Good-bye to Jerry Falwell, and THANKS!

I remember thinking, WOOOOOOWWWWW!!!! This church is really helping a lot of people. We were taken on a tour and I remember a lot of red carpet, ha ha, not sure why. Oh yeah, I also remember the gospel invitation when many came forward to receive Christ. I never could have imagined pastoring a church that would reach thousands of people. At the time, being a pastor at all was the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to get to Florida. :)

My next connection with Jerry Falwell was when he spoke at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga where I attended as a freshman. Jerry was already moving away from the harsh/legalistic fundamentalism that they represented and I heard people talking about his "compromise." How sad, I thought to myself, fearful of flying the flag of my own disillusionment with right-wing, narrow-minded, legalistic Christianity . . . what fundamentalism had become.

When I continued my education in Canada, God was deeply stirring in my heart a call to preach and I began to dream of pastoring a 'great church' that would impact many people and influence other churches for Christ. Someone gave me a copy of Jerry's book Church Aflame. It gave a first-hand account of how Thomas Road Baptist Church took off under Jerry's leadership and reached so many in Lynchburg and beyond. More than any other, that book stretched my thinking and built my faith in terms of what a church really could do to impact the community and the world.

Like most of you, I saw Jerry in the news through the years. Sometimes I agreed with him, sometimes not, but I always respected the compassion with which he treated his adversaries. Larry Flynt of Hustler magazine published a cartoon that accused Falwell of having his first sexual encounter during a drunken stupor in an outhouse with his mother. How sick!!! But how awesome to see Jerry put his arms around Flynt on Larry King Live and express his love for him and their common need for a Savior. We need a lot more of that in the face of our accusers. God help us all to follow Jerry's example. I also praise God for Jerry's unashamed and unapologetic commitment to the gospel. So few can say that anymore. He changed in the things he needed to: less strident and external in his views of Christian living, more passionate than ever about the veracity and inerrancy of Scripture, softer in relationships and stronger in his uncompromising stands on the Word of God.

I know a lot of Christian leaders who struggle with his involvement in politics. I have no answer for this and really don't even have an opinion. I know this "who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls and God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4). I have always respected Jerry Falwell.

In 2003 God used Dr. Falwell in an amazing way in the life of our church. Both of our ministries were being considered to receive a staggering gift of land and property--a provision we really needed, but also a gift that was about to go his way... You can watch a video clip of me telling the story here. All that to say, Dr. Falwell's sensitivity to the Spirit's prompting and his own generosity of spirit is remembered by our church as part of an awesome miracle God did on our behalf.

In January I went with our worship team and held a Downpour event for 10,000 Liberty students. It was an awesome time of God working powerfully, reviving the hearts of so many on that campus. (see picture here of us in the Vines Center.) During that time, Luke, Landon and I had lunch with Dr. Falwell. He was definitely "old school," but he was authentic, passionate about the work of the Kingdom, and deeply devoted to Jesus Christ even into the last weeks of his life. That's what I saw and will remember: a tireless servant of Jesus Christ.

In March I heard from many when he preached a message quoting frequently from an article I wrote on the emerging church for Christianity Today. He was in touch with current trends and concerned that a new generation of pastors would change where we can and hold fast where we cannot. Jerry Falwell did that for a lifetime. In that, he is truly exemplary. God give us such wisdom, cultural sensitivity, and uncompromising passion for the whole Word of God.

Thanks, Jerry. Thanks for carrying the banner to the best of your ability. Thanks for breaking the tape without breaking stride, and thanks for a lifetime of total commitment to Jesus Christ.

See you soon,
james