Here’s a question for journalists and news consumers who remain interested in the future of the complicated, complex world of evangelical Protestantism: Now that Donald Trump is out of office, does it matter who becomes the next president of Liberty University?
Note that this question assumes that the future of Liberty is important — as a mainstream news story — if it is linked to politics, as opposed to questions about the future of Christian higher education.
There is another way to state this question: Would it be important if Liberty returned to the conservative Christian style and image of its founder, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, instead of the high-energy, openly political agenda of Jerry Falwell, Jr.? In other words, the focus would be on conservative Christian beliefs and education, as opposed to political clout. That’s the question that was at the heart of this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (click here to tune that in).
If you followed the life and work of Jerry Falwell, Sr., you know that he was (#DUH) quite political. But this wasn’t an agenda that dominated the daily life and academic priorities of his university.
Liberty was a conservative Baptist university and, for the most part, acted like one.
That changed under Jerry Falwell, Jr., of course. Consider this chunk of an “On Religion” column about that:
… Falwell Jr. developed a swashbuckling style that caused heat, especially when linked to race, guns, jets, politics, yachts and his specialty – real estate. Controversies about his de facto partnership with President Donald Trump thrilled many Liberty donors, alumni, parents and students, while deeply troubling others.
Many Christian college presidents are super-pastors who provide ties that bind to denominations, churches and networks of believers. Falwell Jr. — a lawyer — turned into a dynamic entrepreneur who courted powerful conservative politicos.
On regular Christian campuses, there "are higher expectations for presidents than members of the faculty, and members of the faculty live with greater expectations than students," noted religious-liberty activist David French, writing at The Dispatch.
"Liberty flipped this script. The president lived life with greater freedom than his students or his faculty. …”
This brings me to a fascinating news feature that ran the other day in The New York Times under this double-decker headline:
Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Leaves Liberty University Think Tank
The Falkirk Center, named for its founders, Jerry Falwell Jr. and Charlie Kirk, was the center of evangelical Trumpism. Now, both are gone.
I’m not quite sure what “evangelical Trumpism” means, but I understand the need to create that bizarre term. I also rather like the turn of phrase used by my friend Rod “Live Not By Lies” Dreher that was quoted in this Times piece, addressing the style that Kirk, and his Turning Point network, brought to Liberty:
At a student conference hosted by Turning Point in Florida in December, scantily clad young women shot cash out of cannons at a packed audience of mostly maskless young people during a promotional segment for an energy drink. The event drew condemnation from conservatives including the writer Rod Dreher, who questioned Liberty’s close relationship with Mr. Kirk under a headline that blasted Turning Point’s “Hooters conservatism.”
In the end, that “Hooters conservatism” phrase could also be applied to the personal and professional collapse of Falwell, Jr.
I would argue that this Times piece about the future of the Falkirk Center offers interesting clues into the debates — behind closed doors, of course — about the future of Liberty University and the process to select a new president.
Instead of the Falwell-plus-Kirk salute in the center’s old name, this institution will now be called the Standing for Freedom Center or, simply, the Freedom Center. But there are other questions to be answered, as the Times noted:
Liberty refers to the Falkirk Center as a “think tank,” although it has produced no traditional scholarship or academic research. Instead, it produces a podcast and videos on hot-button political and cultural topics, and is known for its aggressive social media presence.
The center, which is funded and owned by the university, also placed at least $50,000 worth of political ads on Facebook promoting Mr. Trump and other Republican candidates in the run-up to the election last fall, according to Politico.
Note this paragraph, as well:
The Falkirk Center was intended to have “massive culture influence,” its executive director, Ryan Helfenbein, told the school newspaper soon after the center’s launch. It became an attractive stopping point for some of Mr. Trump’s high-profile evangelical supporters, many of whom were freelance media figures who benefited from the sheen of a university-based position. …
The baked-in assumption, of course, was that the best way for a Christian university to have “massive cultural influence” was through political clout.
Falwell, Jr., and The New York Times seem to agree on that. This assumption was at the heart of Liberty life during the Jerry Falwell, Jr., era.
But that was not the primary academic goal of Jerry Falwell, Sr. — who set out to build a rather conventional conservative Baptist school with a heavy emphasis on ministry, evangelism, missions and a Christian approach to the liberal arts, business, media, etc.
What happens now?
Will the Freedom Center evolve into a more traditional academic institution, with scholars and public intellectuals focusing on academic research and writing about issues in American public life, with an emphasis on Christian faith and doctrines? In other words, will this “think tank” cooperate with the work of a Christian university, as opposed to focusing on political power and influence?
The answer to that question, I would argue, will be linked to questions about the school’s next president and, thus, the school’s identity.
At most colleges and universities, fundraising — like it or not — is one of the president’s main jobs. At “normal” Christian colleges, this requires the president to maintain close ties to a specific denomination or network of churches that support the school’s mission. That affects the doctrinal and academic agenda of the school, of course. It also affects campus life.
Was that true with Jerry Falwell, Jr.? Was that true of the Falkirk Center?
Alas, don’t look for big headlines if the next president of Liberty University is a traditional, conventional Christian educator — as opposed to a public figure with political clout. It won’t be big “political” news if the next Liberty president resembles the early Jerry Falwell, Sr.
However, I would argue that this would be big news, in every sense of the word. It could be a sign of repentance. Stay tuned.
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