Tuesday, May 15, 2007

UPDATED: Rev. Jerry Falwell Has Died

UPDATE:
Rev. Falwell, at 73 years of age, has died.

He will be remembered for his 1980s "Moral Majority" and subsequent involvement with the Religious / Christian Right. As someone in disagreement with many (not every) issues he spoke out on, I will likely blog on my own memories of his influence, and the one momentary time I actually spoke to him by phone. But for now, please let us all continue praying for his fellowship and family.

--- Previously posted:

Sure, Rev. Jerry Falwell isn't my favorite evangelical. But this isn't that sort of post. Rather, I would ask we all join in praying for him, his family, and his fellowship in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was found this morning unconscious and has been rushed to a hospital. No other info seems available at this time.

Please do pray. It's what Christians, blue or red or in between, ought to do best.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jon,

Thanks for posting on this. I hadn't heard. Kind of strange timing. I just got done reading a section on him in Mel White's latest book. Will be praying for his family and friends.

chris said...

They interviewed Jesse Jackson on the news about him last night. Jackson mentioned a time when they marched through Appalachia together to speak out on poverty. He noted that they were very different politically but managed to come together at that time. I think Falwell went for the brass ring a bit too often with his sound-bites. Maybe that could be a lesson to us all. He tried to represent a faith that never backed down, even when it meant devouring his foot. But on the other side many of his detractors noted that he was one to apologize when confronted. Too many of us know Jerry the straw man, the cartoon we loved to hate. Our bad example. Let's remember that passage from 2 Cor. 5:
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(KJV)
We really don't know anyone as God does. Jon I appreciated the way you handled this news yesterday. You notified us all when you learned he was unconscious and asked us to pray. That was a witness to me. Thanks.