Posted on 05/15/2007 11:08:45 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority and used it to mold the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.
Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. "CPR efforts were unsuccessful," he said.
Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges."
"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive."
Falwell had survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents.
Falwell credited his Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, electing Ronald Reagan and giving Republicans Senate control in 1980.
"I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved," Falwell said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987.
The fundamentalist church that Falwell started in an abandoned bottling plant in 1956 grew into a religious empire that includes the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the "Old Time Gospel Hour" carried on television stations around the country and 7,700-student Liberty University. He built Christian elementary schools, homes for unwed mothers and a home for alcoholics.
He also founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, which began as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971.
Liberty University's commencement is scheduled for Saturday, with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the featured speaker.
In 2006, Falwell marked the 50th anniversary of his church and spoke out on stem cell research, saying he sympathized with people with medical problems, but that any medical research must pass a three-part test: "Is it ethically correct? Is it biblically correct? Is it morally correct?"
Falwell had once opposed mixing preaching with politics, but he changed his view and in 1979, founded the Moral Majority. The political lobbying organization grew to 6.5 million members and raised $69 million as it supported conservative politicians and campaigned against abortion, homosexuality, pornography and bans on school prayer.
Falwell became the face of the religious right, appearing on national magazine covers and on television talk shows. In 1983, U.S. News & World Report named him one of 25 most influential people in America.
In 1984, he sued Hustler magazine for $45 million, charging that he was libeled by an ad parody depicting him as an incestuous drunkard. A federal jury found the fake ad did not libel him, but awarded him $200,000 for emotional distress. That verdict was overturned, however, in a landmark 1988 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held that even pornographic spoofs about a public figure enjoy First Amendment protection.
The case was depicted in the 1996 movie "The People v. Larry Flynt."
With Falwell's high profile came frequent criticism, even from fellow ministers. The Rev. Billy Graham once rebuked him for political sermonizing on "non-moral issues."
Falwell quit the Moral Majority in 1987, saying he was tired of being "a lightning rod" and wanted to devote his time to his ministry and Liberty University. But he remained outspoken and continued to draw criticism for his remarks.
Days after Sept. 11, 2001, Falwell essentially blamed feminists, gays, lesbians and liberal groups for bringing on the terrorist attacks. He later apologized.
In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, a purple, purse-toting character on television's "Teletubbies" show, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.
Falwell was re-energized after family values proved important in the 2004 presidential election. He formed the Faith and Values Coalition as the "21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority," to seek anti-abortion judges, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and more conservative elected officials.
The big, blue-eyed preacher with a booming voice started his independent Baptist church with 35 members. From his living room, he began broadcasting his message of salvation and raising the donations that helped his ministry grow.
"He was one of the first to come up with ways to use television to expand his ministry," said Robert Alley, a retired University of Richmond religion professor who studied and criticized Falwell's career.
In 1987, Falwell took over the PTL (Praise the Lord) ministry in South Carolina after Jim Bakker's troubles. Falwell slid fully clothed down a theme park water slide after donors met his fund-raising goal to help rescue the rival ministry. He gave it up seven months later after learning the depth of PTL's financial problems.
Largely because of the Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart scandals, donations to Falwell's ministry dropped from $135 million in 1986 to less than $100 million the following year. Hundreds of workers were laid off and viewers of his television show dwindled.
Liberty University was $73 million in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy, and his "Old Time Gospel Hour" was $16 million in debt.
By the mid-1990s, two local businessmen with long ties to Falwell began overseeing the finances and helped get companies to forgive debts or write them of as losses.
Falwell devoted much of his time keeping his university afloat. He dreamed that Liberty would grow to 50,000 students and be to fundamentalist Christians what Notre Dame is to Roman Catholics and Brigham Young University is to Mormons. He was an avid sports fan who arrived at Liberty basketball games to the cheers of students.
Falwell's father and his grandfather were militant atheists, he wrote in his autobiography. He said his father made a fortune off his businesses — including bootleging during Prohibition.
As a student, Falwell was a star athlete and a prankster who was barred from giving his high school valedictorian's speech after he was caught using counterfeit lunch tickets his senior year.
He ran with a gang of juvenile delinquents before becoming a born-again Christian at age 19. He turned down an offer to play professional baseball and transferred from Lynchburg College to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.
"My heart was burning to serve Christ," he once said in an interview. "I knew nothing would ever be the same again."
Falwell is survived by his wife, Macel, and three children, Jerry, Jonathan and Jeannie.
The Rev. Jerry Falwell speaks at a rally on the steps of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery. Ala. in this Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003 file photo. The Rev. Jerry Falwell was found unconscious in his office Tuesday, May 15, 2007, and taken to the hospital, a Liberty University executive told a newspaper. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, FILE)
And DU is collectively wetting themselves with glee...
Rest in Peace Rev. Falwell. Prayers for his family.
Comfort & blessings for his family....they know where he is.
Really?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1833984/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833975/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1833970/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833947/posts
sad ,, how low can ya get? DUhhh. ;-)
Thanks, add this one to the pile.
these are going to be looooong threads....
