« Jerry Falwell
June 17, 2008
Mrs. Falwell: Christian Right Needs to "Go Out on a Limb"
Newsweek interviews the late Jerry Falwell’s wife, “a sheltered, Christian beauty named Macel.” Mrs. Falwell partly attributes the “foundering” of her husband’s movement to his death: “Jerry spoke about and said things that he believed, and he had a gathering around him that thought the same way he did. Today they don't have a leader that would go out on a limb … If he were here, it would be different.” Although she doesn’t understand why people called her husband an “agent of intolerance,” she does plan to support John McCain, and thinks that he “would be Jerry’s choice as well.”
Posted by Chris at 10:26 AM | Permalink
March 24, 2008
Falwell Never Apologized
Robert Knight weighs in on the Jeremiah Wright controversy, saying it is unfair to compare to Jerry Falwell to Wright because "Falwell was no hater. After his most controversial moment, when he blamed pro-abortion and pro-homosexual groups for 9/11 as God's punishment on America for abandoning moral standards, he apologized." Of course, Falwell did nothing of the sort.
Posted by Kyle at 11:15 AM | Permalink
February 19, 2008
The Jerry Falwell Parkway
From the News and Advance: "The [Virginia] House of Delegates voted 90-3 Monday to name a section of U.S. 460 in Lynchburg the Jerry Falwell Parkway, which means only the signature of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is necessary to complete the naming ... the stretch of road covers much of the area where Falwell spent his life, reaching from Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University on the south side of Lynchburg to an area to the east where his ancestors settled 200 years ago and his father’s businesses were located."
Posted by Kyle at 1:32 PM | Permalink
February 11, 2008
Jerry Falwell Honored By VA Legislature
As his son Jonathan explained: "I was privileged on Thursday to deliver the opening prayer at the Virginia House of Delegates meeting in Richmond, on a day in which the House and Senate passed a resolution honoring my father for his service to our state and to the worldwide Christian community. The Virginia legislators, noting that Dad was 'one of America’s most influential leaders' and 'a man of remarkable faith,' passed a resolution honoring him for his efforts in founding and leading Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC), Liberty University and many affiliate ministries. It was certainly humbling to stand in the majestic chamber in Richmond as we listened to Dad’s life being described with great reverence."
Posted by Kyle at 11:26 AM | Permalink
October 11, 2007
Backing Romney By Default
Mark DeMoss, a conservative Christian publicist, is generating a lot of news with his open letter sent to some 150 right-wing leaders urging them to rally behind Mitt Romney for the sole purpose of denying Rudy Giuliani the Republican presidential nomination.
DeMoss has been a supporter of Romney for months, organizing a meeting between the candidate and various right-wing leaders, and serving as a member of his Faith and Values Steering Committee. Given all the talk lately of right-wing leaders and activists bolting the GOP should Giuliani win the nomination, DeMoss apparently sensed an opportunity to pitch his candidate to the disenchanted and urge them to back Romney not only because he shares their values but, most importantly, to prevent Giuliani from winning:
As certain as it seems that Hillary will represent the Democratic Party, it now appears the GOP representative will be either Mayor Rudy Giuliani or Governor Mitt Romney (based on polls in early states, money raised and on hand, staff and organization, etc.). And, if it is not Mitt Romney, we would, for the first time in my memory, be faced with a general election contest between two “pro-choice” candidates.
And you don’t just have to take DeMoss’s word that Romney is the real deal – apparently even Jerry Falwell would have supported him, had he not died:
Just about six months before his death, Jerry accepted my invitation to a meeting with Gov. Romney at his home outside Boston. He joined me, and about 15 other evangelicals, for an intimate discussion with the Governor and his wife Ann. Jerry was one of several that day who said, “Governor, I don’t have a problem with your being Mormon, but I want to ask you how you would deal with Islamic jihadists…or with illegal immigration…or how you would choose justices for the Supreme Court…,” and so on.
While Jerry Falwell never told me how he intended to vote in the upcoming election, I think I know how he would not have voted. I also know he would not have “sat this one out” and given up on the Supreme Court for a generation.
Aside from assuring his right-wing allies that Romney is everything they are looking for, the focus of his the letter is on capitalizing on the Right’s antipathy toward, and fear of, Giuliani :
Currently, conservatives (whether evangelical or not) are dividing their support among several candidates. In the long run, this only helps Rudy Giuliani, who clearly does not share our values on so many issues … Talk of a possible third party candidate draft movement only helps Giuliani (or, worse yet, Clinton), in my view. While I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. James Dobson that not having a pro-life nominee of either major party presents an unacceptable predicament, I would rather work hard to ensure we do nominate a pro-life candidate than to launch an 11th-hour third party campaign. Mike Huckabee affirmed this concern when he told the Washington Post last week, “I think a third party only helps elect Hillary Clinton.”
“Hey, you hate Giuliani and are unimpressed by everyone else, so why not back Romney?” seems to be DeMoss’s message – one that, for a lot of panicked right-wing leaders, just might be a lifesaver, since they have placed themselves in a situation where they are faced with the unpleasant prospect of having to abandon the GOP all together.
