In the continuing spirit of noting the deaths of figures that I actually give a hoot about, here is “Jerry Falwell dead at 73“. May the news reports covering my death, if any, end up sending as many mixed signals as this one does.
The Dead Reverend
In the continuing spirit of noting the deaths of figures that I actually give a hoot about, here is “Jerry Falwell dead at 73“. May the news reports covering my death, if any, end up sending as many mixed signals as this one does.
How to respond.
Was the guy a good guy. Probably. Was he a devout Christian. Ye. Do I think he’s in heaven? Almost definitely. Since I believe that he is in heaven, do I think it may be better now that he’s gone?
Erk.
I have been quoted as saying that I think that Jerry Falwell and those like him have done more to damage evangelical Christianity than almost anything else in the last 50 years.
I understood abortion. The idea was that there was no one to speak for dead babies. They had no advocate. Christians unite and speak out.
BUT – Gays. If what they are doing is immoral, and they don’t consider themselves Christians… and they’re not hurting anyone.. who cares?
Well, Jerry cared, and James Dobson cares.. and suddenly my Gay friends get pissed when I say I’m Christian. Suddenly, people who might have listened and maybe even believed , felt singled out. They felt hated. And they will never come to what these men would call a “saving knowledge of Jesus Christ”.
So, Jerry, I applaud much of your early work – but your later work hurt our faith. I am sad for your family, and I pray you are with God. I am admittedly glad you will never speak into a microphone again.
I don’t want to demonize Jerry. He did what he thought was right.. but he got so surrounded by Yes-men, he forgot what it was like to be that rastabout youth he once was – and he lived so deeply in the bubble, he forgot that he was supposed to live in the world.
I hope he finds peace.
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