So here we are having conversations–good conversations–about Christianity, Mysticism, the saving grace of the Blood of Christ and other little faith items.
Then God has to go and provide a little test case.
Jerry Falwell’s train made it’s final stop today. Some people are sad, some are happy.
I didn’t like Jerry Falwell. I think he had a lot of wrongheaded ideas that caused a lot of people deep and lasting pain.
But Jesus died for Falwell as painfully and sorrowfully as he died for every other person on this planet. You don’t have to believe in Jesus. But I do and Falwell did, too. And here’s where I believe that I must let God be God and let God’s redeeming love take care of Falwell. Jesus asked us to love our neighbour. Falwell was my neighbour, and I love him on Jesus’ command.
Jerry Falwell is now in the land where there is no sorrow nor death, neither crying nor pain. He is made new.
I’d love for the legacy of hate he ignited to die with him, and that includes all the expression of those who ‘hate him back’. Your anger and bitterness is justified. But if you let love transcend that you will have a truer earthly peace than Falwell most probably ever knew.
Just Another Pretty Farce 
Truly a love based commentary. I offer you my prayers for all the fall out that you will get. I did not like the man or the hate, but I do love Jesus and all of his children. Including those who do not love me.
Oh, Kat, I’m so glad I came over here before posting my thoughts at NiT. Because I was trying to figure out a way to say, in under a million words, that Falwell’s impact* on religious and political discourse in this country is still around, although he himself is dead. And your last paragraph does this. Thanks.
*No, he wasn’t single-handedly responsible for the idea that one’s political opponents are motivated by evil, or that they must be attacked and demonized on a personal as well as a political/theological level. It wasn’t even exclusively people who agreed with him who were responsible for it. He was just one of many. But he was definitely one. All the public expression of pleasure in his death? Part of his legacy.
Very well said.
I just hope that Mr. Falwell actually believed what he purported to believe, and wasn’t simply an empty shell looking for earthly glory.
It’s difficult to reconcile a deep abiding relationship with Jesus and all that means, and the actions and words he took ownership of during his life.
I wonder sometimes at those who purport to speak for Jesus, and claim to be following His will on Earth, and then go forth and do what a lot of people would believe to be Not So Nice Things. Did they really believe? Or did they just think they believed?
Does Jimmy Swaggert truly believe? Jim Bakker? GWB? Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton? God help him, Fred Phelps? Do they really believe and follow Jesus and his teachings, or is it simply a means to and end they’ve decided best furthers their own earthly goals?
Probably something for all those who claim to be Christian to ask themselves…
Isn’t it nice that we don’t have to be God?
But then I wouldn’t have to pay $3.00 for gas….
[…] Katherine Coble: I didn’t like Jerry Falwell. I think he had a lot of wrongheaded ideas that caused a lot of people deep and lasting pain. […]
I’m personally not going to miss him. No matter what you believe about Falwell, it’s sort of consoling to believe that God will sort it out.
bridgett, that seems to be the thing. I am not sure that Falwell really had the faith to believe that God would sort it out for all of us, just him. Maybe I am wrong and that is why I too am thrilled that God will sort it out!!
It’s interesting to think about. We all are told to make a difference in this world. The unfortunate thing is that most of us don’t make much of a difference. I cant help but think, whether you like Falwell or not, if you agree with his methods and ideology or not, he made a difference.
How many of us can say we have had an impact like he did on this spinning rock called earth?
Im not saying he was right or wrong, its just a thought.
This is a good post. I sort of copped out on my own blog… couldn’t think of a good way to phrase everything. I hope he’s at home now… And I also hope he got a good talking to.
I was not a follower of Falwell, however, I am an ardent follower of Christ. Perhaps his style was a bit lacking, but, one thing about him is he never backed down from what he believed. I think he really thought he was doing the right thing (I’m not saying it was right). I think he felt that sin was the problem with the world and I agree with that. The thing is, I believe it’s ALL sin that’s bringing the world down, not just the stuff he was so vocal about.
Kat, this is an excellent post. You hit the nail on the head. Thank you so much.
You are so wise, Kat Coble. So wise.
great post. I was just thinking about this yesterday. He caused so much pain and hatred in other people…so therefore it’s easy for some to hate him back. I think he gave Christianity a bad name. I don’t doubt his convictions, faith, or beliefs….but he is the reason so many people think Christians are lunatics. May his soul rest in peace.
Let me put it this way: He is not the only reason…Sure, his methods and his tactfulness is not what I would hope someone of his stature would have had…But he did a lot more good than he did bad. Just look at the Christian university he founded…How many people can say that they’ve had as big an impact as he had?! There were some things I didn’t agree with him on, but I still believe he was a man of God.
He did a lot more good than other purported men of God (like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson – who I think are bigots, racists, hatemongers, based on the way they live their lives and the things they say). Jerry Falwell was none of that.
