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.

May God raise up a thousand more just like him.

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?

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.

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…

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".