EARLY FALWELL
     The earlier version of Falwell became accomodated to modern society. Early on he reminded people of an old South Politician fighting the federal government.  Earlier in his life, before becoming a prominent national figure, Jerry published AMERICAN CAN BE SAVED! In the book Falwell wrote that he wanted to see the end of public education, a position later stated in his autobiography.  He also wrote that Watergate was blown out of proportion by a liberal press and Communists led African Americans to commit crimes.  Any protesters against "true Americanism" should be deported to a Communist country Falwell wrote.  Falwell once compared the jobless to dogs and to the hungry he stated, "Let them starve."2  Regarding the famous Topeka school board ruling that helped end school segragation, the Virginian called it a satanic plot in a sermon he delivered.3  Falwell has been on record supporting South African Apartheid. He was a noted member of the Council on National Policy which had some interesting right wing links.

TRUE AWAKENING
     Jerry's political awakening came at the feet of author Francis Shaeffer.  This caused him to enroll and motivate over 8.5 million new voters and raised over $70 million to play a role in national politics.4  Schaeffer's touch also incited the preacher to delve into the area of Reconstruction theology.  In this system of belief the Christian was supposed to control the state and impose divine law on the land.  Falwell believed the nation was an official Christian country and this helped him accommodate religion into the public square.  The founder of Reconstruction wrote for Falwell's journal and Jerry endorsed four volumes of the Reconstruction Blueprint Series.  Jerry and followers were desiring to take the nation back to Puritan fantasies about a nation founded as a New Jerusalem.5  Jerry handed out David Barton books in Dallas.  David is a Christian nation advocate calling separation of church and state a myth.
     Dominion theology, another form of Reconstuction, would have a place in Falwell's movement.  He hired Roger Schultz, an avid leader in the movement to be a professor at his Liberty University.  Schultz would write about hostility found in the public sphere to the Christian faith.  Schultz is a frequent contributing writer fo Chalcedon, which is the official publication of the Dominon movement.6  Falwell appears to be very fond of leading Reconstruciton thinker Jerry North. North is often quoted in Falwell's publications regarding home schools.7  North is a militant in the movement believing in killing abortion providers and homosexuals as a Biblical mandate.  Though North never states these extreme views at confereneces he leads, never the less he has written openly of such.  If linking up  with such extremists seems out of character, the fact that Falwell has links with Rev. Moon tops the list.  One report has moon channeling almost $4  million to Falwell's University.8  The school also tried to get state money to fund its religious programs.

PARTISAN POLITICS
     Volumes have been written about Jerry's link to the GOP.  I published one article about what he stated in ads about the Clintons accusing them of all sorts of conspriacies from killing Ron Brown and Vince Foster to having some sort of role in 911.  Just before his death, Jerry was engaged in finding the next Ronald Reagan whom he believed was the greatest President ever.9  In l995, Newt Gingrich was invited to speak at his Super Conference. Newt addressed the importance of religion in the public square and issued a Dominion-type tip that religious organizations needed to replace government ones in helping people. Newt also attacked Johnson's Great Soceity, a common them in Falwell land. Also listed in the issue of the Liberty Journal were headlines about the  under age drinking of Al Gore's daughter.10  Falwell would later excuse the report of  President Bush's drunk driving record that was uncovered.  The Religious Right jumped on the secular media for publishing stories of President Bush's daughter's under age drinking.  To critics it appeared as if Falwell had relinquished his prophetic voice for a partisan one.
     Jerry was invited to preach in chapel at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. He implied that true Christians would vote for President Bush and claimed that activist judges were attempting to create a secular nation out of a Chrsitian one.  Just before Falwell spoke to students the chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party made an appeal for students to register to vote.  A legal expert commented on this meeting claiming that "Local churches should not become platforms for partisan politics.11  Writing in his editorial column Jerry stated, "In my humble opinion, it will be a happy day for America when Bill and Hillary move back to Little Rock."12  

SHOCKING PUBLIC STATEMENTS
     Falwell might best be known in the nation for outlandish statements he has made. In the wake of the 911 tragedy he stated that God allowed this to happen to America because the nation advocates separation of church and state.  The pastor defended himself against criticism of such remarks stating that he was misquoted.  Ethics leader Robert Parham took him to task over his excuses claiming Jerry ws trying to put a spin on obvious statements.13  CNN revisted Jerry just before his death and gave him a chance to recant this stastement but he dug a deeper pit by his comments.  In the original airing of Falwell's famous comments he pulled no punches about church and state. He stated, "brush aside all these little yapping people who make so much noise about separation of church and state."14  Strangely enough the preacher had joined the Southern Baptist Convention which states in its dogma that it believes in separation.
    As expected, Jerry jumped into the national debate over Terri Schaivo. He featured an article by her attorney, David Gibbs, who is supposed to work for an organization called the Christian Law Association.  In the article in Falwell's magazine Gibbs wrote, "Terri Schindler-Schaivo died on Mar. 31, at age 41.  Her death was slow and painful as the result of dehydration and starvation that was forced upon her.  Unbelievable, this barbaric act against a disabled woman happened pursuant to a court order written by a judge who never one time went to see Terri or observe her condition."15  Falwell's theological offspring, Rick Scarborough, associated the death to the cricifixion of Christ.

