The Rev. Jerry Falwell died yesterday morning. And for the last 24 hours, I’ve been trying to put my thoughts into words—that’s what writers do—concerning his death. But, I’m having a hard time. I and the founder of the 1980s political power house, “The Moral Majority” as well as Liberty University are from two different generations and two very different approaches to the non-Christian culture.
I think “embarrassing grandfather” may sum it up best. We all have older relatives who say outrageous things, who have very different opinions on current issues than we do, and generally embarrass us when we’re out in public. But they’re family!
Falwell could say embarrassing things. He’s probably most famous (infamous) for blaming the 9/11 attacks on God’s judgment on “gays and lesbians,” “pagans” and the ACLU as well as accusing the TeleTubbies “Tinky Winky” of being “a homosexual.” In fact, I devoted an entire column to his outrageous outbursts.
His health, as well as his political and spiritual power, had dramatically declined in recent years. When TIME published its list of “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” in 2005,” Falwell didn’t make the cut.
So, I will miss Falwell the same way I miss my grandfather who used the “N” word on a regular basis, thought President Kennedy was a “young whippersnapper who was going to get himself shot,” and spit gallons in public. But he was still my grandfather, shared my DNA, and was worthy of respect.
Jerry Falwell inspired evangelicals to get involved in their world. He sought to bring biblical principles to the public square. And while he tended to embarrass me in public, I share Christ’s DNA with him. And he deserves , if not my agreement, at least my respect. He’s family!
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May 16, 2007 at 13:45
Very well written, Jim. You’ve put into words what I’ve been feeling since I heard the news yesterday.
May 16, 2007 at 13:57
I agree. I have been disturbed by the vitriol that been spewing forth. I can understand it from non-Christians, but from Christians that just don’t agree with him! I an not disappointed that he will not be making statements that disturb me or make me ashamed to be a Christian. I happy that he can be considered a brother in the Lord.
May 16, 2007 at 14:23
Amen. Great post, Jim. There’s a great deal of hate for Falwell being expressed all over the internet this week. Maybe he deserves some of it. But at the end of the day, he was a fellow believer trying to figure out how to serve Christ in a fallen world. I can respect that even if I disagree with much of his approach.
May 16, 2007 at 15:09
I can only join in with the chorus of thank-yous that have gone before me.
I feel horrible about my first reaction to his passing being something akin to a sigh of relief, but at the same time I need to honor my brother in Christ…
It is unfortunate that the typical behavior related to these kinds of events is to either condemn or canonize the person who passed. As one who disagrees strongly with much of what Falwell has said in the past it becomes hard to communicate in a way that people will hear that I do respect him as a fellow pastor and follower of Christ, while at the same time I believe that he missed the mark on some important points.
And this is the tension that a great many of us find ourselves in…
May 16, 2007 at 15:46
Isaiah 57:1
May 16, 2007 at 20:06
i differ from all of you i believe in the fact that i worked with Jerry Falwell. i saw him on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. while i share the same sentiment as most of you, that i didn’t agree with everything he said, i can tell you this. he was an incredible loving and generous man. very grand-father like in a lot of ways. he will be missed by all of us at LU. i want to let you guys know that the way everyone saw him on TV was not always the way he actually was in reality. he had great relationships with the people on TV whom he regularly was interviewed by. when the cameras were off, he would carry on relationship conversations with Larry King, Donahue, Hannity and Colmes. he was on there shows so much because while they differed on screen, they were friends off screen. i hope this has offered you some insight to the jerry the average american didn’t get to know.
May 17, 2007 at 06:11
I’m glad you have acknowledged your “kinship” with Dr. Falwell, but I’m sorry that you have swallowed the mainstream media misrepresentation of the man. Have you ever visited his church or the University? Have you ever heard him speak in person? Have you ever met one of the tens of thousands of people he has helped (homeless, sick, disabled, unemployed, addicted, troubled, lonely, poor,...)? I may not have agreed with every word that came out of his mouth, but I have never been embarrassed by him—not in front of my family or friends or my professional colleagues (college professors). I encourage you to look more carefully at this man and the ways in which he was used of God.
