In the mid-1970s, the famous Mennonite theologian and ethicist John Howard Yoder visited Calvin College to give a lecture explaining the Anabaptist perspective on political authority. His opening comments offended many in his audience (including me). Referring to the Gospel account of the third temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Yoder said that in refusing to bow before Satan in order to receive authority over the governments of the nations, “Jesus was refusing to be a Calvinist.”
I thought of that comment when I read the news report today of my friend Russell Moore’s response to how Jerry Falwell, Jr. welcomed Donald Trump’s visit to Liberty University this past Monday. Moore was not opposed to Trump’s visit as such. The Politico headline had it wrong on this score: “Evangelical leader blasts Falwell for hosting Trump.” The university had previously hosted Jeb Bush, Bernie Sanders, and Ted Cruz, and nothing in Moore’s published comments faulted the university for exposing students to differing political viewpoints.
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