And I think that if there is anyone out there that say they truly hate him, they need to re-examine their own hearts.
But then again, Jesus did say:
Kat – I bow low to you.
sonia – point taken; we Christians always need to remember that to the world we ARE Christ. And maybe the Christ that Falwell put forth was the one he believed in. But I have a hard time finding a Christ who was interested in an earthly political kingdom in my Bible.
A side issue: although I believe it for different reasons, I think the world is supposed to look at Christians as lunatics. The way I look at it, if the world doesn’t think I’m crazy for the things I do in the name of Christ, I’m doing it wrong. Jesus said so.
I think Falwell was genuine in his belief that he was doing the right thing, and I think he did a lot of good.
Unfortunately, that whole “Love the sinner, hate the sin” message often gets garbled in translation.
Slarti, you are totally 100% right. Jesus didn’t believe in an earthly political kingdom…which is one of the things I didn’t like about Falwell and what I don’t like about some well-known evangelists out there. Some let the blessings God sends their way go to their heads and they become “holier-than-thou”, which is contrary to the Bible’s teachings.
As for the lunatics, yes, the world is supposed to hate us (see above reply), but there are some out there who are truly lunatical – such as the Westboro Baptist (Man, I wish they would remove that from their name) “Church”. They are the prime example of lunatics and, in my opinion (based on their fruits) heretics.
Well, I live in the middle of “Falwellville” (Lynchburg, VA), so I’m a bit interested in seeing what effect this event will have on this city (I don’t know if it will be good or bad but there WILL be an effect I’m certain).
I’m never happy to hear of anyone dying. I feel sympathy for his family and friends who are now suffering the loss of a loved one. I feel sorry for his followers who will now have to no doubt face some struggles as they decide who they will now turn to to find out what they are supposed to believe (to be clear, if a few of them begin thinking for themselves that would be a very good thing, but even that will be difficult for them).
That said, the absence of one more powerful voice preaching hatred and greed can only be a net gain for the world. No, I’m not happy to see him die, but I’m thrilled to see him shut up.
I’m not sure I understand the point realchurchpeople’s comment that he made an impact. I agree he has made an impact, but Falwell’s impact is no where near the impact that Hitler made, yet that’s no reason to wish Hitler was still around.
I’d also be curious to know of all the good things he’s done that out way the bad as Eric Lee suggests. The man was horrifically racist until it was no longer politically popular to be (at which point “God came to him in a vision” and suddenly told him he didn’t need to hate black people). Eric suggests that Jackson and Sharpton are racist because of their actions, yet doesn’t see racism in a well known segregationist? This is a man who once said that “God drew a line of distinction” between black and white people so we shouldn’t be messing with God’s will by allowing blacks and whites to use the same facility. He also regularly referred to the civil rights movement as the “Civil Wrongs Movement.”
His homophobia cannot be in question so I’ll just briefly cover it. Even if you think homosexuality is a sin, I suspect you’d have to find calling gay people “brute beasts” who are “vile and Satanic” and will “one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven,” to be a little over the top.
In addition to be racist and homophobic, he was quite anti-woman. He’s been known to walk off stage upon finding that there was a female minister about to speak. The Boyfriend’s mother (a Falwell follower) took the Women’s Studies class at his Liberty University. It was disturbing to her her talk of it (though she very clearly fully agreed with what she was taught). To listen to her talk, you’d think if women would just shut up and get in the kitchen all the worlds problems would be solved!!
Speaking of Liberty (that Christian university Eric was praising). I can tell you without fail that LU students are some of the rudest people around. That’s not to say that I’ve not met some nice LU students because I have, but that’s to say that when some one is just incredibly rude, self-righteous and all around difficult to get along with in this area, you can almost bet they are from LU. When someone cuts you off on the road or runs a stop sign or whatever, there will invariably be an LU parking decal affixed to their window. I don’t know that that cat be blamed on Falwell, but it’s too consistent of a trend to not be mentioned. A lady I worked with in my last job had at one point worked for Coca-Cola. She recounted how CC had won a contract to put vending machine in the LU dorms. They were never so happy to see a contract end as the sheer amount of vandalism that was inflicted on their machines within the dorms was unprecedented. When I was a student at another school in the area, I recall at least one time in which and LU student got into one of our dorms and pulled the fire alarm in the middle of the night in order to “witness” to students as they exited the building.
Lest we focus too much on the students Falwell was producing and not on Jerry himself, we can certainly discuss his founding of the University. He got in a fair bit of trouble doing that as he funded it with the tax-exempt offerings of his church congregation. That was just one of the numerous times he got caught in tax fraud. I don’t know for certain so i won’t make the accusation but I suspect something along those lines is why he had to halt the construction of his “Liberty Village” retirement facility which most people around here believe he was building simply because closed circuit television would have made it easier for him to re-institute his scamming of the elderly through unaccredited video “Bible-College” courses.
