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Virginia Democrats are highlighting this video of GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell from a rally-the-base speech earlier today at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg. McDonnell's promise to be a champion for traditional marriage and anti-abortion stalwart comes on the morning following the final debate of the governor's race Tuesday night -- a debate where the Republican said that, if elected, his focus would be on issues such as jobs, transportation and energy. Pressed about his opposition to abortion at the debate, McDonnell was far less expansive than in front of the evangelical students at Liberty. And, it should be...

After a month of back-and-forth negotiations, the controversy between Liberty University and the college Democrat club reached a resolution Monday. A proposed change in university policy, announced by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. over the weekend, in effect puts the student club on equal footing with the school’s College Republicans. Both groups, along with any other political clubs on campus, now are recognized under the new policy as unofficial clubs. The move was embraced by a student leader of the Democratic club on Monday. “We decided to go ahead and implement (the policy) as of today,” Falwell said Monday. “The (College)...

Liberty University’s student Democratic club has reached an agreement with the school on its status. Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said today that a change in university policy will allow the Liberty University College Democrats to exist as an unofficial club. The policy change, which took effect yesterday, also changed the College Republicans from an officially recognized campus group to the new unofficial status. Liberty withdrew official recognition of the Lynchburg school’s club last month because it supported the Democratic Party’s platforms and candidates. Under the new policy, the unofficial organizations won’t receive school funding but may use the Liberty name...

As of last Friday, Lynchburg, Virginia’s Liberty University said “no” to Democrats. It was reported that the leadership of the largest, fastest -growing evangelical campus ordered the college Democrats club to cease, because it stands against the conservative Christian school’s moral principles. The group may still meet on campus, but will not be an officially recognized club of the university and may not use Liberty’s name or funds. Falwell writes, “Parents and students support the university because they believe in its distinctly Christian identity and mission. Liberty University is pro-life and believes that marriage between one man and one woman...

""From: "Lauren Wolfe, CDAAA" Friends, "The Democratic Party platform is contrary to the mission of [the] university and to Christian doctrine." Can you imagine if your university said that to you when you were a College Democrat? If they used those hateful words to banish you from campus? Well, on Friday, Liberty University -- the largest Christian Evangelical university in the world -- said exactly that as they kicked out the school's College Democrats chapter. Now, it's time to fight back. Tell Liberty University to allow the College Democrats back on campus. According to Mark Hine, a university vice president,...

Liberty University has ordered its fledgling College Democrats club to shut down, saying the group stands against the conservative Christian school's moral principles. Club president Brian Diaz said he was shocked to be notified by e-mail last week that the club was being banned by the private university in Lynchburg founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. The university first recognized it in the fall. "We were shocked, as well, that (the club) even got accepted. It was huge, and we were glad that Liberty did that," Diaz said in a telephone interview from Orlando, Fla. The club is barred...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Kevin Roose managed to blend in during his single semester at Liberty University, attending lectures on the myth of evolution and the sin of homosexuality, and joining fellow students on a mission trip to evangelize partyers on spring break. Roose had transferred to the Virginia campus from Brown University in Providence, a famously liberal member of the Ivy League. His Liberty classmates knew about the switch, but he kept something more important hidden: He planned to write a book about his experience at the school founded by fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell. Each conversation about salvation or hand-wringing...

This is just too funny! A liberal Ivy League student decides to enroll at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Virgina and write a book exposé (The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University) supposedly showing the intolerance that must be there, or so he thought. The liberal student, however, was surprised to find little of the expected intolerance but is now finding plenty of it from the left because his book was not an outright condemnation of Liberty University nor of Jerry Falwell whom he met during his semester there. An AP story by Eric Tucker sets the...

Kudos to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where it was recently announced that students will be allowed to use the university's off-campus firearm ranges to shoot. The two ranges, used primarily to train the university's police officers, will permit the use of rifles, shotguns, and handguns during designated shooting hours. "I am a firm believer in using all of the university's assets to benefit students and to enhance the student experience at LU," said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. "Recently, we have had students asking for a place to target shoot, so it made perfect sense to open the range to...

I have noticed a common theme in the media lately: Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate is being portrayed as the bane of the GOP – the single-handed destroyer of the McCain campaign who should retire into political oblivion. Why is this an ongoing message, with even some so-called Republicans pushing it? I believe it is because Gov. Palin resonated with conservatives nationwide in a way that caught the mainstream (read: not-so-clandestinely liberal) media completely off guard. They don't want her, or anyone like her, to rise up as the exciting future of conservative politics; they want no new-generation...

