Jerry Falwell Jr. Responds to Student Petition against Trump

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Oct 17, 2016

Jerry Falwell Jr. Responds to Student Petition against Trump

Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. is not backing down from his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, even after students signed a petition in protest.

As ChristianHeadlines.com previously reported, a group of Liberty students, staff, and alumni felt that Falwell’s well-known support for Trump is tarnishing the name of the school and decided to create a document titled “Liberty United Against Trump.”

“Donald Trump does not represent our values and we want nothing to do with him,” the document states, referring to Trump’s recently-revealed sexually aggressive comments toward women.

“Associating any politician with Christianity is damaging to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the document continues. “But Donald Trump is not just any politician. He has made his name by maligning others and bragging about his sins. Not only is Donald Trump a bad candidate for president, he is actively promoting the very things that we as Christians ought to oppose.”

Falwell also issued a statement, disputing some of the claims in the petition, although he also acknowledged the students’ right to speak up for what they believe.

“I am proud of these few students for speaking their minds.  It is a testament to the fact that Liberty University promotes the free expression of ideas unlike many major universities where political correctness prevents conservative students from speaking out,” he said.

Falwell went on to say that, despite the document’s claims, the majority of Liberty students support Trump. He cited as evidence the five standing ovations Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, received while speaking to a gathering of students at the university.

Falwell additionally denied the claim that by supporting Trump he was speaking for the school as a whole:

“I am only fulfilling my obligation as a citizen to ‘render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s’ by expressing my personal opinion about who I believe is best suited to lead our nation in a time of crisis,” he said.

 

Publication date: October 17, 2016



Jerry Falwell Jr. Responds to Student Petition against Trump