Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaking at a town meeting at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a “Democratic Socialist” who is also a Democratic presidential candidate, has accepted an invitation from Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the nation, to speak at a convocation at the school on September 14.
Liberty University, a conservative Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, has become a major stop for many Republican candidates and it is where Texas Senator Ted Cruz launched his 2016 presidential campaign.
No major democratic candidate has spoken at Liberty University until this year, while invitations had been extended to President Obama, Vice President Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who have all declined.
Johnnie Moore, former senior vice president of the university, who had been in charge of running the convocation speaker series during his time at the school, referred to Sanders’ acceptance of the invitation as an “incredibly courageous and savvy move,” according to CNN. While Liberty is a conservative religious institution and disagrees with Sanders on many issues-- like abortion and gay marriage-- Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the university, “believed that our convocation should be a forum for different views, a time to ask questions and learn.”
Sanders expressed a similar view in a statement, recognizing 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.”
Despite these differences, Sanders believes 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.”
“It is very easy for a candidate to speak to people who hold the same views,” Sanders said. “It’s harder but important to reach out to others who look at the world differently. I look forward to meeting with the students and faculty of Liberty University.”