Posted by Kyle at 2:15 PM | Permalink
August 24, 2007
"God's Warriors": The Right's "Supreme Vision"
In her series "God's Warrirors," CNN's Christiane Amanpour visited Liberty University where she learned that, though greatly pleased with the confirmations of Justices Roberts and Alito, they are training the "next generation of pit bulls" to "keep fighting at the Supreme Court until we have a new day. We never ever, ever give up."
Transcript below the jump:
AMANPOUR: And so the courts became the new battleground over the unborn. But year after year, the religious right lost every Supreme Court decision on abortion. Falwell and others were determined to reverse that, using their political clout to make sure new justices...
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Do you solemnly swear...
AMANPOUR: ...passed the Christian conservative abortion litmus test. The two men president George Bush nominated to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts...
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a cup of coffee with the nominee.
AMANPOUR: ...and Justice Samuel Alito.
SAMUEL ALITO: I, Samuel A. Alito, Jr. do solemnly swear...
AMANPOUR: ...met their test.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Supreme Court today handed a major victory to abortion rights opponents.
AMANPOUR: A month before Falwell died, the Supreme Court, on a 5- 4 vote, did put an end to one practice called partial birth abortion. Justice Alito became the decisive fifth vote.
FALWELL: That is the culmination, for me, of about 35 years of work.
AMANPOUR: A welcome victory for Jerry Falwell, but not yet enough.
FALWELL: I don't think we have five votes on "Roe v. Wade". I think we are probably one or two votes short.
AMANPOUR: As we talked that last week of his life, Falwell seemed to recognize that his battle to end all abortions would have to be won by the next generation of "God's Warriors".
FALWELL: My children are more likely to see this victory won than I am. I think we're 50 years away. We've got to just stay with it, stay with it, stay with it and never give up.
UNIDENTIFIED WORSHIPERS (SINGING): Praise God for all blessings (INAUDIBLE)...
AMANPOUR: If this graduation sounds like a religious ceremony, in a way it is.
UNIDENTIFIED WORSHIPERS (SINGING): Hear me, Lord.
AMANPOUR: This is the first class of lawyers to emerge from Liberty University's new law school.
UNIDENTIFIED WORSHIPERS (SINGING): Amen.
AMANPOUR: It was Jerry Falwell's final creation -- a law school where the Ten Commandments are found carved outside these classroom doors.
MATTHEW STAVER, DEAN, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: This is our Supreme Courtroom. It's modeled after the United States Supreme Court.
AMANPOUR: Nine chairs for nine justices -- a classroom that's meant to be a clone.
(on camera): And, obviously, it's no accident, because you want to change what the Supreme Court has ruled on.
STAVER: We do. We say that the Supreme Courtroom reflects our supreme vision to restore the rule of law.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Mathew Staver is dean of the law school -- a minister who became a lawyer because of abortion. He says no such right is written into the constitution.
STAVER: That doesn't sound like a rule of law to me. That sounds like somebody making their own ideology under the guise of the rule of law.
Please be seated.
AMANPOUR: It is Staver whose training what the late Jerry Falwell called his next generation of pit bulls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May it please the court. AMANPOUR (on camera): What are the pit bulls to do?
STAVER: Well, the pit bulls, according to Dr. Falwell, and, really, what our vision is, is to raise a new generation of people that understand the rule of law, that are taught that from our Christian traditions and world view.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Staver does more than mold minds. He also runs Liberty Counsel -- a legal group which takes its fight over religious freedom into the courts all over the country. Twice he has argued before the real Supreme Court...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Consider adoption. We would love to adopt your little baby.
AMANPOUR: ...the first time against restrictions on picketing at abortion clinics.
Staver's words that day...
STAVER: Abortion speech or speech about abortion lies at the very core of the first amendment.
AMANPOUR: The last time on behalf of the laws of God.
STAVER: This is the United States Supreme Court when I argued the Ten Commandments case out of Kentucky.
AMANPOUR: At issue -- the public display of the Ten Commandments inside a county courthouse. Staver lost in a 5-4 ruling.
But there's nothing in the bible that would say to Staver thou shalt not litigate again. And so, way down on the Suwannee River, Dixie County, Florida has become the dean's new battleground over the Ten Commandments.
This six-ton granite monument carved by the local gravestone salesman sits on the courthouse steps. It is a clear example of what the Supreme Court has disallowed -- a standalone monument on government property with an obvious religious message -- love God and keep his commandments.
TOBY DICKEY, LOCAL RESIDENT: Maybe some of the things in the constitution need to be changed, such as this right here, you know?
I'm not an authority on law or nothing like that. But I know for a fact that the people in this county right here are in favor of it.
AMANPOUR: This time Staver expects to win.
Why?
STAVER: There is absolutely no question that the court has a different makeup and will likely come to a different decision.
...
