Life & Living: Farewell Falwell!
There he was, on the front page again. But this time it was for the wrong reason: Jerry Falwell had died!
I never read one of his books or heard one of his sermons, yet I felt a twinge on reading the details of his death; in his office, alone with his thoughts and God, a history of heart trouble, dead. I was one of those people, and there must be a lot of us, who "knew" Jerry Falwell sort of "on the side," so to speak. I knew he was the pastor of a large Baptist church, founded and led the "Moral Majority," had political clout, and was on talk shows a lot of the time. I really didn't know enough about him that I should still be thinking about him...but I am.
Don called me this morning and asked if I knew about Falwell, and if I did what I thought. Well, I said, two words come to mind: clown and prophet. Maybe they are actually two sides of the same coin. Anyone named Jerry has to be a clown to some degree, and I think Falwell was, like the old prophets, willing to absorb a lot of ridicule for his beliefs.
I hope my perspectives don't come back to haunt me, some ministers turn out to have spoken with a forked tongue...at least. Until I learn better, I did admire Falwell for his willingness to take pressure for his beliefs. Occasionally he did misspeak but he seemed to be solidly anchored in the gospel and that was encouraging to see.
We are living at a time in our national history when there is no Christian spokesperson, no national figure now that Billy Graham has had to step aside. The father-son combo at the Crystal Cathedral may prove to be that early 21st century larger-than-life Christian witness, and that would be a welcome one as far as I am concerned. Jerry Falwell was that national person we turned to for a while.
The other day I received a magazine for ministers in my denomination. This issue revolved around Jesus' statement that He was "the way, the truth, and the life" in John 14:6. As one might expect, there was a wide variety of opinions offered, liberal to conservative and a couple of articles that seemed to want to please both camps. I do not have to have a written statement to know where Jerry Falwell stood on that one. For Falwell, Jesus is the Lord-the only Lord worthy of the name and the only name by which we will enter heaven.
Falwell had consistent views on ethics, and that stirred up a hornet's nest. We are a country that is mixed-up on its understanding of sexual identity, the meaning of the word "family", and the right of business owners to limit benefits to workers based on sexual orientation. I don't think Falwell's rather abrupt personality should hide his compassion for people caught up in sexual confusion, and his belief that God could-and can-bring stability and strength to those who turn to Him in dealing with who they are at the center of their being.
Well, although Falwell is gone from us, he is present to God in the way Christians hope for at death. He knows now what we all want to know then: the eternal present of Him who is "King of kings and Lord of lords."
Jerry Mercer
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