In a campaign stop at Hood College, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich promised a return to religion in the U.S. government.

Gingrich made the stop in Frederick, Md. on April 2 to gain support for his campaign before Maryland’s primary election the next day.

The former speaker of the house addressed over 200 students, staff, members of the Frederick community, and reporters in Hodson Auditorium, about “the nature of reality, the core values, and the scale of innovation” that are the platform for his campaign and are also issues that face the coming generation.

Gingrich explained to his audience how the expectation of competency for the bureaucracies and the courts has slowly declined over the years, and that the upcoming generations need to vote in a representative who will get the government back on track.

The former speaker said he is that representative.

“The government should be your servant,” Gingrich said. “The constitution was written as a contract between the government and American citizens.”

His platform for presidency centers on using technological ideas for the promotion of society, the importance of education, and to retain a good work ethic.

“To be an American is to work,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich advocated for the importance in Christian beliefs and that the Christian God made America what it is today.  Gingrich is supported by a Jewish benefactor and advocated moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

He told the audience that our unalienable rights are endowed by our creator, and are not just the product of a random coincidence.  Gingrich also said that the barrier of God prevents the State from developing into a dictatorship.

His solid convictions did not stop there.  Gingrich promoted his plan for the return to the space program and a larger devotion to the “brain sciences.”  He quoted former late President John F. Kennedy saying, “We are not going to go to the moon because it is easy, but because it is hard.”

Gingrich advocated for the return to the emphasis on the sciences because: “We need to get back to being a country again.  If we don’t fundamentally overhaul NASA, the Chinese are going to dominate space.”

Besides his fear for losing our spot as a world super power, Gingrich argued that we needed to continue with new medical innovations to find answers for autism, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Down syndrome, and brain traumas because they will be the greatest medical issues of the coming era.

Gingrich said he recognized the dangers of the mounting national debt, but did not provide any solution on how he planned to lower the debt if elected president.

After the speech, Gingrich took questions from the audience, and several members of the audience filed up to two microphones in the back of the auditorium.

Questions ranged on issues from immigration, to marriage equality, to the national debt, and the national healthcare system.

Members of the Frederick and Hood College community were split about Gingrich’s visit with many supporting the speaker, and others protesting his presence.

“I’m just very excited because he’s a public figure, no matter what you believe and he’s coming to such a small liberal school,” said sophomore Riley Wilson, “It’s definitely a very important event for Hood College.”

Hood College Republican members were more than happy about the speaker’s visit to the college.

“Since I’ve been here at Hood, there has never been a Republican tea party member invited by Hood College, except by our group,” said senior Sarah Morris, vice-president of the Hood College Republican Club. “We are getting liberal speakers coming to class all the time and we are cast as outsiders.  It’s refreshing to have someone validating out beliefs.”

Other students and staff protested the Republican presidential candidate’s presence there.

“I don’t think it makes any sense,” said Jahtay Teh, a junior at Hood College. “It’s a liberal college and he’s met with more disapproval here then he would other places.   I don’t agree with any of his policies.”

Gingrich ended his visit at Hood College with a private discussion with the members of the Hood College Republican Club.