AMANPOUR (voice-over): These days, they may find a Supreme Court more sympathetic to conservative religious concerns like their own. In its first full year with Chief Justice John Roberts and his newest colleague, Samuel Alito, the Court has tilted noticeably to the right.
STAVER: It's a new court, a new ballgame, a new outcome not only in public expressions of religion, but in many other areas, as well.
AMANPOUR: Yet all the changes have come in close 5-4 decisions. And so it's clear that whoever wins the 2008 presidential election could sway the court's direction one way or the other for years to come. TOOBIN: You know, the two biggest liberals on the court are John Paul Stevens, who is 87-years-old, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who is 75- years-old. If the two of them were replaced by justices similar to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, the religious right will have won in the Supreme Court and the law will be transformed beyond recognition.
AMANPOUR: So what will that mean to America?
TOOBIN: You're going to have abortion illegal in large parts of the country. You're going to have schools allowing a lot more religious observance within them.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): That is music to Matt Staver's ears and division of America that he and his students would embrace -- the answer to their prayers.
STAVER: There's no question we'll keep fighting at the Supreme Court until we have a new day. We never ever, ever give up.
Posted by Kyle at 5:08 PM | Permalink
To The End, Falwell Stood "Right By" His 9/11 Comments
Before his death, Jerry Falwell was interviewed by CNN's Christiane Amanpour for her series "God's Warrirors" and stated that, in the next election, national security was more important than social issues, attacked the Democrats, and stood by his post-9/11 comments blaming "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians ... the ACLU, People For the American Way" for the attacks.
Transcript below the jump.
AMANPOUR: In other words, all sorts of compromise is possible in a presidential season when none among the current field of Republican candidates has excited the conservative Christian base of the party. Falwell even told me the 2008 Republican presidential nominee could meet quite a different standard than usual.
(on camera): You basically said that for you, in this next election, correct me if I'm wrong...
FALWELL: It's security.
AMANPOUR: It's security...
FALWELL: Oh, yes.
AMANPOUR: ...rather than the social issues that you care so deeply about.
FALWELL: Well, certainly, we'd love to get, in one package, a man, a woman, who is strong on security and right on the social issues. We've got to find the person closest to where we are.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I believe those prayers. Keep them coming.
AMANPOUR: He dismissed Democrats like Senators Clinton and Obama.
FALWELL: That's like the story, Chelsea Clinton interviewing some Marines returning from Iraq.
And she asked one of them the question -- what do you fear most?
And he, after a thought, said, "Osama, Obama and your mama."
Well, I'm not saying that really happened, but that's how I feel.
AMANPOUR (on camera): That's how you feel?
FALWELL: That's right.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): And Falwell continued to connect liberal beliefs to Islamic terrorism, such as blaming the attacks of September 11th on the prevalence of abortion in America.
(on camera): You know, you caused a huge amount of controversy after 9/11 when you basically said that the Lord was removing his protection from America.
FALWELL: I still believe that. I believe that a country that is...
AMANPOUR: And that America probably deserved it.
FALWELL: Here's what I said, what -- no. I said that the people we have no are responsible must take the blame for it.
AMANPOUR: You did...
FALWELL: We were killing (INAUDIBLE)...
AMANPOUR: ...but you went on to say what I've just said.
FALWELL: We're killing a million babies a year in this country by abortion. But I was saying then and I'm saying now, that if we, in fact, change all the rules on which this Judeo-Christian nation was built, we cannot expect the Lord to put his shield of protection around us as he has in the past.
AMANPOUR: So you still stand by that?
FALWELL: I stand right by that.
Posted by Kyle at 12:59 PM | Permalink
August 22, 2007
Sons of the Father
In an email, the Virigina Family Foundation and Pastors for Family Values say they are "pleased to announce that Pastor Jonathan Falwell, son of Reverend Jerry Falwell and newly installed senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, will be the keynote luncheon speaker at our first Pastors Family Issues Summit, to be held Tuesday, September 11, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. in Richmond." Flyer here. [PDF]
Posted by Kyle at 4:28 PM | Permalink
August 20, 2007
Falwell's Life Insurance Pays off Liberty's Debts
The Lynchburg News & Advance explains: "Liberty University recently announced that it was able to pay off its debt through $29 million in life insurance policies taken out on the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who died May 15 at the age of 73. Falwell’s son, Jerry Falwell Jr., said Liberty solicited several insurance providers in 2003 in order to do just that. Coupled with existing plans, the school was able to come away with a single $21 million policy with a $1 million annual premium. Falwell left a total of $34 million to Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church. His son said Falwell had purchased six to eight insurance policies through three or four insurance companies."
Posted by Kyle at 4:03 PM | Permalink
CNN Looks at "God's Warriors"
Part III of the series, airing Thursday night, "traces how the Christian conservative movement, through grass-roots politics, became a force in U.S. society. The speakers include Ron Luce, founder of the Teen Mania Ministries; Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition; and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, co-founder of the Moral Majority. It would be Falwell's last interview before he died a week later."
Posted by Kyle at 3:55 PM | Permalink
Older Jerry Falwell posts: