Posted on 08/24/2020 2:15:19 PM PDT by FewsOrange
(RNS) —Jerry Falwell Jr. the embattled president of Liberty University and one of the biggest champions of President Donald Trump, has resigned, Religion News Service has learned.
His resignation came within hours of the publication of a news story that alleged he and his wife Becki had a years-long sexual relationship with a business associate.
Falwell had been placed on indefinite leave earlier this month after posting, then deleting, a provocative Instagram photo of him posing with his arm around a woman at a party with their zippers down and midriffs showing. After that post, Liberty University alumni and former teaching faculty at the school called for his permanent ouster, citing a long list of offensive statements by Falwell, who has been one of President Trump's staunchest allies.
Earlier Monday (Aug. 24), Reuters published a story saying Falwell’s onetime business partner, Giancarlo Granda, a former pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, had a six-year relationship that involved sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.
“Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said in the Reuters story.
Colby Garman, pastor of the Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, and a Liberty alumnus, last week published a letter signed by 50 Liberty alumni calling on Falwell's permanent removal, saying his behavior has embarrassed the school and its reputation. He reiterated today his call for Falwell's removal.
Commenting on Twitter, he said that the allegations about the Falwells are sad and if true, would be "a reminder of just how deeply entangling sin can become."
Falwell, who has been president of Liberty University, one of the nation’s largest Christian schools, since his father's death in 2007, has greatly expanded the school and its offerings during his tenure.
Just last week, the board of trustees at the school met and decided to delay any decision about whether Falwell would be reinstated after his leave.
The Reuters story comes one day after the Washington Examiner published a story in which Falwell said he was suffering from depression because his wife had an affair with a family friend and business associate and that friend has been threatening to expose it.
"Over the course of the last few months, this person's behavior has reached a level that we have decided the only way to stop this predatory behavior is to go public," Falwell said in a statement published by the Examiner.
"We have categorically rejected this person’s demands while dealing with him and this particular member of the media who seemed just as obsessed with the prurient, untrue aspects of this story, however fantastic."
Reached by phone earlier Monday, Falwell told RNS he already had given his statement to the Washington Examiner and wouldn’t comment further.
The allegations of a sexual threesome have been swirling for some time. Last year, Falwell allegedly sought out President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to help prevent the release of some racy personal photos, according to published reports. Falwell then denied Cohen’s account that he flew to Florida around 2015, and got the person with the Falwell photos to agree to destroy them. Those who study U.S. evangelical said that while churches and other institutions may look the other way when it comes to race, money or politics, sexual sins are not tolerated within that subculture. Many Christian schools, such as Liberty University, have honor codes that spell out what they consider to be Christian standards for sexual conduct.
"I don’t see how Falwell survives this," said John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah University, and a frequent commentator on evangelicalism said before news of Falwell's resignation broke. "He's done."
A group of students and alumni blamed the crisis in leadership on the school's board saying it had been "derelict" in its duties.
Falwell also made headlines when photos of Falwell and members of his family partying at a Miami Beach nightclub in 2014 surfaced.
More recently, he apologized after tweeting images of a politician in blackface and Ku Klux Klan imagery.
AND his wife? That is sick.
Would students Liberty University face consequences for the same behavior?
YUK
I also dread whatever ties the MSM is going to be making to POTUS on all of this.
Jerry Falwell Jr. the embattled president of Liberty University has resigned...
hey Jerry, what’s the story...?
Another one bites the dust. Why is it always the folks who are so concerned about the sexual behavior of others who have these kinds of skeletons in their closets?
Jerry Jr’s House of Cards...
Well. At least he did retain a small amount of integrity. We’ll see if his wife has any.
Looks like it. From the Student Code of Conduct: "Sexual relations outside of a biblically-ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University."
“Sexual relations outside of a biblically-ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University.”
I’m guessing that man, wife and pool boy fall somewhat outside of that standard.
The more loudly they proclaim their morals, the more careful you need to be not to drop the soap.
Just like the more a person talks about their honesty and integrity, the tighter you need to hold on to your wallet.
I hate dirtbags who tell other people how they should live their lives while violating their own ethics, I have more respect for an out and out drag queen or violent thug who at least admits what they are than someone quoting the Bible at me while being a pervert in private.
Very sad. My Dad was a small church pastor most of my life. He quoted this saying:
“Sin will take you places you didn’t intend to go, keep you there longer than you intended to stay, and cost you more than you were willing to pay.
I hate to see people fall who have publicly been leaders in the church. Makes me doubt his sincerity in taking over for his father. The chaff is being blown away in the wind. We will end up being stronger because this happened.
Could you please tell that to the other Protestants who make priest sex comments?
Integrity?
Bill Maher will have a field day with this.
"If you woik for the city, state or federal government, or are a member of any union..."
He quit didn’t he instead of fighting tooth and nail to hang on like some others? At least he hasn’t totally lost his sense of shame.
Good move.
I agree with you. We have alot of weak leadership in the church and related organizations. It’s time for strong, faithful leadership to rise up.
The holier they claim to be the more perverse they actually are.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.