Liberty leads in tolerance
Convocation continues in the vision established by its founder 32 years ago
“When he spoke to Liberty University students, he was well received and, even though the students did not agree with much of what he said, they were polite and kind.”
Open-minded — Liberty students set a great example of what it means to be tolerant and
open-minded toward opposing views. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
This quote from President Jerry Falwell, made in the Liberty Journal, is not referring to Bernie Sanders’ speech in Convocation Sept. 14. In 1983, Liberty invited another liberal U.S. senator from the Northeast to speak at Convocation. Sen. Ted Kennedy was coming off a tremendous challenge to sitting President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries and had been a Democratic leader in the Senate for many years. The brother of former President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert Kennedy, Ted Kennedy and his family had become the face of American liberalism. Most of what he believed and stood for was contrary to the values of Liberty.
Yet Dr. Jerry Falwell chose to invite Ted Kennedy to speak. In his introduction of the senator, Dr. Falwell said, “We are very, very happy to have Senator Kennedy as our first speaker, in what will be this fall, and next spring, and every year … some of the leaders of America from different political perspectives
invited here.”
Thirty-two years later, the vision our founder had for our school, and specifically Convocation, is continuing. Sanders, a socialist senator running for the Democratic nomination in 2016, stood before an audience of students who hold completely different worldviews, much the same way Ted Kennedy had years prior. While Sanders did not shy away from stating the differences between his positions and those of the Liberty students, he began his speech with a profound statement.
“I came here today because I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse,” Sanders said.
The senator’s statement reflects the vision Dr. Falwell articulated in his introduction all those years ago. Observing and interacting with those who hold views very different from yours is not to be scorned but is the heart of education. It is what separates Liberty from other colleges and universities. How many can boast having Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and Bernie Sanders speak to students in a four-year period?
However, it is not merely about having such polarizing figures at a university but the response the students have to them. At many other schools, picketing and booing eliminate the chance to hear a full range of ideologies. American college campuses are increasingly moving away from being homes for free speech; they are becoming forums for acceptable speech. Universities are imposing “speech codes,” and activist students are imposing their own views of what ideas can be presented. In recent years, boycotts have prevented students from hearing the views of even mainstream leaders such as Condoleezza Rice.
Yet Liberty students welcomed Sanders warmly, in the hopes of gleaning wisdom and an understanding of his positions.
Convocation has not changed much over the years. In 1983, Dr. Falwell made jokes about Ted Kennedy’s daughter being single, and the senator humorously appealed for an hour extension of curfew. While these types of jokes can still be heard today on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the most important similarity is that the presentation of contrasting worldviews is done in a peaceful, respectful and educational way.
“I know we begin with certain disagreements,” Ted Kennedy said. “And I strongly suspect that by the end of this evening our disagreements will remain. But I also hope that tonight, and in the months and years ahead, we will always respect the right of others to differ, that we will never lose sight of our own fallibility, and that we will view ourselves with a sense of perspective and a sense of humor.”
Liberty has a rich history of tolerance and valuing each perspective shared in Convocation. The response to Sanders’ talk this semester falls in line with the precedent set 32 years ago by our founder: that we must not run from opposing views, but come, lovingly and open-mindedly, to hear and be better informed.
What the press had to say about Sanders’ visit to Liberty:
“Socialist Bernie Sanders …did something liberal in the old-fashioned sense of the term: He gave a speech to a group of people disinclined to agree with him. He probably didn’t persuade many of them, but it’s to his credit that he tried … Maybe (other colleges) could learn something from Liberty’s distinctive sense of purpose and institutional identity. Diverse universities would surely do a better job of educating a diverse population in the habits of open-minded inquiry, than the rather homogeneous ones we have today.”
James Taranto, Wall Street Journal
“Liberty has certainly lived up to its name. In the process, it has taught a much-needed lesson about diversity, intellectual curiosity, tolerance, and open-mindedness to others. We’d like to think the repressive dogmatists who dominate so many other campuses today are taking note. Experience, alas, suggests even that is expecting too much in the hermetically sealed echo chambers of elite academia.”
Editorial Richmond Times Dispatch
“And (Kevin) Roose (the author of the Unlikely Disciple) was not surprised that Sanders received a respectful welcome: “In a lot of ways, Liberty students are more used to having their views tested than students at many schools.”
Jason Linkins, columnist, Huffington Post
“The reception to Mr. Sanders from Liberty students was more gracious than what conservative speakers usually get on liberal campuses, if indeed they are invited.”
Cal Thomas, columnist, Washington Times
“Calling on us to help the neediest, that resonates with me as a Christian,” said Quincy Thompson, the student body president, who had a chance to briefly meet Mr. Sanders after the event. “But as a Christian, I think the responsibility to help them falls to the church, not the government.”
Others could not look past differences on social issues.
“How can he be for family values but also for abortion?” said Adam Ochs, a sophomore political science major from California.
And Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of the university, which was founded by his father, seemed to echo a similar statement of recognizing the issues, but differing on the solutions.
“I think it was Margaret Thatcher who said that the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money,” Mr. Falwell said in an interview after the event…
“We have the same goals, helping people in need, we just have different philosophies on how to get there,” he said.
Nick Corasaniti, The New York Times
Sutherland is the opinion editor.