believe in Christian education?

That is, a University dedicated to strong Liberal Arts education, intellectual excellence competing with even better than so called non–Christian or secular universities?

An educational institutional which explores everything but at the bottom of everything, acknowledges the truth, the ultimate truth of Christianity, the message, the life, the mission of Jesus Christ? Do you?

I do. I spent the best four years of my life at a Christian institution studying Liberal Arts, learning and digging into everything coming to even higher education from Liberal Arts four years later, STRONGER AS A CHRISTIAN! I graduated from The Kings College, saying with the Apostle Paul:

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME

In those days, Christian education was real, solid, built upon the fundamentals. There was no watering down of the Gospel. Scripture, all of it was fully respected, truly THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE! There were colleges and universities like Wheaton, Eastern Nazarene, Houghton, Biola and others including real Bible schools which truly defined the term CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. There remained some good Christian institutions of higher education, true to the Gospel, not intimidated by this rabid and angry secular society. But perhaps the best today may well be:

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA

The college, now university was started in the mid 1900s, small, but dedicated under the vision, mission and ministry of one Jerry Falwell. The founder was a man of God, dedicated to Jesus Christ, with the dual purpose of serving God and Country. In fact, Reverend Falwell was the founder of the MORAL MAJORITY, which became the most potent and influential evangelical political force in America. That good organization did great service to our country, its founding, honoring the Founding Fathers and the Constitution and culture, the independence and freedoms which were ours as far back as 1776. Falwell Sr. was both a strong Christian and patriot. The university he started those many years ago reflected those values and commitments. It still does today.

Liberty University honors the constitution and in particular the First Amendment. It is a champion of freedom of Religion, speech, assembly, petition and of course media and the press. Those beliefs and commitments, and of course much more permeate the Liberal Arts University educational programs and majors. In fact, any number of majors are available, as plentiful and qualitative as any university in America. The professors excel. Culture exists everywhere on campus. And, the university competes at the highest level not only in academics, but sports. In fact, founder Falwell Sr. wanted Liberty University to be known as the EVANGELICAL NOTRE DAME. Athletic programs are built on competition and winning, especially in football and basketball just like Notre Dame. And now, this once very small Christian college in Lynchburg Virginia has become renowned the country over, even to some extent parts of the world itself for excellence in everything and above all, unswerving commitment to Christianity and Christian education.

The University also has excellent post–graduate schools of learning. That includes especially the law school. Liberty University produces some of the finest law school graduates in our country who turn every day into the best of lawyers. It also has an excellent medical school, producing doctors with real strong Christian values. In fact, everything the University does post graduate is done with the highest possible standards and intellectual demand. Jerry Falwell Sr., now deceased, would be extremely proud of those who carried on the mission, including and especially his son Jerry Falwell Jr.

You would truly think that America would be proud of this supreme educational success story. But by no means all of it, or all of them the liberal – radical – socialistic members of our society and our Congress. Anywhere this rabid, angry and daily growing pathetic aspect of our Congress finds Christian excellence, they attack. Liberty University was the target of congressional representative Andy Levin, Democrat from Michigan and Jamie Raskin, Democrat from Maryland, perhaps hoping to make name for themselves like the so called SQUAD, Tlaib, Omar, AOC, and Waters, the attack dogs of the democratic party coming after Liberty University no matter the protections of the First Amendment. Levin and Raskin sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos accusing Liberty University of censorship of free speech, thought and expression. These so called lawmakers also accused Secretary DeVos, herself a Christian, of turning a blind eye to university campuses that violate so called Executive Order 13864 which threatens to withhold federal funding on college and university campuses that “censor free speech.” As such, Levin and Raskin accused Liberty University of violating the First Amendment and Title IX without alleging real facts to back up their scurrilous charges.

President Jerry Falwell Jr. responded by saying that these two congresspersons made “false statements and drew erroneous conclusions.” That is especially so when these democrats accused Liberty University of “extreme restrictions on student free speech and association rights.” Again, allegations without real facts. The implications said Levin and Raskin was that the administration of Liberty was doing so on the basis of their conservative (Republican) politics. Without really knowing, these two new democrat attack dogs stated that reportedly Liberty University bans LGBTQ relationships and places content restrictions on media students can view. Again, no real facts. But in this era of post truth, facts do not matter especially to democrats. The end result, the radical change in America is the only thing that matters.