He also founded Lynchburg Christian Academy to indoctrinate those not yet old enough for college. LCA was of course in and out of the local news as Jerry violated recruitment rules for the school systems basketball league, then claimed he was being blacklisted for his religious views when the league refused to let LCA play. He thinks the rules just don’t apply to him. Sorta like when he bought the old Sony-Ericsson building to relocate his church there. Because the building was an industrial zone and city ordinance states that churchs have to be built in residential zones, the city said no, so Jerry sued them for “religious discrimination.”
As I said, I’m not happy he died, and find it appalling that people are actually happy over someone’s death. That said, revising history to make somebody look “more good than bad” just because they died is not something I’ll have any part of.
dolphin, I lived in Lynchburg and went to Liberty for a year, which, like you, gives me a little insight into Falwell and the school he founded. I could definitely see the evidence that Falwell and his students had the attitude that the owned the town. Especially when their security cars would monitor the local movie theater parking lot, looking for Liberty parking decals–cuz back then movies were outlawed, and you’d get in a heap of trouble if found at a theater!
As I stated on my post, this has been a bag ‘o mixed feelings for me, but overall, when it comes to Falwell, I just hate the sin & love the sinner–I’m sure he now knows that it goes both ways.
Good grief, dolphin, I love your deductive reasoning.
“All people that cut you off are Liberty University students.” That’s just brilliant. That said, I did say earlier that there were things I disagreed with Jerry Falwell on, and I disagree with some things he has said in the past. And like Ginger said in her post, he has apologized for things he has said in the past. (Ginger, that was a well-written post, btw!)
I have never attended Liberty, so I can’t say anything about it – good or bad. I’ve only been to Lynchburg once, and it was work-related. Seems like a nice town.
And I don’t know anything about the way it got started, either…I’ll only say this: If he was raising money in his church, and the congregation knew that’s what the money was to be used for, how is that tax fraud? Especially if it’s going to be a religious university, privately owned and funded. I don’t know if that’s the context in which the money was taken up, but I’m just saying…
You know, I probably shouldn’t have made the statement that he has done more good than bad. I don’t know the man, and I don’t know all that he’s done. Only God knows all the good and bad things he’s done. The only thing I’m saying is I’m sure he was sincere in his desire to spread the Word of God and educate others. If he wasn’t sincere, then he’ll have to answer to God for that. I’m no judge or jury, and I’m glad I’m not. I just hope his life makes us Christians more aware what we should – as well as should not – be doing in the service of our Lord.
Nor will I have any part of that, either, dolphin. That was not my intention. As I said above: We as Christians need to take the good and the bad exhibited in his life and learn from it. As you very well point out, he’s had a history of saying some pretty mean things. I don’t think he understood the concept of “love the sinner and hate the sin”. And that reflects bad on the rest of us who are trying to live a Christian life, and follow Jesus’ example.
But like you said, I’m apalled at those who would be happy of a person’s death and be glad they’re dead….Just my extra $.02…
Religion and Jesus obsessions can kill.
Many years ago I took a job in a major mental asylum group. I had all the usual misconceptions on what I might see and could expect. Raving lunatics, padded cells, electric shock treatment – untrue, chronic loneliness, lost loves and diet / sun depressions are the primary causes. On my first day I was working in a ward in which 6 very old ladies, average age 72+ and all naked, were stood on their beds singing hymns in the nude. At that time I was completely unaware that religious obsession was so widespread. Over the next 5 years I watched out for religious freaks in the various asylums visited and estimate 20% of all inmates have cracked up due to the bible teachings and the strong feelings of worthlessness engendered.
Speaking to a Coroner I learnt that 1/3rd of all home suicides have a strong Jesus believer involved. Who leave some rather rediculous suicide notes such as; I am doing this so I can go to heaven, or I don’t want you to feel sad remember I’ll be with Jesus. It needs to be said there’s no heaven, no Jesus, no afterlife. Work it our for yourself and ignore the falsehoods, the cruel and deliberate deceit of the gullible. Instead of reading bibles, read up on obsessions and protect your inner core.
uh, wow.
“revising history to make somebody look “more good than bad” just because they died is not something I’ll have any part of.”
Kinda like the Bible?
*Sorry, Bible-folk. I can’t resist a good Jesus-jab when it’s thrown slowly over the plate.
The point I was making is that I’ve lived here 7 years (as compared to your one business trip) and have identified a trend that extends beyond any given class of students. If LU students are consistently rude, then eventually one must suppose that something about LU either attracts or produces rude people.
There was someone else (an incredibly wise man in my opinion) who once shared that particular brand of deductive reasoning when he said “By your fruits you will be known.” Go figure.
zing!