The Meaning of the Jerry Falwell, Jr. Scandal

Last updated on: September 1, 2020 at 10:28 am by D. G. Hart

The Meaning of the Jerry Falwell, Jr. Scandal 2020-09-01T10:28:45-04:00 D. G. Hart

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Some observers of evangelicalism are obsessed with Falwell, in part seemingly because he is another reason to discredit a flawed president and his born-again supporters. Some of these observers also engage in schadenfreude (pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune). For instance, from a few weeks ago, to the question of why Liberty University’s trustees put Falwell on an indefinite leave of absence:

Was it because he created a Blackface face-mask and tweeted about it?

Was it because the aforementioned tweet hurt Liberty’s athletic program?

Was it because Black students and employees were leaving Liberty?

Was it because African-American alums could no longer endorse the school?

Was it because he supported Donald Trump’s idea about delaying the 2020 presidential election? …

[about twenty questions left out]

Was it because he advised Donald Trump to fire Jeff Sessions as Attorney General?

Was it because he censored the Liberty University student newspaper?

Was it because he refused to let progressive evangelicals hold a religious revival on Liberty’s campus?

Was it because he said that Christ “did not forgive the establishment elites?”

Was it because he said that Donald Trump “has single-handedly changed the definition of what is ‘presidential’ from phony, failed & rehearsed to authentic, successful & down to earth”?

Was it because he defended Roy Moore when he was accused of molesting teenage girls?

Was it because he said he would join alt-Right Trump adviser Steve Bannon in driving “fake Republicans” from office?

Was it because he called Donald Trump a “dream president?”

Was it because he praised Trump’s Charlottesville comments?

Was it because he defended Trump’s comments on the Access Hollywood tape?

Was it because he told Liberty University students who were protesting Trump’s visit to campus that they “are going to be making fools of themselves?”

While I am sure some people at Liberty University were troubled by all these things, it was a photo with a glass of wine, unzipped pants, and his hand around a woman’s waist that FINALLY got the Liberty Board of Trustees to act. This is classic evangelicalism.

Falwell’s sins are many, always remembered, never forgiven.

But other observers of evangelicalism think Falwell is no big deal:

It is critically important to note that, for millions of evangelicals, the beating heart of the faith is deeply personal. For them, the movement is about private prayer, Bible study and quiet witness to neighbors, along with missions in the form of humanitarian organizations such as World Vision International. This is the river into which all these other tributaries flow. The diversity of members, motivations and inspirations provides the movement with tensile strength.

So, who does Falwell represent? More important, who has he disillusioned? Surely thousands, possibly millions. But if the tradition’s long history and contemporary multiplicity serve as an index, millions more, plus the great majority of Americans of other religious persuasions, could care less. Falwell’s shenanigans don’t count because they don’t count for them.

Years ago, J. C. Massee, the irenic, conservative pastor of the historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, quipped that there were fundamentalists and damned fundamentalists.” If he were around today, I am pretty sure he would say Falwell falls in the latter category. And that Massee would shrug, with bemused dismissal, and turn his hand to things that really matter.

A generational tussle is going on in the study of evangelicalism. The older scholars regarded it as basically a form of Protestant Christianity. A younger group, but established in their fields, see evangelicalism as an extension of the Republican Party’s worst features. It seems like a pretty easy call on who will win since the older generation is retired and not on social media. The irony, though, is that the younger scholars looked up to and trained with the older scholars.

Trump blew that generational succession up.

Image

2016 Presidential Election

historical scholarship

Jerry Falwell Jr.

John Fea

Previous Post

August 6, 2020

What About Nostalgia for a View of the Past?

Next Post

September 7, 2020 Jerry Falwell Jr., We Never Knew You

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2016 Presidential Election 2020 Presidential Election Apocalypse Bible in American Life Biblical authority Books and culture Calvinism Church Life Civil Religion Culture Wars Doctrine evangelicalism Gullibility Heaven and Hell Intellectual life Jesus Ministry modernity moralism Nationalism New Testament Old Testament Otherworldiness Otherworldliness Paul Peter Piety Popular culture Protestantism Psalms Puritans Race Roman Catholicism sacred/secular distinction Sex Shameless Self Promotion Sports Ten Commandments U.S. politics Uncategorized vulgarity worship

Select a Month January 2022 October 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz