A Wall of Separation · Episode 13 of 14 · 40 min
How Liberty University Became a Political Machine
Jerry Falwell built a movement and then a university. Liberty rose from a cash-strapped Bible college in Lynchburg to the largest evangelical university on earth, with its own school of government and a president whose 2016 endorsement helped deliver evangelicals to Donald Trump. It became political infrastructure, though claims it staffed an administration are thinly sourced.
Who's who
- Jerry Falwell+1 more episodeFounded Lynchburg Baptist College, the seed of Liberty University
- Jerry Falwell Jr.Liberty president who endorsed Trump in 2016 and resigned in 2020
- Jesse Helms+1 more episodeNorth Carolina senator for whom the School of Government is named
- Donald Trump+11 more episodesLiberty honorary degree recipient and 2017 commencement speaker
- Charlie Kirk+1 more episodeTurning Point USA founder who co-founded the Falkirk Center at Liberty
- Dondi CostinLiberty president since 2023
- Ted CruzEvangelical 2016 rival whom Trump overcame
Where it happens
- Liberty University, Lynchburg, VirginiaLargest evangelical university and the episode's focus
Timeline
- 1971Falwell founds Lynchburg Baptist College
- 1984The school is renamed Liberty University
- 2004Liberty founds its School of Law and names its School of Government for Helms
- January 26, 2016Falwell Jr. endorses Trump days before the Iowa caucuses
- November 2019Falwell Jr. and Kirk launch the Falkirk Center
- August 2020Falwell Jr. resigns as president amid scandal
Still debated
Defenders say Liberty lawfully trains citizens who share its faith, while critics see political infrastructure. The claim that Liberty graduates pervade the administration is thinly sourced, and whether federal student aid is neutral or a subsidy raises the series' church-state question.
← PreviousAlaska's Fight Over Public Money for Religious SchoolsNext →Is Separation of Church and State a 'Fabrication'? Christian Nationalism Today
Connected episodes in other series
Gaza and Southern Lebanon: Does the Old Pattern Fit?Empty the Land · Episode 11Also features Donald Trump
How the Iran Nuclear Deal Collapsed: JCPOA, Maximum Pressure & SoleimaniIran & America: A Century and Counting · Episode 10Also features Donald Trump
The Case Against the Post OfficeNeither Snow Nor Rain · Episode 9Also features Donald Trump
Panama Today: The Crossroads of Empires, Contested AgainPanama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 18Also features Donald Trump