Jerry Falwell Jr Rejects Morality, Christianity in Government

Well, here we are again.

For the new year, I have to begin by, once more, reminding everyone that I am an alumna of Liberty University.

I do this in the interest of full disclosure, so that when I have to burn Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr, no one points it out. To be fair, I was a student in a pre-Trump America, oblivious to just what a scoundrel and status-seeking clown Falwell was.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post ran an interview with Falwell that should be an embarrassment to the evangelical community, as well as to the memory of his dad.

Should it be as embarrassing as whatever is going on with that deal he and his wife made with a pool boy in Miami, as facilitated by former Trump “fixer,” Michael Cohen?

The jury is out on that one, at least until that story busts wide open.

For now, however, the man’s utter lack of any sense of godly direction or grace is telling.

The interview began with the question of “nice guys” in elected office. Specifically, Falwell has rejected the notion of “nice guys” holding office, preferring savage reprobates in the seats of power.

Of course, he didn’t put it that way, but how he did put it was just as bad.

Are Christians supposed to be nice?

Falwell’s reply shows just how situational his ethics are.

It’s such a distortion of the teachings of Jesus to say that what he taught us to do personally — to love our neighbors as ourselves, help the poor — can somehow be imputed on a nation. Jesus never told Caesar how to run Rome. He went out of his way to say that’s the earthly kingdom, I’m about the heavenly kingdom and I’m here to teach you how to treat others, how to help others, but when it comes to serving your country, you render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. It’s a distortion of the teaching of Christ to say Jesus taught love and forgiveness and therefore the United States as a nation should be loving and forgiving, and just hand over everything we have to every other part of the world. That’s not what Jesus taught. You almost have to believe that this is a theocracy to think that way, to think that public policy should be dictated by the teachings of Jesus.

Ok. He makes a point that I can get on board with: This is not a theocracy, nor should it be.

As I’ve said often, theocracies don’t work. You’re not going to legislate faith.

That being said, what is a nation, except for its people? And while we can’t expect the world (that is, those apart from the saving grace of Christ) to always act in line with the teachings of Jesus, when it comes to our behavior, a Christian’s duty to maintain a godly example does not end at the voting booth. Our faith is not situational. It is to be who we are, wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing – whether it’s standing in the line at the grocery store or standing in line at the polls.

Our faith should be our guide. If we want to see a kinder, more godly nation, we have to reflect that, show the world, and worry less about policy and more about pleasing God.

Yes, Jesus indeed said to render unto Caesar what was Caesar’s, but that didn’t mean Christians stop being Christians, at any point in time, or for the convenience of the government.

Falwell, once again, falls short in interpreting the message of Christ.

In fact, this son of the man who drove the “moral majority” insists the government should be free of religious associations.

Yes. The government should be led by somebody who is going to do what’s in the best interest of the government and its people. And I believe that’s what Jesus thought, too.

You have no clue what Jesus thought. Obviously.

Question: If you and other evangelicals feel it’s right to separate Trump’s glaring moral failings from policy, why do we keep hearing that he’s “God’s man”?

You whitewashed tombs can’t have it both ways.

You and other white evangelical leaders have strongly supported President Trump. What about him exemplifies Christianity and earns him your support?

What earns him my support is his business acumen. Our country was so deep in debt and so mismanaged by career politicians that we needed someone who was not a career politician, but someone who’d been successful in business to run the country like a business. That’s the reason I supported him.

Dude, Trump has filed for bankruptcy 4 or 5 times, and if not for his dad’s wealth, he would be selling shoes for Payless in some New Jersey mall, these days.

What about Trump steaks? Trump water? The Trump board game, and a host of other failed Trump business ventures?

What about Trump University, and the subsequent lawsuits?

The man has no business acumen. His grandfather and father had business acumen. Of course, it was dirty business, but Donald Trump was buoyed by their success, and his only real accomplishment was getting people to pump him up as a successful businessman, in spite of reality.

A ghost writer did it in his book, “The Art of the Deal,” then, later, producers created a façade of competence and toughness for a reality TV show.

None of it was real.

Add to all that the fact that the national debt has raged upwards, while the markets have plummeted in Trump’s first two years, and nothing about that is “winning.”

Is there anything President Trump could do that would endanger that support from you or other evangelical leaders?

No.

Really? Then it’s not about values, successes or failures, policy, or anything else. That one word answer pretty much proves this is more about the cult of personality and “owning the libs.”

Falwell went on to explain that he says “no,” simply because he can’t imagine Trump doing anything that wouldn’t be best for the country.

So alienating our allies in the world, while embracing and acquiescing to dictators and our greatest geopolitical foes in the world is best for the country?

You’ve lost your mind.

Then there’s this:

Is it hypocritical for evangelical leaders to support a leader who has advocated violence and who has committed adultery and lies often? I understand that a person can be forgiven their sins, but should that person be leading the country?

Falwell goes on to explain that while a Mitt Romney may have better character, be a fine family man – there might be things we haven’t seen or don’t know about.

This is true, but if you think the unknown things might be bad, then wouldn’t you absolutely reject the blatantly sinful, ungodly things?

And this is what should have faithful Christians audibly groaning in despair:

There’s two kingdoms. There’s the earthly kingdom and the heavenly kingdom. In the heavenly kingdom the responsibility is to treat others as you’d like to be treated. In the earthly kingdom, the responsibility is to choose leaders who will do what’s best for your country. Think about it. Why have Americans been able to do more to help people in need around the world than any other country in history? It’s because of free enterprise, freedom, ingenuity, entrepreneurism and wealth. A poor person never gave anyone a job. A poor person never gave anybody charity, not of any real volume. It’s just common sense to me.

You are such a foolish, unwise man, Jerry Falwell Jr.

First of all, the heavenly kingdom is what comes after. It is the eternity. By the time you make it there, you’re no longer under the call to display your godliness or Christlike heart. You’ve run the race. You are home, and you are at peace. Your every moment will be in rejoicing and resting from worldly woes. You leave that life behind.

It is here on earth, in this life, that we’re to show ourselves disciples of Christ. We’re to display what our faith teaches us. We’re to be Christ to those who need Christ. Our charity, our goodness, our willingness to help those less fortunate has its value here and now, where it will do the most good.

This nation has, indeed, been blessed because of our freedoms (and that includes the free enterprise that Trump has sought to step on, with his ill-advised trade war).

As for Falwell’s open disdain for the poor, nothing could be more ungodly, or absolutely wrong.

Maybe pick up a Bible every now and again, you hateful man. Jesus’ own words rebuke you!

Luke 21:1-4 AMP – “Looking up, He saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury. ² And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. ³ He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in [proportionally] more than all of them; ⁴ for they all put in gifts from their abundance; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

I know plenty who are not wealthy, but they give their tithes faithfully.

They know what they put into that offering plate goes to outreach ministries that feed and clothe the poor in the community. It goes to fund missions around the world, or to disaster relief.

It goes to many things, so while what they give may not be as much as someone of more substantial means can give, they give at sacrifice to themselves, and that is honored by God.

As my pastor often says, “It’s not about equal gifts. It’s about equal sacrifice.”

I have to wonder if Falwell Jr has ever given at sacrifice to himself, or is he the type that tosses a $20 or even a $100 bill in the plate and then pats himself on the back for his “gift”?

Falwell closes out the WaPo interview by suggesting it may be “immoral” not to support Trump, because of unemployment numbers and other things he sees as attributes of the Trump presidency.

I would say Jerry Falwell Jr is about as far away from being a sound judge of morality as just about anyone else you could look to.

He is an utter disgrace.