Liberty University graduates return diplomas because of support for Trump by Jerry Falwell Jr.
Since the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. For some students and alumni of the evangelical Christian school in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty’s perceived alignment with the president has been a source of “shame and anger,” a group of graduates wrote last week.
Last week, many reached their breaking point. After Trump’s equivocation about neo-Nazi groups following the violence in Charlottesville, Falwell once again voiced his unwavering support for the president, tweeting that he was “so proud” of Trump for his “bold truthful” statement on the tragedy.
In response, Liberty University graduates are calling on fellow alumni to take a stand against by returning their diplomas. They are also writing letters to Falwell’s office and to the Board of Trustees, calling for his removal. More than 260 people have joined a Facebook group titled “Return your diploma to LU.”
By publicly “revoking all ties, all support present and future,” the graduates hope to send a message to the school that “could jeopardize future enrollment, finances and funding,” according to the Facebook group. They are urging graduates to return their diplomas to Falwell’s office by Sept. 5.
In addition, several alumni have written letter to university officials calling on Falwell to disavow Trump’s statements, NPR reported . In it, the graduates said Falwell’s characterization of Trump’s remarks were “incompatible with Liberty University’s stated values, and incompatible with a Christian witness.”
“This sort of sends a wake-up call that you can’t just align the entire university with Donald Trump’s stance on a whim,” Chris Gaumer, a former Student Government Association president and a 2006 graduate, told CNN .
Gaumer wrote on Facebook that Liberty University graduates are “ashamed, embarrassed, horrified.” And sending back their diplomas is “the least we like minded can do.”
On Instagram , he also wrote, “Many reasons to return LU degree, like a class called Creation Studies, but no reason more important than Falwell Jr. backing Trump backing white supremacists.”
Responding to the student’s criticism on ABC’s “The Week” Sunday, Falwell attempted to clarify his stance and said the students misunderstood him.
Falwell, who attended law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said Trump “left the door open” for the incident to be considered domestic terrorism.
“He has inside information that I don’t have,” Falwell said on “The Week.” “I don’t know if there were historical purists there who were trying to preserve some statues.”
Falwell called the Charlottesville clashes “pure evil versus good” and said “there’s no good white supremacist.”
“I understand how some people could misunderstand his words,” Falwell said of Trump. “Yes, he could be more polished and politically correct but that’s the reason I supported him, because he’s not.”
Most of Trump’s evangelical advisers have refrained from criticizing him for his response to Charlottesville. But on Friday, New York City megachurch pastor A.R. Bernard announced that he had stepped down from the unofficial board of evangelical advisers to Trump, The Washington Post’s Sarah Pulliam Bailey reported . Bernard’s Brooklyn-based Christian Cultural Center, which claims 37,000 in membership, has been described by the New York Times as the largest evangelical church in New York City.
Falwell, son of the late televangelist Jerry Falwell, has served as an essential evangelical voice in support of Trump. In some instances, his university community has followed suit. Students at the school voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November. Of the 3,205 votes cast on campus, Trump took 2,739, while Hillary Clinton received just 140.
As The Post’s Joe Heim wrote:
Perhaps no Christian leader in the United States has more closely aligned himself with Trump than Falwell. The Liberty president delivered a glowing tribute to Trump during a campaign visit in January 2016. And his support was critical after the release in October of the “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump was overheard bragging lewdly about groping and trying to have sex with women. Falwell went to bat for Trump, saying that his comments were reprehensible but that “we’re all sinners, every one of us. We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t.”
In May, Trump delivered the commencement address to Liberty’s Class of 2017.
Many of the students at Liberty, the nation’s largest Christian university, have been critical of Trump since before the election. In October, a statement issued by the group Liberty United Against Trump admonished Trump as well as Falwell for defending the then-candidate after he made the vulgar comments about women in the 2005 video. In the weeks that followed, more than 2,000 Liberty students and faculty signed the statement.
“Falwell has shown himself to be unabashedly in service of money and power, at the expense of others, not of the message of the gospel he claims,” Liberty graduates wrote in the Facebook group for the diploma return protest. “He is unfit to lead any institution, but particularly one that professes a moral, ethical, or religious mission.”