When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements — from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful) — had mixed results. Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren't anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The...

REPUBLICAN vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin may be drawing bigger cheers than her running mate, but John McCain isn't bothered in the least, a senior advisor said overnight. "Of course not, he's excited,'' Mark Salter said when asked if Senator McCain was jealous of the attention Ms Palin has been receiving since he announced his surprise choice of running mate on August 29. "They're chanting 'John McCain' too,'' Mr Salter noted. Senator McCain, 72, had long been viewed with suspicion by his party's conservative base for his more moderate views on a number of issues such as immigration, and his...

This week, the Associated Press reported that a recent Israeli military exercise may have been intended to show the nation's abilities to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.The International Herald Tribune called it a "major military exercise" that "appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities," with more than 100 F-16 and F-15 fighters joining the maneuvers over the eastern Mediterranean earlier this month.The reason for this training mission is Israel's belief that Iran is attempting to build nuclear weapons that could be used against it. Iran – whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has vowed to wipe...

The Rev. Jerry Falwell said late Thursday he did not mean to blame feminists, gays or lesbians for bringing on the terror attacks in New York and Washington this week, in remarks on a television program earlier in the day...

Several dozen leading members of the Southern Baptist Convention, including its current President and several past Presidents, recently released a "Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change." I attended Liberty University, a school affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and specifically affiliated with Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. Both the church and the University were founded and led by Jerry Falwell until his death last May. The school and church are now led by Rev. Falwell's two sons: Jerry Falwell, Jr. is the Chancellor and President of Liberty University, and Jonathan Falwell is the senior pastor of the...

(CNSNews.com) - In 1983, just days before he would travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to make the now-famous speech in which he called AIDS "a gay plague," the Rev. Jerry Falwell was the subject of death threats that resulted in an FBI probe of the homosexual community in that city. At the time of the Cincinnati case, two anti-Falwell activists with two guns and 550 rounds of ammunition were questioned by police in Evendale, part of metropolitan Cincinnati. In another case, someone sent a live scorpion in a box to Falwell's office. According to files made available to Cybercast News Service...

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Huckabee suggested the Republican Party could meet the same fate as 1976 if it elected a moderate candidate who does not inspire voters. Speaking at a press conference after addressing Thomas Road Baptist Church, Huckabee continued to compare himself to Ronald Reagan, who ran in 1976 against the party establishment, which led to a floor fight at the national convention. When reminded that the Republicans lost the 1976, Huckabee said it wasn’t because the party was divided, but because Gerald Ford did not energize the party. “He never championed himself as a conservative, not a pro-life person...

LYNCHBURG, VA. -- “I always cringe when I hear people talk about throwing away the vote when they vote their conscience,” Mike Huckabee told reporters today. “That’s what voting is – voting is voting with your conscience, it’s voting with your convictions.” Earlier, he spoke at Thomas Road Baptist Church, the pulpit of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell. Lacing together the relationship between religion and state, he delivered a short speech about how moral clarity decreases the need for more government and more law. “Frankly, we really don’t need a lot of law if we are people of morality,” he...

Liberty Chancellor Used School Resources To Promote Presidential Candidate, Church-State Watchdog Group Says BBSNews 2007-12-04 -- (AU) Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. violated federal tax law by using school resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the Internal Revenue Service today. In a complaint filed with the federal tax agency, Americans United noted that Falwell hosted the candidate at Liberty University and then sent an email message on Liberty University letterhead endorsing Huckabee. In a "Liberty News Alert" dated Dec. 1, 2007, Falwell wrote, "Recently, Governor Mike Huckabee called...

A group that opposes interaction between religion and government Tuesday accused Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. of violating federal tax law by using the school's resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. The group also asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate. In a complaint filed with the IRS, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) noted that Falwell hosted the former Arkansas governor at a university event last Wednesday in Lynchburg, Va,

No matter who becomes the next president of the United States, the American people have already won a great victory – with the total disintegration of the once all-powerful religious right. Starting in 1979, when Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority, Christian conservatives have been the most powerful voting bloc in the Republican Party. (snip) Today, the religious right has splintered into as many different factions as O.J. Simpson has alibis. Unable to find one candidate who fits the bill of being both true-blue on the issues and electable, America's ayatollahs have divided their loyalties. Indeed, in some cases, they've...

