Jerry Falwell Jr. is NOT His Father

 
By now you have probably seen the photo circulating on the internet of 58-year-old Jerry Falwell Jr. posing with a young woman (not his wife or daughter) with his pants unzipped.  As a result of the backlash from folks who said "How dare you when you're supposed to be an evangelical man of God?!"and a call from NC Republican Congressman Mark Walker to resign, Jerry Jr. removed the photo from his Instagram page and decided to take a leave of absence from Liberty University, where he served as President. In his defense, he did try to explain that the photo was taken out of context, saying it was taken at a "costume party" while he was on vacation and it was "just in good fun." He added, "I'm gonna try to be a good boy from here on out.  But why does he have to be good?  He is NOT his father and he doesn't pretend to be.

Jerry Falwell Sr.(born in 1933) was an ultra conservative Southern Baptist preacher who became a leading voice of the religious right movement which led to the so called Moral Majority. The organization, which formed in the late 1970's, worked hard to push through a pro-life and pro-family agenda complete with conservative judges to serve their purpose.  Falwell Sr. founded the Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967 and Liberty Baptist College (now known as Liberty University) in 1971.  Over his lifetime, he stoked fear and hatred for Muslims, gays and radical blacks.  He went to his grave (2007) as a staunch conservative and kept the door open for an even more extreme version of white evangelicalism to take shape.

Although Jerry Jr. may describe himself as an evangelical, he is NOT his father.  He is not an ordained minister and according to Senior Politics Reporter Jane Coaston, "Jerry Falwell Jr. was the beneficiary of a family legacy built on the promise of sharing the Christian faith.....a legacy which he appears to have used to benefit himself and his family."  And while he is touted in some circles as one of Donald Trump's evangelical advisors, that relationship may be more "business related instead of a relationship with Jesus Christ.  According to published reports, Jerry Jr. and his wife have been the subject of some possible illegal wheeling and dealing.  (see more:   here   )

In my opinion, it is unfair to judge Jerry Jr. based on that photo because he was always that man. He wanted us see the picture or he wouldn't have posted it on his Instagram account with more than 24k followers.  He wanted us to see his "fun side."  He wanted us to know that he can be in Trump's orbit and get away with similar behaviors because that's what white male privilege affords to him.  He also wants us to know that "all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God." 

And according to Isiah 55:7, 

"Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  Let them turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." 

Surely, he will seek that pardon from God because Trump has probably already given one.