Dr. Falwell is depicted as a false Fundamentalist seeking to please his hardline Baptist wife! He allegedly pretended to believe general Fundamentalist values to keep peace at home. Thus, Dr. Falwell didn’t really believe the values he preached at Thomas Road Baptist Church and on national television. Moreover, Jerry Sr. knew he could not build a large university espousing liberal or loosey-goosey Evangelical positions, so he assumed biblical or Fundamentalist positions. Therefore, according to his wayward son, Jerry Sr. was a very successful hypocrite.

That is asinine, abominable, and far from accurate. It is also tommyrot, baloney, balderdash, and a very generous portion of hogwash. Moreover, even if it were true, why would a son purposefully try to destroy his father’s reputation? After all, Jerry Sr. gave Junior life, but also a very gracious childhood and when grown, a substantial position and financial security. Junior is not only an ingrate but a perfect example of a religious jerk.

Jerry Sr. was a faithful, strong yet gentle leader of his home, church, and Liberty University, as those who knew him better than I will contend. We know his egg-sucking son is attempting damage control since his life has been out of control for decades. The thought of Jerry Sr. permitting his wife to determine what he preached and to order him around is supercilious.

I believe the article dipped into viciousness and a defamatory attack on Dr. Falwell when it alleged: “Looking back, Jerry said his dad adopted militant stands against drinking and homosexuality to prove to his wife that he would be a conservative Christian. ‘My mother was the only reason my dad became puritanical,’ Jerry said. Jerry said his dad also knew that there was a lucrative market for such beliefs. ‘He became a different person to build a church and a school,’ Jerry said.”

How silly for him to make such a charge that Dr. Falwell taught what he did, not because it was biblical, but to satisfy his wife! Moreover, he became a Fundamentalist not because that is what Christians are supposed to be, but he knew it would be easier to sell than Liberalism or soft Evangelicalism.

First, that is an assessment by a disgraced son who has proved to be a scoundrel, a liar, a fornicator, a drunk, a hypocrite, etc., who is trying to find some redemption, not at the cross of Christ, but in the court of public opinion. Jerry Jr. said that being on the receiving end of Evangelicals’ scorn has turned him away from that movement. He said he believes in Christ, but not the church. But then he has another problem since Christ is head of the church, having died for it. No one can declare to be a Christian and disavow the true church, but the weekly gatherings of many religious people worldwide are another matter. Many of them are poor examples of a failing, cheap, three-ring religious circus.

Most churches are contemptible since falsehood is always repulsive.

Jerry Sr. made some mistakes, as even his beloved church members admit. In 1985, I heard him say, during his original announcement, that his highest goal was to have 50,000 students on Liberty Mountain. Goals are good, but the goal should have been qualified not to compromise to reach his desirable result. That was one of Dr. Falwell’s worse mistakes and some of his future decisions were corrupted by that faulty goal.

Most of my disagreements with Dr. Falwell were with his university decisions and some of his association with religious lunatics. With his supreme goal in mind, he began to appeal to an ever-expanding student pool. Not only Baptists were sought, and not only Baptist professors were hired. The narrow door was expanded to include almost any student, even homosexuals. Moreover, he hired non-Fundamentalist professors with a Ph.D. to satisfy the secular accreditation agency.

It is always organizational suicide when a Christian association permits, for whatever reason, a secular agency to sit in judgment on its purpose, policies, people, or program.

Few church people understand the problem with Christian schools that seek secular accreditation. Accreditation is always deadly to any school, as a cursory look at history will prove. I opposed these major compromises without breaking fellowship with Jerry. He didn’t lose any sleep because we disagreed since his gracious (often too gracious) attitude was very accommodating.

In 1987, he showed an eagerness to meet his goal of 50,000 students when he courted the PTL crowd following the sex scandal involving Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker. He actively sought to do a “friendly” takeover of the PTL Network. The PTL people are fine individuals but not Baptists.

I disagreed later when Liberty became a Southern Baptist-approved school in 1999 which opened the door for conservative Baptists who disapproved of the lethal liberalism in the SBC.

Furthermore, I disagreed with many of the Liberty student rules that were far too loose, in my opinion.

My other differences with Dr. Falwell are debatable. Accepting $3.5 million in 1994 from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s organization can be hotly debated.

Of course, no one questions Junior’s ability, but it seems everyone questions his discretion, honesty, morality, etc. Jerry admitted to Vanity Fair that he drank a few beers while a student at Liberty and his dad should have expelled him if he was informed.

The Vanity Fair article deals with Junior and his wife Becki’s meeting, mating, and marriage. “They fell in love. Becki dropped out of Liberty after her freshman year and got a waitressing job in Lynchburg. She stayed with Jerry in Charlottesville on her days off.” Jerry was in law school at the University of Virginia.

If words still mean what they used to mean, Jerry Junior was a fornicator while in graduate school at the University of Virginia. His church was obligated to bring him up for disciplinary action to restore him to proper godly living if and when they were aware of his actions. His church failed him and disregarded biblical teaching. His dad was his pastor at the time, and if Jerry did not seek to bring Junior under church discipline, he failed his son in that regard. If Junior had left the church membership, then his dad should have (and possibly tried) to discipline his adult, rebellious son.

