Take a Stand

By now I am sure that everyone knows that Dr. Falwell passed away today. I remember watching the The Old Time Gospel Hour as a kid growing up. I used to love watching it and listening to Dr. Falwell preach. I also remember when he began the Moral Majority. It was that which shaped the face of conservatism in the United States. He is contributed for the renewal of moral values and the voting in of Ronald Reagan (arguably the greatest president we have had in our short history as a country). He is also know for making polarizing statements. He was just one of those guys that you either loved or hated, respected or loathed. There was no middle ground when it came to feelings about him.

That is what drew me to attend Liberty University for two years (the place where I met my AWESOME wife - thanks Dr. Falwell). During my time at Liberty I saw Dr. Falwell as a guy with undying passion for people. I remember meeting him personally and then seeing him later, where he remembered me by name. When he was not traveling, I remember him being on campus a lot. I remember him sitting in the cafeteria eating with students. He attended ball games. He joked with students. I remember racing him in my car down a street in Lynchburg and getting to the stop sign (after him of course), only to see him smile and wave at me.

Many people say that he hated people opposed to his views, but what he hated was sin. I do not believe that he hated people at all. In our country that is a taboo thing. What our society says is that to love someone, you must also be willing to love the sin that they are in.

I got home tonight and watched CNN (I am not usually a CNN watcher) and Larry King was on recapping his history with Jerry. For the most part it was not all that bad. After that Anderson Cooper came on an interviewed a guy who was full of hate. He used all kinds of hateful words and basked in the fact that Dr. Falwell had passed away. At first I was pretty mad, but as I write this, I almost laugh because that was totally fitting. Dr. Falwell would have loved that.

The one thing I gleaned from my time at Liberty was that you need to take a stand. Take a stand when things are not popular. Take a stand when when it would be easier to cave. Say what you want about Dr. Falwell, but I say that he was a man who was dedicated to Christ and His kingdom, his family and his church.