by John M. Curtis
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Copyright May 16, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

eart failure ultimately sent 73-year-old Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell to his next crusade, ending a spectacular career that harnessed ordinary Christians into the nation's most powerful voting block. Credited with launching the late President Ronald Reagan into office in 1980, Falwell was Reagan's intellectual soul mate when it came to articulating the conservative agenda. No one since Reagan has had the energy and prodigious verbal skills to speak for evangelicals, including evangelists Billy Graham, Pat Robertson or James Dobson. Falwell possessed an uncanny ability to speak in a layman's tongue connecting to the widest possible audience. Falwell jumped into politics because of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion. He passionately nailed down the pro-life plank into the Republican platform, culminating in Reagan's stunning 1980 landslide.

      With all due respect to Falwell, Reagan would have been elected in 1980 without Falwell's 1979 Moral Majority. Faced with double-digit inflation and record unemployment, former President Jimmy Carter sealed the deal. Incorporating the pro-life stance into the GOP platform helped shape the last 27 years of Republican supremacy, constituting a pivotal issue in the ‘08 presidential campaign. Debating at Koger Center at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, all presidential hopefuls, with the exception of former N.Y. Major Rudy Giuliani, expressed passionate opposition to abortion. Serving as an overarching issue, opposing abortion represents a prerequisite heading into Republican primaries. No matter how persuasive, Giuliani faces an uphill battle trying to win GOP support with Falwell's base while, at the same time, defending Roe v. Wade.

      Falwell's Moral Majority, while based out of Linchburg, Va., drew its support all over the South and Midwest, those areas identified today as “red states.” Falwell's Moral Majority resonated with a broad swath of Christians, establishing clear talking points for religious conservatives, allowing these groups to speak with one political voice. “I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved,” said Falwell in 1987, stepping down as head of the Moral Majority. Called a “tower of the many moral issue which have confronted our nation,” televangelist Pat Robertson admired Falwell's undaunted opposition to homosexuality, running afoul with the powerful gay lobby. Of all the nation's religious leaders, Falwell mobilized Christian conservatives against the more modern, tolerant acceptance of homosexuality in today's culture.

      Falwell didn't shy away from debating his detractors, taking the moral high ground against gays, abortion, pornography, bans on school prayer and Hollywood's proclivity toward sex and violence. “Dr. Falwell was a man of distinguished accomplishment who devoted his life to serving his faith and country,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a presidential candidate seeking support from the Moral Majority. McCain referred to Falwell and Robertson as “agents of intolerance” in 2000 during his failed bid to capture the Republican nomination. Unlike other preachers and evangelists, Falwell parlayed his ministry into a powerful political force, winning unprecedented clout inside the GOP. He was once scolded by Rev. Billy Graham for preaching about “non-moral issues,” crossing the line into politics. Falwell blended Christian issues with real electoral politics.

      Besides the Moral Majority, Falwell's crowning achievements were founding Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1956 and Liberty University in 1971. He turned an abandoned bottle factory into one of the nation's premier TV mega-churches. Creating Liberty University, Falwell envisioned a Baptist institution one-day rivaling Catholic's Notre Dame or Mormon's Brigham Young. Falwell's deeply held belief in the Apocalypse and the second coming of Christ afforded unprecedented support to Israel, as the guardian of the holy land. His views found most support in President George W. Bush, a born-again Christian, deeply influenced by Falwell's preaching. “One of his lasting contributions was the establishment of Liberty University, where he taught young people to respect their convictions and rely on God's word throughout each stage of their lives,” said Bush, expressing his condolences.

      Since the Moral Majority helped elect Reagan, Falwell held more clout in the GOP than any religious figure in U.S. history. His legacy involved legitimizing the role of faith-based institutions in government and political circles. While he's vilified for crossing the line between church and state, Falwell made it OK to promote Christian values in secular institutions. He organized and empowered millions of Christians to play an active role in shaping the political landscape. Falwell's views on abortion, stem cells, prayer in public schools, homosexuality, gay marriage, etc., continue to shape the 2008 presidential race. While he struggled, like many, to comprehend the horrors of Sept. 11, he blamed the massacre on America's decadence, prompting an eventual public apology. Showing courage, Falwell refused to allow “political correctness” to stop him from preaching the gospel.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically correct commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColulmnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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