Falwell: a trailblazer for evangelical Christianity
The Virginia preacher's legacy is conservative Christian activism – and a reshaped US political landscape.
from the May 17, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Falwell did apologize for some of his remarks. But his narrow agenda and divisive approach left a mark on Christianity that makes some people cringe. What it means to be Christian has been politicized, some say, so that the true message of Jesus is overshadowed in the culture.
"He loved his Lord and his country and loved them in that order," Dr. Kaiser says. "Many of us had wished there was a way you could separate Jerry the preacher from Jerry the politician. It would have been better not to mix the gospel with the politics."
• Linda Feldmann in Washington contributed to this report.
The Rev. Jerry Falwell: preacher and political force
CAREER: Founded Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., 1956
Launched "Old-Time Gospel Hour," a daily radio ministry and a weekly television ministry, 1956
Founded Liberty University, a liberal arts Christian university, 1971
Created the Moral Majority, a conservative political lobbying group, in 1979, galvanizing the movement known now as the religious right
WRITINGS: 14 books, including an autobiography
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in theology from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.
FAMILY: Wife, three children, and eight grandchildren
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