The death of Dr. Jerry Falwell brings an end to one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th Century. In so many ways, Jerry Falwell became one of the most recognizable faces for conservative Christianity in America.
In order to understand Jerry Falwell, one must first understand the nature of independent fundamentalism in the mid-20th Century. This movement was born out of frustration with the theological liberalism that had so quickly been embraced by mainstream Protestant denominations. These conservative Christians were determined to maintain biblical orthodoxy in the face of theological compromise.
Independent fundamentalism affirmed several doctrines understood to be under attack -- doctrines including the inerrancy of the Bible, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, and bodily resurrection of Christ, and the bodily return of Christ. Beyond this, the movement was largely shaped by a dispensational understanding of Christ's return. This last belief gave the fundamentalist movement a sense of urgency and a motivation to put evangelism ahead of other priorities, including political involvement.
Added to these beliefs was the principle of biblical separation -- the belief that believers must separate themselves from those who deny or compromise the faith. This underlined the independent character of fundamentalism. Though fundamentalist churches did band together for limited common causes, each congregation remained staunchly independent and the movement rejected the denominational model that characterized American Protestantism.
Jerry Falwell began his ministry in the heart of this movement, and the church he founded in Lynchburg, Va., Thomas Road Baptist Church, was typical of other independent churches. It started in 1956 in the elementary school Falwell had attended as boy and then moved to a building that formerly served as a bottling company for soft drinks. From these humble beginnings grew the Falwell empire in Lynchburg.
The young Jerry Falwell attended the Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri -- one of the central institutions of the fundamentalist movement. Given his background, his education, and the way he began his ministry in Lynchburg, he seemed destined to continue the trajectory of the fundamentalist movement. And, for decades, he did just that. The Thomas Road Baptist Church experienced explosive growth under his leadership. The energetic pastor built the church into a major presence in Virginia, and then a major presence in American religious broadcasting through "The Old Time Gospel Hour," his weekly national broadcast.
In the late 1970s, Falwell became concerned about the moral state of the nation and was awakened to a sense of political and social responsibility. He began to speak to these issues, calling conservative Christians to become involved in the political process.
As a 16-year-old boy, I was in the crowd at the convention center in Miami Beach when Dr. Falwell joined singer Anita Bryant in holding a rally to involve Christians in the struggle against a gay rights ordinance adopted by Dade county. I had never heard of Jerry Falwell until that night -- and after that experience I would never forget him.
As the 1980 presidential race approached, Jerry Falwell was one of the primary leaders of a movement intended to mobilize conservative Christians for the election. Dr. Falwell founded the Moral Majority as a means of educating and mobilizing Christian citizens about moral issues such as abortion -- a key issue after the 1973 Roe decision. By any measure, he was successful beyond all expectations. The movement was crucial to the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 and has shaped every election cycle since.
The project of the Moral Majority was, in itself, a redefinition of the fundamentalist movement. It led to a break with many other fundamentalist leaders and required a much larger and more inclusive platform than many fundamentalists could handle. The principle of biblical separation had to be redefined in order to accommodate the more inclusive movement of the Moral Majority. He remained a Dispensationalist to the end, but his approach included an agenda for Christian activism until Christ returns.
Even as the Moral Majority became less prominent in national affairs (and eventually was disbanded as a formal organization), this was, to a considerable extent, an affirmation of its very success. Dr. Falwell leaves a legacy of motivating Christians for activism and concern -- especially on issues such as abortion and the family.
What the national media often missed was his greater passion -- Liberty University. Jerry Falwell was a man of big ideas, and Liberty University was perhaps his biggest. Founded in 1971, the school was first known as Lynchburg Baptist College. But Jerry Falwell did not have Lynchburg on his mind so much as a generation of young people. The school was driven by Falwell's expansive vision. When I preached at Liberty University just a few weeks ago as a chapel speaker, I was impressed once again with the reality of what Dr. Falwell so often called the "miracle on Liberty Mountain."
Enjoying lunch as Dr. Falwell's guest, I listened to him lay out expansive and bold plans for the future of the university and its programs. As always, his energy was infectious and his dreams were big. And there was every reason to expect that what he dreamed would soon become a reality. I saw the proof of his leadership all around me. Examples would include one of the nation's youngest law schools and a new and massive campus for Thomas Road Baptist Church.
And, as always, his sense of humor was intact and in action. Jerry Falwell loved life and he loved people. He was as engaging a personality as I have ever known. He had the ability to reach out to persons young and old. How many septuagenarians have such as hold on the young? Young Christians knew that Jerry Falwell believed them to be important. He was invigorated by being around Liberty students -- and they were inspired by him.
The legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell will be debated for decades to come. Political scientists, theologians, church leaders, and historians will all have their say. Jerry Falwell would not be threatened by this analysis. He expected that some would love him for his beliefs and others would not. He was a man in constant motion, and he seemed rarely to look back. He redefined independent fundamentalism and then led his church to associate with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had experienced its own conservative redirection. He mobilized a movement of conservative Christians in America and built a massive empire.
These remain as monuments to Jerry Falwell's leadership and vision. But, far more than these, I would look to his family. Dr. Jerry Falwell leaves a wife he dearly loved, Macel, and three children who were the pride of his life. The best testimony to Jerry Falwell the man is that his children love him and his two sons stand ready to continue what their father began. For a man who spent so much time in the public eye, this is a truly powerful legacy.
I am confident that if Jerry Falwell could speak now of what he most loved about his ministry, I believe he would speak of all the achievements listed above. But, more than these, he would be thankful for those who had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through his preaching and witness -- and through the multiplied witness of those trained and educated at Liberty University.
And, as he spoke of these, you could count on him talking with a smile -- and with big plans for the future. This is central to the legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., an "On Faith" panelist, is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