Had CNN's Christianne Amanpour's "God's Warriors" not be a propaganda piece Had it be a documentary: You would have seen: Muslim clerics calling to kill non Muslims for no reason at all, for Allah. You would have seen: Video clips of homicide-bombers shouting 'Allah Akbar' (Allah is great!), at each massacre the Islamists perform. You would have seen: Jihad camps where little kids are being taught how non Muslims are apes and pigs and should be eliminated. You would have seen: Non violent Christians protesting abortion clinics (stressing the usual 'non-violence' aspect NOT the isolated 'bombing' of a clinic). You...

Falwell's insurance policies pay off Liberty University debt Associated Press Staff Reports OneNewsNow.com August 26, 2007 LYNCHBURG, Va. - Dr. Jerry Falwell had life insurance policies worth $34 million and the money has been used to erase the debt of Liberty University, the school he founded. The televangelist's son, Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., says his father named the university and Lynchburg's Thomas Road Baptist Church as beneficiaries to protect their future. The policies left $29 million to Liberty and another $5 million to the 22,000-member Thomas Road congregation, which Falwell had led, according to the News & Advance of...

The Rev. Jerry Falwell had life insurance policies worth $34 million and the money has been used to erase the debt of Liberty University, the school he founded. The televangelist's son, Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., said his father had named the university and the Thomas Road Baptist Church as beneficiaries to protect their future. The policies left $29 million to Liberty; its debt had reached $82 million in 1992, but the school had succeeded in paying off a significant amount before the elder Falwell's death. Another $5 million went to the 22,000-member Thomas Road congregation, which Falwell had led,...

uslims and evangelical Christians are talking — at least behind closed doors at the Egyptian Embassy — according to several guests at a top-secret lunch last week. The July 2 gathering lasted two hours and featured ambassadors from nine Arab states plus their umbrella group, and several prominent evangelical leaders or their sons. "They were assessing the next generation," said Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and one of the participants. "The meeting was reflective of the generational changes that are happening, and everyone knew it." The meeting, which was orchestrated by...

Article published Jul 11, 2007 Evangelicals, Muslims meet July 11, 2007 By Julia Duin - Muslims and evangelical Christians are talking — at least behind closed doors at the Egyptian Embassy — according to several guests at a top-secret lunch last week. The July 2 gathering lasted two hours and featured ambassadors from nine Arab states plus their umbrella group, and several prominent evangelical leaders or their sons. "They were assessing the next generation," said Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and one of the participants. "The meeting was reflective of the...

On Monday, July 2, I attended what I can only pray may become a historic meeting. Several weeks ago, I received a call about attending a meeting at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. I was told this meeting would be hosted by the ambassador from Egypt and might be attended by representatives of other Arab nations, as well as by 10-15 pastors, evangelists and Christian media representatives. My interest stirred, I agreed to attend the meeting even though I was not quite sure of its purpose. I asked Dr. Ron Godwin, Liberty University's executive vice president, to attend with...

This week, I read that Ann Coulter had said some pretty shocking things about Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards. I wondered why she would say such things. Then, as Paul Harvey might say, I read the rest of the story. Here's the gist: On ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast, Ann Coulter was asked about some critical language she had used about Edwards. In her response, she recalled something that the often-coarse comedian Bill Maher once said about Vice President Dick Cheney. She said, "… you know, Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed...

Racism propelled Falwell's career Wednesday, May 30, 2007 3:55 AM In his May 17 Dispatch Forum column, "Rev. Falwell changed the face of politics," appraising the late minister's legacy, Cal Thomas disingenuously characterized the Rev. Jerry Falwell's 1965 sermon, "Ministers and marches," as a critique of religious political activism. The sermon was actually an expression of Falwell's white-supremacist ideology. Falwell was an outspoken segregationist. Racism, not "values," launched Falwell and the Christian Right into politics. In a 1958 sermon to his Lynchburg, Va., congregation, one of many decrying civil rights, Falwell said, "When God has drawn a line of distinction,...

In 1984, the United States rectified a diplomatic anomaly when it formally recognized the Vatican and agreed to exchange ambassadors with the papal mini-state in Rome. But when Congress held hearings on the measure, at least one discordant voice was heard in dissent. Rev. Jerry Falwell, by then already a familiar figure as the head of the "Moral Majority" group, hustled to the Capitol to testify against the move. One might have expected Falwell's position to be based in the sort of theological antagonism between Baptists and Catholics that had its roots in the Reformation. But the roly-poly evangelical had...

While giving him credit (or in their secularist eyes, mostly the blame) for the rebirth of Christian political activism, most of the media commentary about the late Jerry Falwell centered around his so-called "controversial" remarks. Putting aside the fact that those remarks were solidly rooted in the Holy Bible and Judeo-Christian tradition, all of the emphasis should have been on his astonishing success in giving new meaning to that great old marching song "Onward, Christian Soldiers." Falwell was the marchers' chief recruiting sergeant. I keep hearing how Falwell was instrumental in electing my dad, Ronald Reagan. My reaction to that...

