The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

by Tim Alberta

Politics at Liberty was nothing new. But there was an edge to this event, a raw antagonism that felt unique. Falwell had grown more comfortable in his skin as the school’s leader; that skin was combative, conservative, Trumpian. A few years into Falwell’s tenure, and soon after Obama took office, Liberty stripped its College Democrats club of official recognition, denying it the use of university funds. Not long after that ordeal, Liberty blocked campus networks from accessing the website of Lynchburg’s newspaper, the News & Advocate, after it reported on the school’s reliance on federal financial aid. Eventually Falwell seized editorial control of Liberty’s student-run newspaper, the Champion, regularly censoring criticisms of his own views and favored political figures. In December 2015, the month before Trump made his triumphant return to Convocation, Falwell shocked the student body with his remarks about a recent shooting carried out by a Muslim couple in California. “If more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in,” said the university president.