Jerry Falwell

Jerry Falwell

by Steve Lumbley, Apostasy Watch!

I’ve been told that at one time Jerry Falwell preached the gospel. If that is true, you sure couldn’t prove it by anything he is doing today.

Falwell is one of the great compromisers of our age. He has exchanged the true gospel of Jesus Christ for the gospel of the cultural wars. His place in Gods kingdom has been traded for a place in the kingdom of men. He worships at the altar of societal influence.

Jerry Falwell is the founder and Senior Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg Virginia. But tune in to one of his television programs and you are more likely to see what amounts to an info-mercial for one of his latest products.

Like a one man Home Shopping Network, Falwell is the Ron Popeil of religious broadcasters. One week he’s offering discount enrollments to his Liberty University Home Bible Institute. Next time it’s real estate for retirees in his Liberty Village retirement community. Perhaps you’d like to invest your earthly treasure in a Liberty University Fund Gift Annuity (earn up to 11.3% and get an immediate tax deduction!). Sometimes Falwell teams up with his buddy Tim LaHaye to flog the Left Behind series. God only knows what scheme this guy will come up with next in his attempts to relieve you of your money.

2 Peter 2:14-15 NKJV
…….enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…….

And like any good entrepreneur, Pastor Jerry is always looking for new ways to promote his product. Most of the time, the product is himself. Falwell is ever eager to appear before any camera or microphone that will stand still long enough for him to utter his latest outrageous statement. And over the years he’s made plenty of them.

One of his most famous statements was the one he said after Sept. 11, 2001 when he and Pat Robertson agreed that the terrorist attack was the fault of all those sinners out there.

”…… I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

After he was criticized he apologized on CNN with this statement.

” I would never blame any human being except the terrorists, and if I left that impression with gays or lesbians or anyone else, I apologize. “

This is how you know that Falwell wasn’t speaking by the Spirit of God. If he was speaking by the Spirit, he wouldn’t have apologized. Actually his statement about Sept 11 was half right. It was God’s judgment on America but it wasn’t caused by all those sinners out there. Jerry could have discovered the true culprit by looking in the mirror.

2Chron 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God says it’s His own people who need to repent but apostates like Falwell always want to blame someone else.

In recent years Jerry Falwell has openly associated with false prophets and false teachers like Oral Roberts, John Arnott, and the notorious liar and heretic Benny Hinn. In fact in 1999, Falwell paid tribute to Hinn at Benny’s 25th ministry anniversary celebration. Hinn later traveled to Lynchburg to spend the day with Falwell at Liberty University.

“Pastor Benny and I are friends and I’m glad for every soul that comes and has come to Christ through your ministry over the past 25 years." A few weeks ago Pastor Hinn called, and one of his staff members, and said, ‘Benny wants to come to Lynchburg and he wants your undivided attention for a day.’ …..he came and we had a wonderful day together. He met the 6,000 students on the campus of Liberty University as we walked from building to building, most of them knew him. Many of them were your partners..”

In addition to his associations with charismatics, Falwell has long been a compromiser when it comes to the doctrinal differences between Bible believing Christians and Roman Catholics. In his efforts to bring people together to fight the culture wars he has minimized the false teaching of the Catholic church and endorsed Pope John Paul II and Cardinal John O’Conner among others. As far back as 1982, Falwell gave an interview to the National Catholic Register in which he stated that Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II are “the greatest men in my lifetime.”

Falwells apostasy is most apparent though in his efforts to remake the culture of America into his own version of a “Christian” nation. Beginning in 1979 with his founding of the Moral Majority (which was neither moral nor a majority) Falwell has led the effort to “take back” America. The obvious question is take this nation back to where exactly?

The cultural decline in America is evident for all to see. The problem is that men like Jerry Falwell wish to use human, fleshly means to reverse that decline. They believe that the solution is the use of government to enforce some level of morality in this nation. To that end Falwell and his ilk have placed their trust in men and in the political process.

Jer 17:5
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

You see, Falwell actually brings a curse on Gods people when he encourages them to trust in elected officials, judges, and laws to clean up the sin and degeneracy in America.

He doesn’t seem to understand that the wickedness we see all around us is a symptom not a cause. Abortion, open homosexual perversion, pornography, murder, and drug use, are all symptoms of a deeper problem. They are symptoms of a nation that has rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Math 23:25
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Like the Pharisees of Jesus day Falwell thinks if we can just stop the appearance of sin we can stop sin itself. This approach is the complete antithesis of what Jesus preached.

First of all any Christian should understand that you cannot use the law to eliminate sin. Paul tells us that the law actually strengthens sin.

1Cor 15:56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Trying to use the law, whether it be, the ten commandments or the civil and criminal laws of the land to stop sin is like throwing gasoline on a fire. It not only doesn’t work, it actually makes the problem worse. If you fail to understand this most basic fact of Christianity you need to go back and read Romans again, particularly chapters 7 & 8.

It is obvious that Falwell fails to grasp the fact that the blood of Jesus doesn’t just cover sin. The blood of Jesus takes away sin! Oh, he may give lip service to the idea of salvation but he doesn’t really believe it. If he did he wouldn’t waste his time attempting to treat the symptoms of sin. He would go right after the source of sin. He would proclaim the power of the gospel and he would see real results.

The gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15 3:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Paul says this gospel is the power of God to all who believe. When a person believes the gospel he is endued with power to overcome and resist sin. Sin no longer has dominion over him. Those sinful things he once desired he no longer desires. That is the true power of God and that is what this nation and this world needs.

We don’t need so called righteous presidents, senators, and judges. What we need is the gospel. We don’t need men like Jerry Falwell leading us down the broad path to hell. We need men who will preach the gospel regardless of the cost.

The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who are perishing. It will never be popular. It won’t get you on CNN. It won’t get you quoted in Time or Newsweek. It won’t get you your own university or retirement village. In most cases it won’t even get you on Christian television.

But give me one man who will preach the gospel without fear or compromise and he’ll do more to change America than Jerry Falwell could do in a million years. He won’t take America back. He’ll take America to a place it’s never been. He’ll bring the salvation of God to those who have ears to hear and the judgment of God to those who don’t.

Steve Lumbley 2004 www.apostasywatch.com
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