In a move that might surprise some, the conservative evangelical Liberty University has chosen the liberal evangelical icon Jimmy Carter to give its commencement speech this year. Based on my research into the history of evangelical higher education, however, the move makes perfect sense: The long-standing dream of conservative evangelical universities like Liberty is to be more than a niche school. Liberty’s roots go back to the fundamentalist movement, a conservative interdenominational evangelical protest that began in the 1920s. In that era, fundamentalists hoped to cleanse their...…In a move that might surprise some, the conservative evangelical Liberty University has chosen the liberal evangelical icon Jimmy Carter to give its commencement speech this year. Based on my research into the history of evangelical higher education, however, the move makes perfect sense: The long-standing dream of conservative evangelical universities like Liberty is to be more than a niche school. Liberty’s roots go back to the fundamentalist movement, a conservative interdenominational evangelical protest that began in the 1920s. In that era, fundamentalists hoped to cleanse their...WW…

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attends an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump with students, teachers and administrators about how to safely re-open schools during the novel coronavirus pandemic in the East Room at the White House July 07, 2020 in Washington, DC.--Even Betsy DeVos — one of the longest-serving of Donald Trump's revolving-door cabinet secretaries — finally reached what she called an "" with the former president's open call for violent insurrection, resigning slightly before he left office. Amid the chaotic Trump administration, DeVos was in many ways the...…Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attends an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump with students, teachers and administrators about how to safely re-open schools during the novel coronavirus pandemic in the East Room at the White House July 07, 2020 in Washington, DC.--Even Betsy DeVos — one of the longest-serving of Donald Trump's revolving-door cabinet secretaries — finally reached what she called an "" with the former president's open call for violent insurrection, resigning slightly before he left office. Amid the chaotic Trump administration, DeVos was in many ways the...WW…