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University chat as Liberty University's commencement begins, in Lynchburg, Va. in this Saturday, May 13, 2006 file photo. The Rev. Jerry Falwell died Tuesday, May 15, 2007, after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, his aide said. He was 73. (AP Photo/Don Petersen, FILE)
It did not take the MSM to dig out these Falwell tidbits from the top drawers of their desk.
“Days after Sept. 11, 2001, Falwell essentially blamed feminists, gays, lesbians and liberal groups for bringing on the terrorist attacks. He later apologized.”
“In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, a purple, purse-toting character on television’s “Teletubbies” show, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.”
Jerry Falwell was nobody’s television evangelist.
He was a Man of God and an awesome man whose impact on the city of Lynchburg and the US as a whole is amazing.
Many times I have seen him in public, spoken to him, honked my horn and waved etc,etc.
A great guy...who made arrangements well ahead of time for his eventual passing. The transition will be seamless from him to his two Sons.
The Rev. Jerry Falwell, of the Moral Majority, appears on the set of NBC-TV's 'Tomorrow' show in this Feb. 5, 1981. Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday, May 15, 2007, shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, file)
May he rest in peace.
>>>sad ,, how low can ya get? DUhhh. ;-)
Not possible to go lower than DU - they are beneath 0 degrees Kelvin.
CPAC '84
The Rev. Jerry Falwell, President of the Moral Majority, takes a turn on the back of a longhorn steer during a party sponsored by the National Conservative Political Action Committee in a Tuesday, August 23, 1984 file photo in Dallas. A Liberty University executive says the Rev. Jerry Falwell has died. (AP Photo/David Breslauer, File)
In before the massive crowd. God Bless him and his family.
Rev. Jerry Falwell speaks during the Christion Coalition of America Road to Victory 2000 conference in Washington in this Sept. 29, 2000 file photo. Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday, May 15, 2007, shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73. (AP Photo/Stephen J. Boitano, file)
A truly great man!! He will be missed!
Rev. Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University and conservative standard bearer, hugs a woman at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in this August 1, 2000 file photo. Falwell has been listed in gravely serious condition at Lynchburg General Hospital, local media reported May 15, 2007. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Files (UNITED STATES)
Not my cup of tea, but a patriot. RIP.
Doesn't "biblically correct" cover the other two?
Farewell, Falwell!
“Not possible to go lower than DU - they are beneath 0 degrees Kelvin.”
I was just over there........UNBELIEVABLE. They have really hit lows I thought might even be beyond them.
Deaths seem to be Happy Times for the Dems. Rally for votes to follow!!
The poor man. I hope he didn’t suffer. It’s just a shame that he was alone.
Jerry Falwell, pictured in 2006, the conservative evangelical Christian leader whose Moral Majority became a potent US political force in the 1980s, died Tuesday in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, said Ronald Godwin, an official of Falwell's Liberty University.(AFP/File/Jim Watson)
I never knew any of that.
He wasn’t alone. Christ has told us that He is always with us. That means every minute of every day to me.
Yes, you are quite right, friend.
I wonder who Howard Dean and Dick Durbin are calling today.......
At first blush, I too thought Rev. Falwell was just another do-gooder blowhard. Time proved to me that he had a passion for life and a love for Christ that overshawdowed anything I have seen, and I grew to acept the man as a man of God, and I know he will be missed by many. May God bless him and keep him close, and may his family rejoice in knowing he is with God forever.
Well done my good and faithtul servant!!!!! May we pick up the mantle and march forward.
Amen...
RIP, Rev. Falwell
Though I disagree with a lot of his beliefs and positions, he always conducted himself with integrity and honesty and was a fine American.
“I wonder who Howard Dean and Dick Durbin are calling today.......”
No calls as of yet, they are to busy posting at DU....
“Falwell” is a well-known name in Lynchburg even outside of Jerry. There’s a small airport on the east side of town named Falwell Airport, and also a notable well-drilling company with the Falwell name. I think they’re all part of the same extended family, but I’m not sure.
Rev. Falwell’s childhood, including his father’s profession, is the stuff of semi-legend around town. To his credit, he never tried to run from it. I give him considerable credit for staying in that small city and making his mark on this world from there, instead of moving to the bright lights and the big-time.
(Trivia: For a while, even in the heyday of its power, the Moral Majority had a headquarters in an old shut-down A&P store off Langhorne Road in Lynchburg. Mainly, the only thing noticeable about the building was the fact that it was round.)
}:-)4
Just for curiousity’s sake, I went over to DU, and you are right. Even the so-called professing Christians there are slamming him. They have NO SHAME.
They also don’t believe in “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” and “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Is this true?
>>>Is this true?
Is what true? That DU is gleeful? It’s very true.
To my fellow freepers who looked to Rev. Falwell as a spiritual leader, my condolences. Though Rev. Falwell and we Mormons had our theological differences (understatement intentional) he was a good man, a powerful voice for decency, and a patriot. I am sad at his passing.
Great last words; almost like he knew they would be his last.
Eerie.
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