To say, "I'm conflicted" about the recent news in regard to Jerry Fallwell Jr. and Liberty University is a definite understatement. I'm a graduate of Liberty Seminary. I did most of my work by driving the one-hundred miles to Lynchburg once a week. Even then--late 80s and early 90s--I had "issues" with some things the Senior Fallwell was doing. I remember a conversation I had with a classmate and Fallwell aid about Jerry Sr. taking over PTL. My friend reported that folk in the office tried to talk Jerry out if it. They were right. I attended an "I Love America" rally, and was friends with the star of the show, Robby Hiner, but I became comfortable with the position of a couple of other (former) Fallwell associates, Eddie Dobson and Cal Thomas. They state their case in a book they co-wrote, Blinded by Might. I had gotten to know Dobson, through a mutual friend. From a distance, I watched him move away from the politics-is-the-answer, position to a Gospel-centered ministry. My experience, for what it is worth, has proven Thomas and Dobson to be right. (I don't want to give the impression that Jerry Sr. and Thomas Road Baptist abandoned the Gospel. They didn't.)
Still, my experience at Liberty was a good one. Frank Schmidt, James Borland, Ron Hawkins, and Norm Giesler, are names of teachers who still stick in my mind. They were/are good guys. I never attended chapel; it was long over before a arrived for class, late in the afternoon. About my only campus experience was parking on the lot. As I recall about the only time "Jerry's" political adventures came up in class were in good-natured jokes. As a pastor well within the circle of influence of Liberty, I was glad for my over-sized neighbor (I speak of Thomas Road Baptist and Liberty, not Jerry Sr.) I saw several young people from the church I pastored go to Liberty, including my son. By and large, they had good experiences.
My conflict is further conflicted by the fact that Jerry Jr. and I have something in common. We both lead (in his case led) Christian Universities. His, one of the largest, mine, one of the smallest in the world. Let me be clear: If half of what is reported about the current scandal is true it is far beyond excuse. I'm just saying, there is a place in my heart for those who sit in the chair.
With all that said, I'm trying to learn from what is going on at my Alma Mater.
- God can use anybody He wants to use, but from our perspective down here, God's work ought to be done by God's people.
Those of us who have watched Liberty since the death of Jerry Sr. have noticed a disturbing drift. Here, I'm not talking about the move back in a political direction. I'm talking about using the metric of success as the chief measurement of whether an organization is doing the right thing. Jerry Jr.'s statements about not being a pastor, given with the implication that this allows him greater ethical freedom, is a very harmful notion. If one is not prepared to lead a Christian institution in a Christ-like manner, including by example, then one should either resign or take the word "Christian" off of the description of the institution. Hannah Anderson makes this point well. - As Paul tells Timothy and Titus (1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1) the chief qualifications for leading in the church--and I would say by extension for leading in parachurch organizations--are matters of character, not matters of expertise. By far the most important responsibility of the Board of any Christian Institution is to make sure that the executive leader is leading in a Godly fashion. I know this will sound judgmental, but (I was Board Chair before I was President, so I have some experience from which to speak.) Liberty's Board waited too long.
- Catastrophic failures--and I regard this as one--always have a personal/moral component. In this case, it is near 100%.
- As I look at all of this, among the many flaws I see in myself, I (perhaps you?) need to guard against pride. I can hear the firey whispering in my ear, "At least you didn't do that." Instead, I am working to see the snares (2 Tim. 2:26) that though baited with smaller morsels--for Jerry Jr., the bait was millions and billions, while in my realm, it is hundreds and thousands--are in reality the same deadly traps. Often those trip-wires are strung in the home rather than the office or boardroom. They are strategically placed to do the most damage.
Walk away, quietly and meekly. Make your primary, and perhaps only, focus the rebuilding of your family. Memorize this line and recite it often. "I have no comment." Forgive. Seek forgiveness. Get good counsel. Take the check for ten-and-a-half million and sign it on the back. Give it to the financial aid department to establish a scholarship in the name of the most faithful janitor at Liberty. Leave instructions that your name is never to be used in conjunction with the scholarship. Sit on the back row and listen to your brother preach. Come in five-minutes late and slip out during the final prayer. Know that I'm praying for you and for the school named on the diploma that hangs on my wall.
