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Wednesday, July 30, 2025

General Costin’s Crusade: Liberty University and the Rise of Christian Authoritarianism

In July 2023, Liberty University appointed retired Major General Dr. Dondi E. Costin as its sixth president. A decorated U.S. Air Force chaplain with 36 years of military service, Costin’s career culminated as the 18th Air Force Chief of Chaplains. While his leadership credentials are impressive, his appointment raises significant questions about the militarization of higher education leadership and what it signals for Liberty University’s future direction.

A Military Leader in the Ivory Tower?

Higher education is traditionally a space for critical inquiry, academic freedom, and the nurturing of diverse perspectives. Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. and often described as America’s largest Christian university, occupies a contentious position — intertwining evangelical conservatism with academia. The addition of a former high-ranking military officer, steeped in hierarchy, discipline, and obedience, risks further constraining intellectual openness and reinforcing authoritarian tendencies within the institution.

Universities thrive on dialogue, dissent, and academic freedom — values often at odds with the command-and-control ethos of military structures. The concern is whether Dr. Costin’s leadership will prioritize conformity over the open exchange of ideas fundamental to higher learning.

Liberty’s Law School: A Conservative Legal Powerhouse

Liberty’s School of Law has grown rapidly into an influential institution within conservative legal circles. It positions itself as a training ground for lawyers dedicated to defending Christian values in courts and policy arenas nationwide. The school’s curriculum explicitly emphasizes “Christian worldview” approaches to law, often at odds with mainstream legal scholarship.

Graduates of Liberty Law are increasingly visible in conservative judicial appointments and legal advocacy organizations that push for legislation restricting abortion rights, rolling back LGBTQ+ protections, and challenging the separation of church and state. The school’s aggressive promotion of religious conservatism through legal channels reinforces Liberty’s broader goal of shaping America’s political and cultural landscape in alignment with Christian fundamentalism.

The Jesse Helms School of Government: Shaping the Next Generation of Conservative Leaders

Named after the late Senator Jesse Helms, a staunch conservative and evangelical advocate, Liberty’s Jesse Helms School of Government furthers the university’s mission to cultivate political leaders committed to advancing Christian fundamentalist policies. The school provides training in public policy, political science, and leadership — all deeply infused with evangelical Christian ideology.

This school plays a crucial role in preparing students to enter government and political organizations aligned with Liberty’s vision, promoting a fusion of religion and politics that many critics argue undermines democratic pluralism and the constitutional separation of church and state.

From Separation of Church and State to Theocracy

Historically, many in the Religious Right once upheld the principle of separation of church and state — a constitutional safeguard preventing government endorsement of any religion. Yet over recent decades, there has been a marked ideological shift. Today’s Religious Right increasingly embraces a vision of theocracy: governing according to religious law and doctrine.

Liberty University exemplifies this shift. Founded as an evangelical bastion, it has evolved into a political and religious powerhouse seeking to reshape American society around a narrowly defined evangelical worldview. This movement blurs constitutional boundaries, aiming to replace secular governance with religiously based rule.

Christian Fundamentalism vs. Scientific Consensus

Liberty’s curriculum and public messaging consistently promote Christian fundamentalist beliefs, often rejecting established scientific understandings. For example:

  • Evolution: Liberty’s biology courses teach creationism or intelligent design as alternatives to evolution, contradicting the overwhelming scientific consensus.

  • Climate Change: The university’s stance downplays human-driven climate change, undermining environmental science education.

  • Reproductive Health: Liberty promotes abstinence-only education and opposes contraception and abortion rights, often relying on religious doctrine rather than medical science.

Such conflicts erode the academic credibility of Liberty University and call into question the preparedness of its graduates for careers in science, medicine, or public policy.

A Billion-Dollar Edu-Religious Empire

Liberty’s vast financial empire — boasting nearly $1.6 billion in annual revenue and $4.2 billion in assets — underscores its ambitions beyond education. Its aggressive online program recruitment, which frequently leaves students with significant debt and limited job prospects, raises ethical questions about exploiting faith for financial gain.

Implications for Students, Faculty, and the Broader Academic Community

Students and faculty deserve environments that encourage free thought, debate, and scholarly rigor. The presence of a former military general whose leadership style may emphasize hierarchy and obedience raises fears of increased ideological conformity and suppression of dissent.

As Liberty deepens its fusion of religious authority, military discipline, and political activism, it risks transforming the university into a training ground for theocratic governance rather than a place of open academic inquiry.

Theocracy U

Dr. Dondi E. Costin’s appointment signals more than a mere administrative change at Liberty University. It reflects a broader ideological and institutional transformation toward authoritarianism and theocracy within a major U.S. higher education institution.

As the Religious Right continues to challenge foundational American principles — including separation of church and state — it is critical that educators, policymakers, and the public scrutinize how these shifts affect academic freedom, institutional integrity, and the future of higher education.

Liberty’s students, faculty, and wider society deserve transparency and vigilance to ensure universities remain spaces of learning and critical inquiry — not battlegrounds for religious and political domination.

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