Vermont Senator and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is scheduled to speak at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University this September.
Sanders, who is particularly known for his stance on income inequality, will be speaking to Liberty University’s student body in Liberty’s morning convocation service, which is billed as “North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students,” according to Liberty’s Spiritual Programs webpage.
Sanders’s time at Liberty will fall in between that of Thomas Road Baptist Church pastor Jonathan Falwell and Christian author Karen Kingsbury. Other presidential candidates have spoken at Liberty’s Convocation service, including Donald Trump, Rick Perry, and Ted Cruz, all of whom are Republicans.
When asked for his thoughts on speaking to a crowd which largely holds different stances from his own on political issues, Sanders responded that “It goes without saying that my views on many issues -- women’s rights, gay rights, education and many other issues -- are very different from the opinions of some in the Liberty University community.”
However, The Huffington Post reported that Sanders appreciates Liberty’s invitation to speak and is looking forward to meeting with Liberty students and faculty. “I think it is important . . .to see if we can reach consensus regarding the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in our country, about the collapse of the middle class, about the high level of childhood poverty, about climate change and other issues," he stated.
Sanders is scheduled to speak at Liberty on September 14.
Publication date: August 6, 2015
