Trump stokes strife with Liberty University speech

Donald Trump’s convocation address at Liberty University drew a large crowd today, but his appearance sparked more controversy than last fall’s visit from a self-proclaimed socialist.

Trump, the GOP’s 2016 presidential front-runner, came to Liberty at the invitation of university president Jerry Falwell Jr., who has previously hosted candidates from opposite ends of the political spectrum: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a “democratic socialist,” and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a staunch conservative, have both spoken at Liberty during this campaign season.

Some critics took issue with the timing of Trump’s speech—Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Others said he shouldn’t be allowed to speak at Liberty at all.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, led the criticism, blasting out a series of tweets aimed at both Trump and Falwell.

“Trading in the gospel of Jesus Christ for political power is not liberty but slavery,” Moore wrote.

Trump received a glowing introduction from Falwell, who sparked his own controversy last month when he encouraged the student body to take up arms following the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack: “Then we could end those Muslims before they walked in and killed.” Falwell later clarified that his remarks were referring only to Islamic terrorists, but his comments were still widely condemned among evangelical leaders.

On Monday, Falwell called Trump—who supports a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the United States—one of the “greatest visionaries of our time” and someone who “lives a life of serving others … as Jesus taught in the New Testament.”

Trump used the convocation of more than 10,000 as an opportunity to connect with Christian voters at the largest evangelical university in the world. The real estate mogul gloated over his business success and how his book, The Art of the Deal, is a must-read for businessmen everywhere. He was quick to add his book is a distant second to the best book, the Bible, but he stumbled when quoting Scripture.

“Two Corinthians, 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame. Where the spirit of the Lord, right? Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. … It is so true,” Trump said. The evangelical audience roared with laughter at the bungled reference.

Trump mostly stuck close to his stump speech, referencing issues such as terrorism, the economy, and Second Amendment rights. He said he wanted to “knock the hell out of ISIS” and “Common Core, very bad … Second Amendment, very good.”

Moore’s Twitter commentary continued as Trump started talking about immigration. The GOP front-runner boasted about his hard-line position and his boldness for bringing immigration to the forefront of the 2016 debate. He reiterated his plan to build a wall on the southern U.S. border and force Mexico to pick up the tab.

“Evangelicals can love a golden calf, as long as Aaron promises to make Mexico pay for it,” Moore tweeted.

Trump’s appearance stoked on-campus protests from students and alumni who said it was racially insensitive to invite the outspoken billionaire on MLK Day. Marc Corbett, a Liberty alumnus and local campus minister, publicly criticized Liberty on Saturday, saying he would be forced to protest the school he loves.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor who advocated for freedom, equality, and justice for all, “ Corbett wrote in a post for The Gospel Coalition. “In contrast, Donald Trump, in the last few months alone, has publicly mocked the disabled, used vulgar expressions to refer to women, and spoken derogatory words against Muslims, immigrants, and Latinos.”

Karen Swallow Prior, an author and Liberty professor, defended the university’s decision, even though she said she does not support Trump. In a Facebook post she noted Liberty does not officially observe MLK Day (or most other major holidays) and its diversity mirrors national demographics.

“I’m being totally honest when I say that the way LU honors, celebrates, and welcomes racial and ethnic minorities is one of the things it does best and that makes me most proud,” Prior wrote.