Joe (Hubie) May 16th, 2007

Steve,

You said it well; I'd only add that I'm Glad Jerry named his university "Liberty". I'm still not sure why; but I think that it speaks better of his "real" character than does "Oral Roberts University".

señor jefe May 16th, 2007

Steve,

I've been listening to your Scandalous Freedom podcasts and I am struck by the love, mercy and grace of God.

A guy like Falwell took a lot of flack for his theological & political stances. But I am still convinced that Falwell was operating in what he believed. And while it's not my brand of freedom, I believe Jerry's experiencing a freedom that he's never walked in before…

Bill Chickering May 17th, 2007

Steve,
From a former parishoner and also a certified old white guy–greetings. I didn't like Jerry Falwell one bit, not an iota. For many he was the face of Christianity, which is sad. His demonizing the groups he thought caused 9/11 was sad. His diverting nearly 7 million dollars of money given to his ministry is sad, and, as the IRS agreed, criminal. His taking money from Rev. Moon when he was strapped is sad. My personal opinion, for what it's worth is that Jerry Falwell started out with some good intentions, got some power, and went South from there. I believe he was more interested in the end with building a political kingdom, not a spiritual one. Falwell did take a lot of flack, and he deserved it.

As a card carrying liberal, except where Al Gore was concerned (I voted for Nader out of protest) I've been pretty disgusted with some of the comments I've read on the left wing blogs. It's okay to cirtique, but some of these blogs have engaged in a pretty vile and petty trampling on his grave. Out of bounds.

But to me, glorification and a revisionist reworking of who Falwell was and what he stood for is also wrong. I think your piece was excellent–you were respectful yet expressed your honest disagreement.

I am not delighted that Jerry Falwell has died. To speak ill of him or denigrate him in death is wrong. What I think is tragic is how many times Rev. Falwell spoke ill about the living.

And I've read a chunk of Hitchen's new book. And while he makes some foolish and blanket statements, I think it would behoove Christians to take a look and see where he is dead on, and in a few instances he is dead on. He has also done some great work in other books–most notably Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere, and his masterly take down of Bill Clinton, titled No One Left to Lie to.

Sorry to be long winded, but as you know, some of us liberals just don't know when to shut up.

Dan May 21st, 2007

Interesting editorial piece by Larry Flynt and his friendship with Jerry Falwell. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-flynt20may20,0,2297247.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail

Mike May 26th, 2007

Funny I just read that articl yesterday, I found the link on senor jefe's blog. I was very impressed. As I said there, I didn't know much about Falwell but after reading that I have tons of respect for him, I would hope to be like that someday.

Felix May 30th, 2007

Hitchens was dead on while talking on CNN, it was also very cruel. It tells you a lot about CNN. But Hitchens is right about the Right's (most of the more visible leaders anyway) eschatological views towards Israel, and the so called rapture followed by 3 and 1/2 yrs of peace then "the great tribulation". Falwell was wrong about those things. Way wrong. His death will bring those topics to the forefront and the truth will prevail. God help us

andy September 18th, 2007

i know that i am posting this way after it is likely anyone will read it, but i still feel like i need to post something.
I never met Jerry. I was born in 1988. I have seen him in person but only twice. I have heard him speak on the radio but only very late in his life. I cant say anything about many of the acusations against him by nonchristians or just non evangelicals. I now attend his university (Liberty) I have an immense amount of respect for the man. Most of what is said wrong about him is not true. He honestly loved the sinner and hated the sin. I have only heard stories of his loving character and i have never heard anyone who knew him say something against him. He loved everyone. He truly lived his life in conversation with Christ.
I am not a fan of Hitchens. I am only 19, but i watch cspan and booktv very regularly. (hours at a time) I have seen Hitchens speak a few times and he is very frustrating because he usually avoids answering the tough questions with some witty remark.
I guess that is all i have to say. God Bless.

Ed September 22nd, 2007

I was not a Jerry Falwell fan. But it does make me wonder after reading some of the stuff put out there how many people are really like the public personas they put forward. Sometimes, I believe, in the defense of the truth, we become caricatures of ourselves. I don't know why that is, but it seems to hold true more often than not.

For instance, John MacArthur has a reputation of being "a little harsh" in his dogmatism. However, I actually had the blessing of spending a little time with him over the course of a couple days – and he was nothing like what I expected. He was warm, humble, and very gracious. Why doesn't that come through in his preaching? I don't know – have we trained Pastors to be forceful and put on a show for us?

My own pastor has similar tendencies. One on one, he is very friendly and charming – but something about that pulpit and the preaching of truth changes him. Into something to which I honestly cannot say "that's what I want to be like" …

Have we (or perhaps just a certain segment) become so self-righteous in our condemnation of "them" that we have lost sight of the grace, humility, and love that should characterize the Christian?