May 17, 2007 at 07:59
Thank you, Donna, for breathing fresh air into this discussion. The things Pastor Falwell said that everyone “didn’t always agree with” were because Pastor Falwell was an alien on this planet. We Christians should be proud have had him as an example of being in the world but not of the world. He was able to hate the sin without hating the sinner. He always made that very clear. Jesus also made His hatred for sin very clear. People (including the mainstream media of His day; Pharisees) hated him for that and because of that; so much so they conspired to kill him. If you are going to proudly announce that you didn’t agree with everything Pastor Falwell said (to the point you will say you are embarrassed by him), you might consider knowing the man before you accept pharasitical, liberal propaganda. Embarrassed?? Shame on you.
May 17, 2007 at 09:03
I would like to offer my sincere sympathy and condolences to Rev. Falwell’s family. He was an outspoken Christian leader and dedicated to many ideals.
I didn’t always agree with his political agenda.
The intertwining of religion and politics has become a severe problem in our “Church culture.” Dr. Tony Evans said in one of his sermons: “God doesn’t ride on the backs of elephants or donkeys. He doesn’t come to take sides, He comes to take over.” The text he was preaching from was Joshua 5:13-15. God’s desire is for all to know Him. He doesn’t hitch his cart to any man or woman or any political party. Period.
We have become more prone to trust more in the political machine than our King. We have begun to believe that if we just have the right leaders in place, America will be transformed. We are misinformed if we believe this. Man does not transform man. The law does not transform man. CHRIST transforms humanity. CHRIST transforms people, and when people are transformed, social structures are reformed, morality and ethics are transformed. If the law could transform lives then Christ’s death on the cross is meaningless.
Now let me say this: I do believe it is our responsibility to vote. We should vote for godly leaders. We should vote for those who will seek to make our nation a more moral and just nation. We are blessed to live in a free nation that affords us the ability to vote. And yes, we should vote according to Biblical convictions. Having said this, I would also say: “Simply voting for good, moral, or Christian candidates does not excuse us from our everyday PRIVILEGE to share the Gospel of Grace with the lost!” The danger of this mingling of conservative politics with conservative Christianity is that the Message almost always gets lost in the politic.
Rest in peace Jerry.
May 17, 2007 at 16:24
Hi Sal,
You wrote, “We Christians should be proud have had him as an example of being in the world but not of the world. He was able to hate the sin without hating the sinner.”
Unfortunately, I’m not proud, I am ashamed. Jesus is described as being full of “grace and truth” (John 1). Paul says our conversaton must always be “full of grace” (Colossians 4).
There is nothing gracious in Falwell’s calling Madonna “a dispicable prostitute” and Ellen DeGeneres “Ellen DeGenerate.” (I could go on, but that’s sufficient.)
Some of his comments (as opposed to himself; I have no doubts he was was genuinely Christian), were neither gracious, loving, or Christian.
Jim
(The guy who started all this discussion.)
May 19, 2007 at 13:40
James,
Your comment that Jerry Falwells comments were neither “gracious, loving or Christian” is partly true. While there may be truth in your comments, there was also truth in his. As a Christian he suffered from being human also. He had seen a steady decline in this nation and it’s morality. Secularism and so many other “isms” have led this country into such dispicable decline that it’s only natural and human for him to voice disgust and destain for the purveyors of that evil. If you’re keeping a record of what each Christian leader is saying or doing, know this….there is also a record being kept of what you say and do while you also live. We are all called to account for our life and actions. How will you be judged? I know I’m not perfect, but I know who is and he paid the price for my mistakes.
May 21, 2007 at 07:12
I wonder how many of us “concerned fellow believers” ever took the time to address things Jerry Falwell said that we consider unbiblical. If the answer is we didn’t, then this is just as much a cheap shot as CNN.
Unfortunately, we want the world to know that God loves them, but we forget to inform them that as sinful creatures we’ve offended a Holy God (My thanks to Ray Comfort for that reminder). So, messages like Jerry Falwell’s are painful reminders that sin is an ugly business and has a devastating consequence.
When we take our disagreements outside the family, it makes us look less and less like family.
May 22, 2007 at 05:57
Judging the sentiment of many of the posts on this subject I would have to say that John the Baptist and the Old Testament prophets probably wouldn’t pass muster with the ‘Christian’ outlook of this age. The Silent Majority has now become the appeasing minority.
May 22, 2007 at 11:08
I believe the best commentary on Falwell to date may be TIME magazine’s inside back cover Jerry’s Kids. It is gentle but pointed, it offers a unique look at how Falwell made political partners of theological enemies, and best of all, it points out how newer evangelists are moving in more constructive directions.