Many graduates on social media declared their intentions to join the protest and write their own letters to university officials.
“Truth is, I’ve been ashamed of the source of my diploma since long before Jerry Jr. started backing Trump, one alumna, Lauren Martin Day, wrote on Facebook . “Grateful to know there are some other sensible alums decrying that deplorable institution.”
She added that she took Liberty University off her resume over a decade ago and “never looked back.”
In a similar vein, 2002 graduate Rebekah Tilley told NPR that she no longer wanted to be associated with her alma mater because the name “can be so loaded.”
“There’s such a strong affiliation now between Liberty University and President Trump that you know that reflects badly on all alumni,” Tilley said.
Not everyone supported the efforts to return diplomas. Some stood by Falwell, and others criticized the students as “snowflakes.”
Phil Wagner, who received both his bachelor’s and master’s from Liberty University, told NPR that he disagrees with the president’s comments, he won’t be sending back his degrees. “I earned it,” Wagner said. I worked hard for it.” But he does plan to send a respectful letter to university officials, he added.
The affiliation between Trump and Falwell is even affecting some prospective students.
Chadwick Brawley, who identified himself as an “African American Christian Worship Pastor,” wrote that he had been “excited” about enrolling in the Doctor of Worship program at Liberty this month.
Posting on Liberty’s official Facebook page, Brawley wrote that Christian leaders had a valuable opportunity after the “hatred, bigotry and violence” in Charlottesville to take a stand.
“You used your platform to escalate hate and further divide,” Brawley wrote to Falwell. “Supporting President Trump’s lamentable response to the situation showed me who you are, what you support and how you’re aligned politically and spiritually. Because of who I am, I find it extremely difficult to align myself with you and Liberty University. The search begins for other schools at which I may apply; schools that will appreciate my African-American heritage, perspective, gifts, genius and money.”
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Students at the school voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November. Of the 3,205 votes cast on campus, Trump took 2,739, while Hillary Clinton received just 140.
Somehow, I just don't feel sorry for these folks.
“Many reasons to return LU degree, like a class called Creation Studies, but no reason more important than Falwell Jr. backing Trump backing white supremacists.”
Maybe this person was unaware that there are other universities in this country where you wouldn't have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to be dumbed down?
I assume that there are a lot of students who went to Liberty over the years who did so for reasons unconnected to their religious fervor. Because their parents wanted it, because they were told it would help their career, because they received a scholarship not offered to them by another school, etc. It is not surprising that some of them have come to their senses.
Donald Trump is not a Christian by the way. There is no evidence he lives by any Christian beliefs at all.
There is no evidence he lives by any Christian beliefs at all.
That isn't stopping Jerry Falwell Jr. from throwing his full support behind the most unqualified racist to ever hold public office.
I wonder how some know that Pres. Trump isn't a Christian. As a matter of fact, how did some know Pres. Obama was not a Christian. Does one wear a cross on the forehead or what?
I, also, wonder how many graduating students from Penn State returned their diplomas?
I wonder how some know that Pres. Trump isn't a Christian.
By by the way he acts.
The values he has.
(So he's obviously not a Christian by any stretch of the imagination...well, unless someone believes that Christ went around preaching hatred and divisiveness, advocated violence on the part of his followers, & was a compulsive liar).
DUH!
Trump The Magic Christian:
"Trump: Knock The Crap Out Of Them, I’ll Pay For Lawsuits"
Trump-- a "Jesus wannabee"..or...???
As a matter of fact, how did some know Pres. Obama was not a Christian. Does one wear a cross on the forehead or what?
How does one know? How can you tell how a Christian act?
Some advice as to how to to find out how a true Christian acts:
1. Go to Church
2. Read Bible
Then you'll know!
It is an unfortunate reality for Christians that to be a Christian, one only has to call themselves a Christian. If I call myself an atheist, is there any doubt that I am an atheist?
All of the above is interesting from your perspective.
One can be a Christian without going to Church,
One can be a Christian without reading the Bible.
One can be a Christian while sometimes not being a very good person.
Christians don't usually beat their chests and scream their religion for all to hear.
A Christian is one who believes in God through Jesus Christ and "attempts" to live according to his teachings.