The Legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell

The death of Dr. Jerry Falwell today brings an end to one of the largest lives of our times. I have written a commentary on Dr. Falwell for “On Faith” at The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine [read here]. We will discuss Dr. Falwell’s legacy on today’s edition of The Albert Mohler Program.

An excerpt of my column:

The legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell will be debated for decades to come. Political scientists, theologians, church leaders, and historians will all have their say. Jerry Falwell would not be threatened by this analysis. He expected that some would love him for his beliefs and others would not. He was a man in constant motion, and he seemed rarely to look back. He redefined independent fundamentalism and then led his church to associate with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had experienced its own conservative redirection. He mobilized a movement of conservative Christians in America and built a massive empire.

These remain as monuments to Jerry Falwell’s leadership and vision. But, far more than these, I would look to his family. Dr. Jerry Falwell leaves a wife he dearly loved, Macel, and three children who were the pride of his life. The best testimony to Jerry Falwell the man is that his children love him and his two sons stand ready to continue what their father began. For a man who spent so much time in the public eye, this is a truly powerful legacy.

If Jerry Falwell could speak now of what he most loved about his ministry, I believe he would speak of all the achievements listed above. But, more than these, he would be thankful for those who had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through his preaching and witness — and through the multiplied witness of those trained and educated at Liberty University.