Reverend+Jerry+Falwell

Matthew Dixon ** Reverend Jerry Falwell  ** ** Basic Information  ** Reverend Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was known for his work as a televangelist and conservative social commentator who helped establish the religious right as a political force. He is also known for founding Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty University, and the Moral Majority. A public figure of strong conservative Christian values, Falwell was often amidst controversy regarding topics such as abortion and gay and lesbian rights.

Falwell was born on August 11th, 1933 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was one of two twin brothers born to Helen and Carey Falwell. Jerry’s father, Carey, was dismissive of religion and his paternal grandfather, Charles Falwell, was a vocal atheist who did not attend church and would even ridicule those who did. However, his mother Helen was deeply religious and instilled faith and religion in her son at a young age (Applebome, 2007).

** Rise as a Religious Figure  ** Falwell claimed that he chose God on January 20th, 1952 when ‘God answered his mother’s prayers.’ He is said to have bought a Bible the following day, and within two months decided that he wanted to become a minister and spread his faith. He soon transferred from Lynchburg College where he was studying mechanical engineering, to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri (Applebome, 2007). When he returned home in 1956 at the age of 22, Falwell decided that he wanted to found his own church. He founded the Thomas Road Baptist Church with $1,000 and an initial congregation of 35 adults and their families. Soon after, Falwell began a half-hour daily radio broadcast called “Old-Time Gospel Hour;” six months later he broadcast his first televised version of the program. Falwell’s televised broadcasts became quite popular and on the one year anniversary sermon of Thomas Road Baptist Church, 864 people showed up for Falwell’s sermon (Applebome, 2007).

Falwell’s church and popularity grew steadily over the years as social and cultural transformations swept across the country in the 1960s and 1970s. During this time Falwell stuck to preaching and kept himself separated from politics and the civil rights movements that many other ministers were participating in. Cornerstones to Falwell’s sermons were the importance of family and strict adherence to the preaching’s of the Bible. In 1971, Falwell’s radio show “Old-Time Gospel Hour” became nationally syndicated and Falwell exploded onto the national scene amongst other popular televangelists (Applebome, 2007).

** Rise as a Political Figure  ** Falwell claimed that it was the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, which caused a tremendous change in him and led him to enter the political realm (Associated Press, 2007). He began preaching against the Supreme Court decision and started calling for Christians to become politically active. Falwell urged churches to register voters and asked religious conservatives to campaign for candidates who supported their moral positions.

Falwell blended his patriotism and conservative values and established “I Love America” rallies while students of his Liberty University also spread Falwell’s message across the country. In 1977, Falwell joined singer and icon Anita Bryant in her efforts to have a Dade County, Florida ordinance repealed which granted equal rights to gay men and lesbian women (Applebome, 2007).

It was in 1979 that Falwell co-founded the Moral Majority with other conservative activists and leaders. Falwell wanted to create a movement of people, regardless of their religious affiliation, that had a similar agenda – that of pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-morals, and pro-American. Falwell believed that among the over 200 million American citizens, a sufficient amount of people had to hold similar beliefs and that through collective action and campaigning they could turn back the onslaught of moral permissiveness and traditional family breakdown. The Moral Majority is credited with playing a significant role in the election of Ronald Regan as president in 1980, and by 1982 the organization had a $10 million budget, over one-hundred thousand clergymen and several million volunteers (Applebome, 2007). ** A Man of Controversy  ** Given his rise as a national figure and as a social and political conservative, Falwell often found himself involved in controversies. A hot topic which consistently brought Falwell into the limelight was gay and lesbian rights. One of Falwell’s biggest tenets was the traditional family, of a married man and woman of high morals. Thus, he held strong views against gay men and lesbian women – views that he was quite vocal about. At times, Falwell was even dubbed “the founder of the anti-gay industry,” as well as “an agent of intolerance (Blumenthal, 2007).” At a rally in 1977, Falwell went as far as to say, “so-called gay folks would just as soon kill you as look at you (Eskridge & Johnson, 2007).” He also said over the air during one an episode of “Old-Time Gospel Hour,” “Please remember, homosexuals do not reproduce! They recruit! And, many of them are after my children and your children (Eskridge & Johnson, 2007).” Dragging himself into further controversy and portraying homosexuality as a systemic problem, Falwell had this to say about the AIDS epidemic, “AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuality (Eskridge & Johnson, 2007).”

In 1999, Falwell openly attacked the children’s television show, “Teletubbies,” because he thought that the ‘Teletubby’ Tinky Winky was intended as a gay role model. In an article titled ‘Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet,’ Falwell wrote, “He is purple – the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle – the gay-pride symbol (BBC, 1999).” He argued that these subtle depictions of homosexuality created a gay role model that was ‘damaging to the moral live of children.’ Spokespeople for the show responded to Falwell by saying that his remarks were ‘absurd and offensive (BBC, 1999).’

Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Falwell openly condemned homosexuals and pro-choice advocates who we deemed responsible in the acts. While on ‘The 700 Club (a news talk show on the Christian Broadcasting Network)’ Falwell said, “I really believe that the pagans, the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way – all of them who have tried to secularize America – I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen (Press, 2007).’” While many moral and social issues persist throughout America – such as the death penalty, health care, and poverty – Falwell chose to focus on abortion and gay rights; to him, the most important issues regarded sex.

** Legacy  ** To some, Reverend Jerry Falwell was a man of high moral standings with an important message; to others, he was an ‘agent of intolerance,’ and a ‘faith-based-fraud.’ His combination of roles as a religious and political leader led him to form a formidable political force in the religious right which still stands strong today. While not a man of progress or necessarily tolerant thought, Jerry Falwell was an important figure in the transformative times of the 20th and early 21st century and his legacy will be carried on by the millions of conservative Christians who still live by and promote his message and similar beliefs. Jerry Falwell died on May 15th, 2007 at the age of 73 (Applebome, 2007). His Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University are still alive and flourishing in Lynchburg, Virginia.

** References  ** Applebome, P. (2007, May 15). //Jerry Falwell, Leading Religious Conservative, Dies//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/obituaries/15cnd-falwell.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp

Associated Press. (2007, May 16). //Jerry Falwell Told Followers He Was at Peace With Death//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,272718,00.html

BBC. (1999, February 15). //'Gay Tinky Winky bad for children'//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/276677.stm

Blumenthal, M. (2007, May 16). //Agent of Intolerance//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/article/agent-intolerance

Eskridge, W., & Johnson, H. (2007, May 19). //The Legacy of Falwell's Bully Pulpit//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801392.html

Press, B. (2007, May 18). //Press: The sad legacy of Jerry Falwell//. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from The Milford Daily News: http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x1987843539

Figure 1: http://www.undertheiceberg.com/2007/05/

Figure 2: http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/story?id=3193671

Figure 3: http://aintnogod.com/ipb/gallery/image/511-jerry-falwell-is-still-dead/