When however Levin and Raskin did dare to allege a so called fact, they accused President Jerry Falwell Jr. of censoring the student run newspaper LIBERTY CHAMPION. But of course, the facts were different for it was not a student created newspaper but one established by the university itself which “owns, publishes and pays the staff.” Therefore, the University, complete owner, was exercising its ownership rights to the newspaper content and editorials even as any privately owned newspaper would. President Falwell Jr. then pointed out that, as a private university, Liberty cannot violate the First Amendment of its students. With respect to free speech guaranteed by the constitution, that is clearly a limitation on the governments power to regulate private speech and association because the prohibition of that amendment applies only to CONGRESS. As the First Amendment clearly states:

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

There is no constitutional prohibition to free speech in the private sector. In fact, it is encouraged. That matters not to Levin and Raskin when for them the end justifies the means. New harm to Liberty University at any cost in any way.

President Falwell then went on to acknowledge behavioral limitations placed on students by the University. Its code of conduct prohibits, for example, the viewing of pornography. And it states clearly and emphatically that it believes that sex outside of biblical marriage is wrong. In short, a student attending Liberty University should subscribe to a higher code of conduct based on Christian values, the essential and fundamental purpose of the university. That, all of that said Falwell clearly and without apology:

“Is fully consistent with a proper role of a Christian institution of higher education in the US and are what both its students and their parents expect.”

President Falwell went on exposing the lies and lack of facts of Levin and Raskin said he:

“To the extent Liberty University’s code of conduct furthers its founding religious tenets, Congress wisely included a religious exemption in Title IX to protect the University’s right to do so.”

Not only does the First Amendment not apply or if it does offers protection for such free speech but also Congress recognized these inalienable rights and included them in the form of a religious exemption in Title IX. No matter the facts, in this era of ANYTHING GOES, and where there is no absolute truth, political attackers like Levin and Raskin can virtually say anything they want and with the protection of the media among others, held unaccountable for their words. As such, Falwell said of Levin and Raskin:

“It is indeed a shame that two federal legislatures can be so out of touch with the basic civics concerning the laws about which they wrote to Secretary DeVos.”

Conservative political commentator Todd Starnes said:

“That’s a polite way of saying the congressmen are uninformed pinheads.”

Indeed they are. So now, these post truth democrats have their squad consisting of four angry women joined now by two male attack dogs labeled most properly as UNINFORMED PINHEADS! The squad and the pinheads. What a tragedy for the once great democratic party.

And of course the vicious Rachel Maddow (can any thinking person ever listen to her?) of MSNBC stated that Liberty University was “not a real University.” To which I would reply that Maddow is not a real commentator or political thinker. For the reality, Levin and Raskin, pinheads, and Maddow, perhaps a bigger pinhead and of course the squad, Liberty University is a highly respected and academically rigorous institution, more so in so many ways than some of the highest and best known educational institutions in our country. This university, great in every way, promotes free speech and free expression all the while respecting and requiring compliance to their code of conduct Christian based, heavily promoting free speech and free expression. The University continues to invite the broadest range of speakers to address students including Bernie Sanders, President Trump and others with diverse cultural and political points of view.

Good for President Falwell. So many Christians, whether in education or otherwise crumble under attack, compromise in response, become apologetic regarding strong Christian values, acting as though they were ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not Falwell, not Liberty. The man has strong Christian commitment and backbone. There was at one time a subversive movement on the Liberty Board of Directors to oust Falwell and take over the university, turn it from its original prepresses and liberalize it as much as possible. Falwell saw to the ousting of these heretics and the Board of Directors became ever more solid in its Christian commitment. Now, and once again, Liberty University proudly proclaims itself as a:

REAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

One with uncompromising dedication to Liberal Arts excellence, intellectually rigorous and demanding, and putting its students on notice that to come to Liberty is to commit first and foremost to Christian education and to Jesus Christ. Thank you, Dr. Jerry Falwell Jr., for that commitment. For that uncompromising stand. For knowing that the reason why Liberty University has become what it is, is that (your) unswerving allegiance to Jesus Christ. May you and your great university never lose that, not ever.

The students once fully educated by Liberty follow the command of the Lord:

GO YE

And go they do into all the world, not only preaching the gospel, but building successful careers. Becoming influential and successful in virtually every walk of life, proud Americans and proud Christians. Thousands upon thousands of Liberty graduates are among the very best in our society. Virtually all acknowledge that they are where they are and they are what they are because of what they got at Liberty University, Lynchburg Virginia.

Thank you for that, Dr. Jerry Falwell Jr. and may God bless you as you continue this great work for America and for Him.

Share this post