Bernie Sanders spoke at Liberty University, one of the nation's largest Christian universities, on Monday and mostly addressed economic inequalities in the country.
At the outset of the speech, Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, admitted that his views differ sharply from those of most of the students and faculty of the university.
"Let me start off by acknowledging what I think all of you already know. And that is the views that many here at Liberty University have and I, on a number of important issues, are very, very different," Sanders started. "I believe in a woman's rights ... and the right of a woman to control her own body. I believe gay rights and gay marriage. Those are my views, and it is no secret."
However, Sanders said he accepted the invitation to speak at the university because he believes "that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse."
For most of the speech, Sanders focused on the values that he and the students may agree on -- the issue of economic inequality in the U.S.
"Let me respectfully suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and in fact to the entire world, that maybe, just maybe, we do not disagree on, and maybe, just maybe, we can try to work together to resolve them."
Quoting Amos 5:24, which says, "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream," Sanders said that one of the major injustices in the nation is that "so few have so much and so many have so little."
"In my view, there is no justice when, in recent years, we have seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires, while at the same time the United States of America has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country on Earth," he continued.
"Money and wealth should serve the people. The people should not have to serve money and wealth," he said, receiving an applause.
The university body's reception to Sanders was polite, and a small section of the crowd showed warm support, according to reports. Many showed skepticism, however, as questions about abortion were brought up during the question and answer session after the speech.
Sanders is the first Democrat to accept the invitation to speak at Liberty University, as invitations have been extended to President Obama, Vice President Biden, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, all of whom have declined.
Meanwhile, the university is a major stop for many Republicans. Presidential candidate Ted Cruz announced his bid and launched his campaign at the university earlier this year in March, and Ben Carson is expected to also speak there some time this semester.