FOREIGN POLICY
     The nation finds itself in conflict with world environmental organizations.  Jerry has an opinion on that also.  The Baptist minister excuses the man-made carbon theory preaching that it is just the season for warming.16  Jerry can thus encourage his oil rich friends in the GOP to rest assured that this myth of global warming is the scheme of some pagan tree huggars.  Stories from the journal refute the idea of global warming.  One article stated the Kyoto Protocol will impact American consumers by harming economic growth and hurting the poor.  The application of this theory will harm the American ecnomony according to the story.17
     Author Greg Warner took issue with Jerry's statement regarding the killing of Muslims.  Falwell suggested this killing should be done in the "name of the Lord".18  Though this view is not sruprising coming from a Christian nation advocate, the implications that Christians are engaged in fighting Muslims brings with it ethical deminisions.  Statements like these only give fodder to the fires of Muslim extremists who view fighting Americans as fighting the infidel.
     Another related story from India came at the heels of some comments Falwell made about the prophet Mohammed. Five people were killed in riots sparked when Jerry referred to Mohammed as a terrorist.19  The pastor seemed to pay little attention to statements recorded for the world to hear.  Jerry once remarked that it is not bad press if they spell your name right.  The publicity and public outcry never seemed to tone down Jerry's tatements.

FRIENDS AND FOES
     Though Falwell would form alliances with people like Rev. Moon and the Moral Majority listed Mormons and Catholic priests not to mention Rabbis.  Jerry was not so tolerant in the political arena.  Critics of President Bush were highly suspect.  One article published in his magazine had the headlines, "Smart Bombs& Dumb Americans the Leftist Lunacy of Sheen, Dixie Chicks and other Idiots".  It was interesting that the bottom of the page was a note about the personal evangelism theme of the upcoming conference.20  Liberty Journal did not appear to be going after the liberal crowd to reach out to them.  Jerry also took on Dan Rather claiming that CBS slanted the news and did not accurately report the real story behind proposed tax cuts by President Bush.  The editor cliamed it was just not true that the rich were getting bigger cuts than the medium income people in the nation as most reports concluded.21
     It would come as no surprise that Jerry did not admire Nacny Pelosi the leader of thr House of Representatives who happens to be a Democrat.  Jerry's magazine posted a picture of Nacy wih a heading under the photo noting her "socialist leanings".22  It might be no surprise who the preacher named his school of law after, none other than the controversial Jesse Helms.23  Helms was known as an old school segregationist who once campaigned against opponents warning the voter that if they  voted wrong blacks would be using the same toilets as they were.  With such public indentifications as these one wonders how Jerry can claim to represent the mainstsream, let alone a moral majority?
     Or course Michael Moore occupies no such lofty endorsement as Helms. Moore was ridiculed by a full length article regarding his attacks against the Republican Adminsitration. In the article the author said, Michael Moore's works spit in the face of my dead contrymen.  The writer said, "Michael Moore has released the cinematic equivalent of a French kiss to all who hate America. He is the leading exponent of hateriotism."  Moore had stated he supporeted American troops but not the war.  The writer replied this was equivalent to saying I support doctors but not surgery.24
     Raising issues like these do not amount to much according to Bailey Smith.  The locomotive is moving and raising smaller points about ethical concerns are pale by comparison to the greater momentum of a movement started and handed over  to the children.

Endnotes:

1.  NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, Feb. 1997. pg. 1
   
2.  Bob Boston, "Missing Book History", CHURCH AND STATE, sEPT. 2003, PGS. 12-13.
   
3.  John George, NAZIS COMMUNISTS,KLANSMEN, OTHERS ON THE FRINGE, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, N. Y., 1992, pg. 245.
   
4.  "Politics and the Church", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, Nov. 1994, pg. 9
   

5  Steven Abbott, "Special Feature", BAPTISTS TODAY, Aug. 6, 1992, pg. 4.

6.  Roger Schultz, "Turn Back the Swedes", FAITH FOR ALL OF LIFE, Mar./April 2005 pg. 11
   
7.  CEBA, Lynchburg, Virginia.
   
8.  "People & Events", CHURCH & STATE, Mar. 2000, pg. 20.
   
9.  "People & Events", CHURCH & STATE, Jan. 2007, pg. 17.
   
10.  NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, Nov. 1995, pgs. 1,2,5.
    
11.  Ken Camp, "Nation Needs Visionary Christians in Pulpits, Courthouse, Falwell Insists", BAPTIST STANDARD, Sept. 6, 2004, pg. 3.
    
12.  NATONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, April, 1995, pg. 2.
    
13.  www.ethicsdaily.com 9/18/01
    
14.  Steve Beren, "Baclash to Bigotry",  CHURCH & STATE, Oct. 2001, pg. 10.
    
15.  "Pro Life News", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, July 2002, PG. 3.
    
16.  www.ethicsdaily.com 3/1/2007
    
17.  "Cover stories", NATIONAL LIBERTYJOURNAL, July, 2002, pg. 3.
    
18.  Gregg Warner, "Falwell Speaks, OUrcry from Christains, OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, Jan. 10, 2005, pg. 16.
    
19.  www.newsbbc.co.uk 10/12/02
    
20.  "Smart Bombs and Dumb Americans", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, April 2003, pg. 2.
    
21.  "Tax Cuts and Liberal Spin", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL. May, 2001, pg. 4.
    
22.  "Pelosi Leftist or Centrist", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, dec. 2002, pg. 3.
    
23.  "Liberty University Lunches Helms School of Law", NATONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, July 2004, pg. 7.
    
24.  "NJC Goes to the Movies", NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL, Aug. 2004, pg. 4.