"Jerry Falwell hated gay people." "Jerry Falwell blamed abortions on promiscuous women." "Jerry Falwell wanted to lock up all the drug addicts in prison." In the past week, I have heard more misinformation, deceptive reporting and downright bias concerning Dr. Jerry Falwell than I could imagine. With a particular glee, these activists disguised as journalists spread salacious rumors. Christopher Hitchens, a Vanity Fair columnist, has taken great pleasure at brutally disparaging Dr. Falwell on every medium possible. He has not been alone. Yet the Jerry Falwell we on Liberty Mountain knew was far from this poisonous caricature. In fact, the...

I realize that the infamous pornographer Larry Flynt and Rev. Jerry Falwell were friendly adversaries. And I know they shared podiums while debating on college campuses. But that doesn't qualify the smut king to appear on national TV to comment on the life of the Christian leader who fought against immorality and most everything else Flynt represents. I agree with Dr. Judith Reisman, a former consultant to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Ventura County (California) prosecuting attorney. It's appalling that CNN chose Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine, to appear on Larry King Live to discuss the passing...

The recent media tempest surrounding the passing of Reverend Jerry Falwell has blown away the mask of sublime compassion and tolerance worn by members of the mainstream left. Sadly – pitifully, really – the collective face exposed beneath the altruistic facade is one marred by ugliness and hatred – scarred by latent self-loathing. Anti-Christian activist and former John Edwards presidential campaign blogger Amanda Marcotte – whom Edwards defended prior to her resignation from his campaign – kicked off the dancing-on-the-grave hoedown on her popular Pandagon website. Upon news of Falwell’s death, Marcotte pronounced, “The gates of hell swing wide open...

HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” ran a show on May 18—repeated throughout this week—that began with an attack on the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and then devolved into an assault on Catholicism: “And it’s easy to start a religion! Watch, I'll do it for you: I had a vision last night! A vision! The Blessed Virgin Mary came to me—I don’t know how she got past the guards—and she told me it’s high time to take the high ground from the Seventh Day Adventists and give it to the 24-hour party people. And what happens in the confessional stays in...

The recent media tempest surrounding the passing of Reverend Jerry Falwell has blown away the mask of sublime compassion and tolerance worn by members of the mainstream left. Sadly – pitifully, really – the collective face exposed beneath the altruistic facade is one marred by ugliness and hatred – scarred by latent self-loathing. Anti-Christian activist and former John Edwards presidential campaign blogger Amanda Marcotte – whom Edwards defended prior to her resignation from his campaign – kicked off the dancing-on-the-grave hoedown on her popular Pandagon website. Upon news of Falwell’s death, Marcotte pronounced, “The gates of hell swing wide open...

Dr. Falwell was a significant American figure who deserves more than a media caricature. Those of us with first hand knowledge of him welcome the opportunity to provide a contrast to the one dimensional and simplistic images of Dr. Falwell that have presented. Jerry Falwell was above all else a family man. He was married for nearly fifty years to Macel, the church pianist. He flew home every night from wherever he was to be with her and their three children. He bragged shamelessly about them and later about his Grandkids. For those of us who observed him in Lynchburg,...

To gauge the impact of Jerry Falwell--or, more precisely, the political realignment he was a central figure in precipitating--it is helpful to review the voting behavior of conservative white Protestants in the presidential elections between 1976 and 1984, the years when Falwell's political influence emerged from nowhere and reached its peak. Jimmy Carter's capture of the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976 was important on several levels. Above all else it was a step back from the McGovern nomination of 1972, which was seen by millions of socially conservative Democrats as not merely antiwar but countercultural. (The most memorable unofficial slogan...

LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Rev. Jerry Falwell was remembered by thousands Tuesday as a champion of conservative Christian values who fearlessly galvanized the religious right into a powerful force in American politics. The funeral returned Falwell to his roots — the Thomas Road Baptist Church, where he started as a young preacher in 1956 with just 35 parishioners in an old, abandoned soda bottling plant. More than 10,000 people attended the funeral, many forced into overflow seating. "He was a champion of the fundamental values that we hold dear," fellow Virginia evangelist Pat Robertson said as he entered the sanctuary....

Today, protestors from WBC protested the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's funeral in Lynchburg, VA. These are the same people who protest at soldiers' funerals.

