Rev. Jim Wallis, on Falwell's legacy

[RevCheesehead]

This is taken from an e-mail from Sojourners. Since they didn't provide a link to a website, I'm copying the entire article.

Falwell's Legacy

I watched much of the cable television coverage of Jerry Falwell's death and legacy. And I did a lot of grimacing, in response to both the uncritical adulations of his allies (who just passed over the divisive character of much of Falwell's rhetoric), and also the ugly vitriol from some of Falwell's enemies (who attacked both his character and his faith). And there were even some who attacked all people of faith. I ended up being glad that I had passed up all the invitations to be on those shows. On the day of Rev. Jerry Falwell's death, I was content to offer a brief statement, which read:


I was saddened to learn that Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away this morning at age 73. Rev. Falwell and I met many times over the years, as the media often paired us as debate partners on issues of faith and politics. I respected his passionate commitment to his beliefs, and our shared commitment to bringing moral debate to the public square, although we didn't agree on many things. At this time, however, what matters most is our prayers for comfort and peace for his family and friends.


Two days later, I might add that Falwell, in his own way, did help to teach Christians that their faith should express itself in the public square and I am grateful for that, even if the positions Falwell took were often at great variance with my own. I spent much of my early Christian life fighting the privatizing of faith, characterized by the withdrawal of any concern for the world (so as to not be "worldly") and an exclusive focus on private matters. If God so loved the world, God must care a great deal about what happens to it and in it. Falwell agreed with that, and blew the trumpet that awakened fundamentalist Christians to engage the world with their faith and moral values. And that commitment is a good thing. Jerry and I debated often about how faith should impact public life and what all the great moral issues of our time really are.

But many conservative Christians are now also embracing poverty, HIV/AIDS, Darfur, sex trafficking, and even the war in Iraq as matters of faith and moral imperatives. It would have been nice to hear on those TV shows that Jerry Falwell, too, had moved to embrace a broader agenda than just abortion and homosexuality. Rev. Falwell, who was admittedly racist during the civil rights movement, was in later years honored by the Lynchburg NAACP for his turn-about on the issue of race, showing the famous founder of the Religious Right's capacity to grow and change. But two nights ago on television, I saw the pain on the face of gay Christian Mel White, who lamented that despite his and other's efforts, Falwell never did even moderate his strong and often inflammatory language (even if maintaining his religious convictions) against gay and lesbian people. They still feel the most wounded by the fundamentalist minister's statements; that healing has yet to be done.

Ralph Reed said that Jerry Falwell presided over the "marriage ceremony" between religious fundamentalists and the Republican Party. That's still a concern about the Religious Right for many of us, and should be a warning for the relationship of any so-called religious left with the Democrats. But perhaps in the overly partisan mistakes that Jerry Falwell made - and actually pioneered - we can all be instructed in how to forge a faith that is principled but not ideological, political but not partisan, engaged but not used. That's how the Catholic Bishops put it, and it is a better guide than the direction we got from the Moral Majority. But Falwell proclaimed a public faith, not a private one. And I am with him on that. As I like to say, God is personal, but never private. So let's pray for Jerry Falwell's family, the members of his Thomas Road Baptist Church, and all the students at his Liberty University. And let's learn from his legacy - about how and how not to best apply our faith to politics.

I think Jim's response was rather good.

Comments?

[okasha]

1. It's good to see someone

acknowledge the terrible damage Falwell did without stripping the man of his humanity. When we demonize, we absolve ourselves of any similarity to the object of our hatred. Yet at the same time we become reflections of that object. That's not good.

[dsc]

2. I hate to say it but part of me rejoiced upon hearing of Falwell's death

I know it is wrong, but I also know how much harder it is to be a gay Christian thanks to him. He repeatedly said hateful, hateful, things about gays. He said AIDS was God's judgement and that fighting AIDS was satanic. There are many, many gay souls who ended their lives early thanks to him. I am going to try to refrain from being jubilant about his death but I am not going to lecture others either.

[deutsey]

3. Yes, Jim's response is nicely done

I have to admit, I was neither sad nor happy when Falwell died. I felt he had inflicted a great deal of nastiness and harm in the name of Christianity, but I rarely if ever gloat or rejoice when someone dies.

Wallis does a good job of pointing out the good and negative lessons to be learned from Falwell's form of faith, while also calling on us to remember the human dimension of his passing: those left grieving his passing.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. He pretty much speaks my mind, but..

where I perhaps fail is in not wishing or, or revelling in, the death of anyone, even Fallwell or those much worse.

I wish something far worse for them-- a long life in which they will eventually see the error of their beliefs and live with the knowledge of the consequences.

I'm not sure that this is any less vengeful than wishing them death.