Two memorable speeches were delivered in the early 1980s on separation of church and state. The first was by U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and was given – at all places – before an audience at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Read more
Jerry Falwell Jr’s Liberty University has long sought to rule the town of Lynchburg, Va., and while it never quite succeeded in a full-on takeover, fundamentalists associated with the school still wield considerable influence there.
Just ask a transgender woman named Juliana Fialkowski. Read more
Sarah Palin is still on the defensive as part of her phony “War on Christmas,” and now she seems to have recruited a new ally for her fight: Thomas Jefferson. Read more
We’re just a few months removed from the 2012 elections, and the Religious Right is already hard at work trying to lure churches into partisan politics for the 2014 elections.
This week, Mat Staver’s Liberty Counsel, which is affiliated with Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Liberty University, said it is gearing up to help fundamentalists take “dominion” over the United States and make us a “Christian nation.” Read more
As election season heats up, we’re sure to see an increase in the number of houses of worship intervening in partisan politics by endorsing or opposing candidates.
Churches are tax-exempt nonprofits, and most pastors know this is illegal and inappropriate. But a small percentage – often prodded and provoked by Religious Right legal groups – is determined to violate federal tax law and drag partisanship into the pulpit. Read more
It seems Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. just can’t help himself when it comes to political endorsements.
At the Lynchburg, Va., school’s graduation ceremony over the weekend, Falwell made sure to say that inviting Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP candidate for president, in no way constituted an endorsement by the tax-exempt institution. He even said nonprofits like Liberty can’t endorse candidates for office, which is exactly right.
So what did Falwell do next? Read more
Here’s a question for Mat Staver, head of Liberty Counsel – what do you and your organization have to hide?
Liberty Counsel is a Religious Right legal group operating from Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Liberty University. It does things like argue that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in public buildings, that all abortions should be illegal and that marriage equality should be denied to gay couples. Read more
Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. is up to his old tricks again.
According to media reports, television ads that feature Newt Gingrich extolling the virtues of Liberty University have appeared in Iowa just before today’s presidential caucuses.
It doesn’t take much political imagination to see this as a barely disguised endorsement of the Republican White House hopeful. Read more