Jerry Falwell's funeral is today, and now that he is being laid to rest, it is appropriate to dissect the vicious treatment he has received at the hands of his enemies since his unexpected demise. We might have guessed that Jerry Falwell's death would be the occasion for a nice little corpse-kicking spree, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant to witness. The San Francisco gays held an "anti-memorial" in light of Falwell's adamant opposition to gay rights (though Falwell was on record in his support for basic civil rights for gays). The posts at Democratic Underground and Kos were...

Bomb Plot Thwarted at Falwell's Funeral Student Arrested With Homemade Bombs, Three Other Suspects Sought May 22, 2007 — Even in death, the Rev. Jerry Falwell rouses the most volatile emotions. Authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several gasoline-based bombs in his car. The student, 19-year-old Mark Ewell of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service. Three other suspects are being sought, one of whom is a soldier from Ft. Benning and another is a high school student. No information was available on a third person being...

If the Rev. Jerry Falwell personified the Christian right in the past, then the Rev. Frank S. Page may represent its future.From his Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., where his funeral will be held Tuesday, Falwell gave evangelicals a strong political voice. But it was often the voice of a sure and angry prophet, as when he blamed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in part on "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians," or described warnings about global warming as "Satan's attempt" to turn the church's attention from evangelism to...

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, in light of recent remarks regarding the religious right I wanted to urge my colleagues to read the following Review & Outlook article from today's Wall Street Journal. I found the article very interesting and believe my colleagues will also. Call it whatever they may--the Christian right, the radical religious right, conservative Christians--it's clear that word of a vast new conspiracy against freedom, democracy and, oh yes, tolerance, is getting to be big news. This process oozed to a peak of sorts last week when Rep. Vic Fazio, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, condemned...

The nation’s leading Christian conservative is dead. On CNN’s “Crossfire” and other shows, I debated Jerry Falwell many times. I’m still trying to recover from that fact that he once called me “his favorite liberal.” But I will say: He was a true gentleman, always tough, and always fair. Jerry Falwell was a true believer. It’s too bad his brand of Christianity was so narrow and so negative. As a Christian myself, listening to Falwell, I often wondered if he and I had read the same Scripture. Certainly the Gospel of Jerry Falwell was not the Gospel of Jesus Christ....

THE FIRST TIME the Rev. Jerry Falwell put his hands on me, I was stunned. Not only had we been archenemies for 15 years, his beliefs and mine traveling in different solar systems, and not only had he sued me for $50 million (a case I lost repeatedly yet eventually won in the Supreme Court), but now he was hugging me in front of millions on the Larry King show. It was 1997. My autobiography, "An Unseemly Man," had just been published, describing my life as a publisher of pornography. The film "The People vs. Larry Flynt" had recently come...

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Liberty University's graduating class Saturday to honor the spirit of school founder Jerry Falwell by confronting "the growing culture of radical secularism" with Christian ideals. Gingrich, who is considering a 2008 presidential run, quoted Bible passages to a crowd of about 17,000 packed into the university's football stadium four days after Falwell's death. Despite the somber tone of the day, graduates who covered the football field chanted "Jerry! Jerry!" in tribute to Falwell. "A growing culture of radical secularism declares that the nation cannot profess the truths on which it was...

Commencement today marks new beginning for school he founded LYNCHBURG -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell planned to save America through his students, 3,598 of whom will graduate today from Liberty University inculcated with his evangelical, conservative vision. "The reason he built this place was to change the world," said Liberty student Mark Krom. "It's easy for me to buy into that. He was training champions for Christ." Falwell, 73, died from a heart condition Tuesday in his campus office. Thousands have come to the campus to view his body over the past several days. Falwell, in repose in a coffin...

The Rev. Jerry Falwell's passing seems to have traumatized the mainstream liberal press. Absent in its coverage of the event is even the normal pretense of objectivity. Take your choice. According to Newsweek, Falwell's "influence on American politics has been vastly overstated." His role, the article concludes, in the rise of the Christian right was not "significant." And according to Time, evangelical Christians are now moving into a big non-ideological tent, where all points of view are welcomed, and the evangelical movement has "left Falwell behind." I think a brief visitation with facts and reality might be in order here....

It's bad form to speak ill of the dead. Good thing this man's own vile words speak for themselves - You can eulogize. You can mourn and ponder and do a lengthy retrospective, a political analysis, a sociocultural examination of a career and a legacy and a rather remarkable life. When remembering the dead, the journalistic options are legion. But in the case of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the grandfather of the fundamentalist religious right and the foremost champion of the creation of a brutally homophobic, mysogynistic Christian theocracy in America, perhaps it's better to let the man's most...