In no way am I saying compromise the truth, or neglect the hard teachings of scripture. But even the hard teachings of scripture can be taught in a loving, edifying way, right?

What are our seminaries teaching these guys anyway?

MikeMcK October 31st, 2007

Falwell was a good and Godly man. If those on the left like Hitchens and Bill Chickering want to attack him, that's fine. It really shows more about their character then about Brother Falwell's.

May God raise up a thousand more just like him.

Lorraine Peschken March 6th, 2008

I am a member of Thomas Road Baptist Church for five years. I didn't know Jerry personally, but the people here loved him dearly. No one is perfect, and neither was Jerry. But I love hearing "true" stories about him. Like the time he encountered a man with no shoes and he took his shoes off and gave them to him. He apparently encountered a woman who didn't have the money to fly home for the holidays. He had someone fly her there and back.
A young African-American boy was playing ball in the Falwell neighborhood when he hit the ball over Jerry's fence. The boys father went back to look for the ball. Jerry had found it and wrote on the ball something like "four years at LU free", then gave it to him.
My two sons attended Liberty and they loved and admired Jerry, as do any of the students I have heard interviewed. He loved them and they loved him.

J. K. Jones April 5th, 2008

Sorry for the late date of this comment.

Jerry Falwell is a controversial figure, and I have often wished God had put a "clutch" on his mouth that automatically engaged when he made public comments and forced him to think about the implications of what he was going to say. It would have led to fewer public apologies. Then two things happened that totally changed my attitude toward him, one small, and one big.

I heard R. C. Sproul comment that he had once talked to a reporter about Falwell. Sproul said that he had never read or listened to Falwell very often, but he knew that Falwell was often making the media mad at him, so he said Falwell must have been doing something right.

Then my wife and I tried to get pregnant. We went through infertility treatments for several years, and I cannot image a more de-humanizing set of medical treatments. We learned of the Liberty Godparent Home, a home for unwed mothers, and Family Life Services, the adoption agency that works closely with the home.

Jerry Falwell raised the money to found both of these institutions after a reporter asked him a question. The reporter had asked Falwell where young women could go who needed help when they became pregnant and wanted to avoid abortion. Falwell replied, in typical, straightforward fashion, "I don't know, but I will find out."

To make a long, glorious story short, we adopted an infant girl from the agency Falwell founded. There was a special placement service when our daughter was placed by the agency in our care. Falwell himself came to the service, shook my hand, hugged my wife, held our daughter, and prayed a beautiful prayer for our new family.

It is very difficult to criticize a man like that. We are poorer for his absence.

In addition, keep in mind what Falwell himself would want emphasized: we serve a God who can take the pain of infertility and the anguish of an unplanned pregnancy, wrap His big arms around them, and mold them into something very beautiful. He truly does "work all things together for good," and He often does this through the ministries He empowers His followers to begin.

Steve May 18th, 2010

I was often troubled by Jerry Falwell….feeling like I had to over compensate with grace because of him sounding judgmental. Now, years later, I feel that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was listening too much to the media. WOW after reading Lorraine Peshken's post above I am thinking that maybe I was way off. Jesus said the world would hate us and slander us. Am I listening to the world? Are some of you? shame on us to be liberal and worldly and politically correct.

Steve you are a grace man and so you got me re-thinking things.

Debbie June 23rd, 2010

Better late than never……but I grew up watching Rev. Falwell on TV because my mother made me. Then I grew up in a FWB Church (I never understood where the "free will" came into play). I attended four services on Sunday: Sunday School, Sunday morning church service, Church Training Service (CTS) before the Sunday night service, and attended Wednesday night service. I am glad I was brought up to know Jesus, but at age 50, I feel that I was churched to death (if that is possible). Many of my friends who grew up under the same teaching do not go to church now and feel like they have been beat to death by ministers like Rev. Falwell. I know he was a good man and I know he did a lot of good things and the world really is a better place from Rev. Falwell and other pastors like him. However, how many Christians have been abused and succumb to legalistic views that pulled them into spiritual bondage, despair, and caused them to sin? I don't know. What I do know is it affected me so terribly so that I have to take medication to cope with depression and because I suffered so long under this "legalistic bondage" it has now affected me physically to the point I am unable to work and have been on disability for four years. None of it was intentional, mind you. Nevertheless, many like myself still suffer from the abuse. I am reading Steve's book, "A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel." I wish I had this information thirty years ago and all those times I wanted to die because I thought I was a terrible person trying to live up to the legalistic views of my church. How could I have been so blind? Well maybe because it stole my self-esteem as well? I thank God I am no longer that person. My wounds are healing, although i do not believe I will ever be cured in my lifetime. Maybe I should work on my faith in God. I know that the grace of God is my only hope. I wish I had known it all along.