Jerry Falwell Question?

Isn't that polygamy? Sorry, don't mean to derail the thread...

 

Hi, Rhet. :wavey:

Brother Falwell was a great man who did much good for the Lord. However, in my eyes (and those of many others) he lost his Fundamentalism (and senses!) when he decided to rescue Jim Bakker's ministry in 1987.

My mother would excoriate me for this view, though. She thinks Brother Jerry walked on water and clouds (as he now can!).

God bless.

John :type:

 

I am with you on this one...
This almost describes me to a T.

I never followed his ministry after the Jim Bakker incident.. (I was 17 at that time) But looking back, I see a lot of Grace coming from Falwell to Bakker that other Christians were not willing to give...

Personally, I grew up as a fundamentalist, but as the movement got more and more into onlyism, it moved away from me. I still hold to the fundamentals.. but like, Salty.. because of the stigma now associated with fundamentalism in the USA (onlyism... hyles... etc..) I don't want to be labeled that...

Call me a Christian.

 

Is that the T in tiny or the T in tim? :laugh:

Brother Falwell paid a huge price for the Bakker support. I read recently that his ministries almost went bankrupt after that because of the fallout and loss of support. I think it may have been good for Brother Falwell to offer personal help and counseling to Bakker, but what many objected to was not the grace extended personally to Bakker, but rescuing a ministry that seem to thrive on excess. I think Brother Falwell underestimated the fallout.

God bless!

 

I attended several Pastor Conferences at FBC, Jacksonville over the years and would hear Bro. Jerry "Pitch" Liberty U from the pulpit-----I almost enrolled in hopes he'd meet his enrollment quota and get on to some good preachin'!!! But that was never the case!!!

IMHO---the dude never could preach---but he could sell bricks!!!!! Know what I mean????

 

I have on occasion listened to his sermons on television. :laugh: You are right he couldn't preach worth nothing, but he could sell tens of millions of bricks. :tonofbricks:

 

How is bus ministry conferences a gear of fundamentalism???

 

Well who else is hosting bus ministry conferences but the fundamentalists?

Falwell was used like all of us, in spite of our faults. Being public, we got to know his faults a bit better then someone else. But for the most part I have cool view toward Falwell. Don't recommend his school, his preaching, revisionist history or his politics.

 

I believe Bro. Falwell remained a fundamentalist to his last breath.As far as the Bakker thing goes if that were the only mistake I ever made I would think I did quite well. Bro. Jerry was a gracious man of God and a soft touch.I look forward to meeting him one day again in heaven.

I think we have found a useful term to describe the difference between true classic fundamentalists and the Ultra -legalist -fundamentalist-onlyist movement, UFO or ultra fundamentalist onlyist.:godisgood:

 

I think the Reagan "I didn't leave the Democrats; they left me" applies here. As someone rightly pointed out on page 1, the UFBs give Fundamentalism a bad name.

 

He may have changed, I don't really know. As I got older the only way I had to keep in contact with his ministry was by following Liberty and what they were doing. Thomas Road's television broadcast was must watch TV for me as a child, and stayed that way until it was no longer on the air in the area I live.

From outward apperance, I would say he probably softened his views slightly to appeal to a larger audience but still always preached the cross and the need for a savior.

 

Amen, Brother Plain Old Bill -- Preach it! :thumbs:

Check out the name of this thread:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=39754

It is: Mr. Fundamentalism Dies

 

Falwell got Railroaded

This is actually a topic of converstion amoung some alumni of the college he graduated from, Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. I did not know but he used to be a part of the BBFI until something happened, maybe the PTL thing, I don't know, that caused them to basically tell Falwell not to come back. I always thought he sought the SBC association and it would seem that it may have been forced upon him. No matter what, I don't have a problem with the man or the ministry. I believe that he honored God in ALL that he did.

 

In the interest of historical accuracy, I don't think the BBFI kicked him out. To the best of my knowledge the BBFI has no mechanism for kicking pastors out, since it is a pastors' fellowship and not a denomination. I may be wrong.

I believe Brother Falwell kept close ties with some in the BBFI even after he joined the SBC, in particular Dr. John Rawlings. (Now there's a fascinating preacher, one of the old-time BBF men, a real mover and shaker in the fellowship.)

 

Excellent article. :thumbs:

 

Falwell got Railroaded

I never said that Falwell was kicked out, I said that they told him, rather rudely if you ask me, not to come back and fellowship with them. You cannot be kicked out of something that you are not an offical member of. Since the BBFI does not have membership process, only show up and be active, they did not revoke any membership standing. They simply, and very wrongly IMHO did not want to associate with him any longer.

If I am not mistaken, he just quit coming to the fellowship meetings but still supported fellowship causes such as missionaries and the college. I personally think that what they did to Falwell should have been done to Sam Davidson in Oklahoma over what he actually did to the fellowship, but that is another story.