I have written about various Jerry Falwell Junior’s scandals here, here, here, and here

Jerry said, “I became a true Christian in college,” but that didn’t mean he had to follow the evangelical rules. “After all, Jesus was a rule breaker too.” Evidently, Jerry did not know Christ kept biblical rules—all of them, but He did disregard some man-made rules.

Jerry is quoted as saying, “Organized religion says you have to earn your way to heaven. What Jesus said was, ‘You just have to believe,’” That is correct as far as it goes. Following one’s personal salvation experience, he is expected to live what he possesses. Jerry Junior never did that. He was a hypocrite while young, a hypocrite in middle age, and probably will die a hypocrite.

Junior is obviously a certified jerk.

The people who refuse to make any judgments will accuse me of being unloving, which is a sin; however, no one knows my motives. Love always deals in truth, never falsehood. Jerry Jr. has proved by his words and lifestyle to be a hypocrite. And frankly, a blatant hypocrite.

Although I hope not, even pray that he does not die in his present condition, that is his decision. He can’t blame that on daddy, and it is a sure thing that he won’t get to Heaven because of his name, lineage, education, baptism, or because he finished the work his father started.

Some of us will question Jerry’s salvation since Christians should live clean, dedicated lives rather than give ammunition for the enemies to use against us. As others, seeking to justify evil actions, Junior will say the Bible records major leaders who did terrible acts, such as King David. However, while David committed adultery, he did not live in adultery, and he came broken-hearted before God and wept copious tears in repentance.

Even if one is stupid enough to discount every other charge against Jerry Jr., he is obviously without discretion, which indicates immaturity. As president of the number one Christian university in the world with student behavior rules, he posted a photo on Instagram of himself with his arm around a pregnant woman with his and her shorts unzipped, and stomach exposed. He was holding what seemed to be an alcoholic drink. Becki and daughter Caroline were horrified and told him to “take it down.” But Jerry “didn’t see the big deal.”

He couldn’t see because he was blind.

Compromising photos that Jerry had taken years earlier showed Becki posing topless on a tractor, but Jerry said, “We were just playing around.” Such an attitude shows shallowness or stupidity or maybe he thought he was special.

Maybe I was wrong to call Jerry a jerk.

Make that a double jerk.

(Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives who ran a large Christian school in Indianapolis and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. Boys authored 20 books, the most recent, Reflections of a Lifetime Fundamentalist: No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets! The eBook is available at Amazon.com for $4.99. Other titles at www.cstnews.com. Follow him on Facebook at Don  Boys, Ph.D., and visit his blog. Send a request to DBoysphd@aol.com for a free subscription to his articles and click here to support  his work with a donation.)

Jerry Falwell, Jr. is proof that sometimes the apple falls far from the tree, as revealed in a recent Vanity Fair article. The article suggests he has his daddy’s name, but not his nature. He has the Falwell culture but not the Falwell character.

The apple that fell far from the tree was obviously rotten.

If Falwell had any character or self-respect or familial affection, or concern for the cause of Christ, he would climb into a deep Virginia cave and hide therein until his demise. I don’t expect Jerry to do so since he seems to think he is relevant and important. No one cares what Jerry says except the scandal sheets who delight in salacious information, especially if critical of Christians. By Jerry’s vile lifestyle, he has provided many pages of poison that intensified hatred of anything Christian.

I have written about the various Falwell scandals here, here, here, and here.

It seems without debate that Jerry did a sterling job taking control of Liberty University following his father’s death. But for him to suggest he qualifies as the reason Liberty University is one of the largest universities in the world is excessive and embarrassing crowing.

Junior only built upon a deep, solid foundation constructed of sweat, blood, tears, prayers, energy, and total commitment of his father. Without Dr. Falwell, Junior would be known as Jerry, who?

Liberty was originally called Lynchburg Baptist College, which began in 1971 and changed its name to Liberty Baptist College in 1977 and Liberty University in 1985. Liberty was founded by Dr. Falwell, with help from Dr. Elmer Towns and one of my oldest friends, Dr. Harold Willmington, who came in 1972. Dr. Towns and Dr. Willmington provided the academic respectability that Jerry did not possess since he only possessed an undergraduate degree from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri.

While Dr. Falwell lacked academic qualifications, he easily surpassed ivy league university presidents in his ability, wit, knowledge, memory, perseverance, commitment, and genuine love for students. He was one of the most gracious, genuine, as well as one of the greatest men I ever met.

And I often disagreed with him.

Following Falwell’s death in 2007, Liberty experienced spectacular growth and stability under leadership from Jerry Junior. Liberty now boasts over 700 programs from the certificate to the doctoral level ranging from medicine, biology, chemistry, and engineering to design, music, religion, law, and more.

Liberty has more than a billion-dollar endowment fund, gross assets of over 2 billion dollars, an impressive campus with 15,000 students, and a total of 100,000 students when online students are counted. Both the university and church are totally out of debt following payment of a 34-million-dollar life insurance policy on Dr. Falwell.

Liberty’s fiscal stability is impressive even for the secular world and shocking in that it was begun in a small southern city by an independent Baptist pastor with no educational credentials.

The Vanity Fair article reveals a dispute in September 2020, when Jerry and Franklin Graham argued over who should get credit for Liberty’s success. Jerry said, “My dad built the foundation, but I built the house.” Franklin furiously said, “You didn’t build it!”  Well, to put this in perspective, if the bull had not done his job, the farmer would not have any calves to count. Jerry Junior did an impressive job continuing the building on his dad’s foundation. But Junior did not possess the charisma, gravitas, discipline, and reputation to build their Christian elementary school, let alone a university, by his own effort.

Junior has a right to crow but not as the cock of the walk. He can share his daddy’s name and sit in the president’s chair, but he never filled his shoes. But he has often disgraced his name.

In the article, the younger Falwell suggests his aberrant lifestyle was not of his choosing, and it was almost forced on him, saying, “It’s almost like I didn’t have a choice.” But that has been the plea or reason for evil behavior since the beginning of time.

Everyone has a choice, and many of Junior’s were wrong.

He said, “Because of my last name, people think I’m a religious person. But I’m not. My goal was to make them realize I was not my dad.” Wow, what a confession. His goal was not to honor Christ, obey Bible commands, seek to win the world for Christ, or even to make the world a little better but to disassociate himself from the one who gave him life!

What a senseless, ungrateful, despicable jerk.

Furthermore, I will not consider any complaints from religious snowflakes about my lack of love for a brother in Christ, and I’m not sure that is possible with Junior. Even if he is a Christian, it is a sign of love to speak the truth, and the truth is—Jerry Falwell is a jerk. I’m sorry if it offends Jerry and his supporters, but he and his supporters know he is a jerk.

He said his father was not a hardline Fundamentalist at home and did not force him to attend church. But that is not true, according to my sources at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Dr. Falwell allegedly permitted Junior to own rock records and even tolerated moderate drinking. While the rock records accusation cannot be supported or denied, awareness of his drinking became known only when he was in law school at the University of Virginia.

Jerry Jr. did not qualify as president of any Christian college. My longtime friends on Liberty’s Board of Trustees, including the current president Dr. Jerry Prevo and board chairman, Dr. Tim Lee, failed when they turned the university over to him. Of course, they can plead they were doing as Dr. Falwell instructed them to do. However, I believe the control of a not-for-profit organization cannot be handed over to anyone as one might award a prize bull.

One can assume a prize bull will get the job done, but a person with the “right” ancestry should still be suspect as to character, competence, and calling before being hired for a high position.

Jerry Junior said his brother Jonathan became his mother’s favorite son. If so, that was a mistake, but with Jerry’s corrupt record of adultery, drunkenness, lying, stupid behavior, and generally vile lifestyle, I wouldn’t believe him if he swore on a stack of original 1611 KJV Bibles. Besides, my sources at the church and university tell me that Jonathan managed to have a grandchild of Jerry Sr. at their home each night following Jerry’s death. Jonathan’s thoughtfulness and kindness at such a time would endear himself to his mother.

The article drags Jerry Sr. and his family through the slime pits, and it must be remembered that Jerry Jr. has not repudiated the article, so an assumption of misquotes is not supported. The following savaging of the Falwell family is one of the most despicable, disgraceful, and dishonest attacks upon Dr. Falwell and his wife.

The Vanity Fair article reveals that Jerry Junior said his father’s much traveling provided a reprieve from an oppressive marriage. “My dad wanted to travel the world as an escape,” Jerry said. He recalled that his mother’s provincial worldview grated on his father. “She wanted to live a small-town preacher’s life. She didn’t let him mess around.” Divorce was out of the question, according to the article.

How silly. Folks at Thomas Road Baptist Church laugh at such ravings. Note the explosive words, reprieve, oppressive, escape, grated, mess around, and divorce. I am convinced either Jerry Junior or Vanity Fair (or both) was determined to deny, distort, and destroy the memory of Jerry Falwell.

The article continued, “According to Jerry, his dad found ways to take the edge off at home, even though Macel never allowed alcohol in the house. ‘Sometimes, he would drink a whole bottle of Nyquil. He called it Baptist wine,’ he remembered. Jerry [Junior] grew up to learn that he too could have a private life that didn’t align with his public persona.”

That is not the Jerry Falwell I knew from the mid-1960s to his death, nor is that reflected in the hundreds of sermons preached on national television. And the thought of Jerry drinking a bottle of Nyquil because Macel would not permit him to drink wine is so ludicrous I even laughed when I read the stupid statement.

Jerry Junior is not only a jerk but a stupid double jerk. However, God still loves him, and I am trying.

(Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives who ran a large Christian school in Indianapolis and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. Boys authored 20 books, the most recent, Reflections of a Lifetime Fundamentalist: No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets! The eBook is available at Amazon.com for $4.99. Other titles at www.cstnews.com. Follow him on Facebook at Don Boys, Ph.D., and visit his blog. Send a request to DBoysphd@aol.com for a free subscription to his articles and click here to support  his work with a donation.)