Locals recall side of Falwell overshadowed by his politics

Analysis:

This story was on the front page of the GR Press the day after Jerry Falwell died. The article sources six people all together, 3 who spoke positively of Falwell, 2 critically, and one who attempted to provide some context for Falwell’s role in the chrsitian right movement. There are numerous terms applied to Falwell, such as kind, loving, man of prayer, and “a man interested in issues of justice.” These comments are juxtaposed with 2 critical comments to give readers a sense of balance, but there is no independent information for readers to determine what kind of person Falwell was beyond opinions.

The story begins by saying “Katie Feenstra will not remember the Rev. Jerry Falwell as the televangelist who formed the Moral Majority and issued controversial statements about gays and terrorism,” but the article never explores what was so controversial about the man. Even the Calvin professor who is cited doesn’t provide readers with any details of how “Falwell’s Moral Majority was a symbolically important movement that laid the groundwork for the more politically effective Christian Coalition.” Considering the role of groups like the Moral Majority, the Press failed to provide people with any significant analysis or investigative reporting to shed light on what impact the person of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority actually had on US politics during the 80s and 90s.

Story:

Katie Feenstra will not remember the Rev. Jerry Falwell as the televangelist who formed the Moral Majority and issued controversial statements about gays and terrorism.

The Grand Rapids native and pro basketball star instead recalls Falwell as the kind chancellor of Liberty University in Virginia who honked cheerfully at students and gave them rides on rainy days.

He also regularly appeared at athletic events and encouraged Feenstra, now a WNBA player with the Detroit Shock, and her teammates.

“To us, he wasn’t this famous person. He was a simple man and a great Christian,” said Feenstra, a 2005 Liberty graduate. “I can’t say a bad word about him because he was so giving and would help students any way he could.”

Following Falwell’s sudden death Tuesday at age 73, other West Michigan residents with personal ties to the prominent preacher also spoke of a man very different from his outspoken public persona.

“There were two Jerry Falwells,” said the Rev. Ed Dobson, who served as Falwell’s right-hand man before coming to Grand Rapids’ Calvary Church in 1987. “The real Jerry Falwell was a man of deep compassion and love, a man interested in issues of justice, a man who was devoted to prayer (and) loved his own family.”

Dobson served under Falwell at Liberty as vice president of student affairs and was his associate pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church. He recalls praying with Falwell and “feeling like God was right there.”

“He was the real thing. He was no different when we were with President Reagan or (Israeli) Prime Minister (Menachem) Begin than when we were visiting an alcoholic in his home.”

Dobson, a key architect of the Moral Majority, later rejected Christian-right politicking. But he remained close to Falwell and said his movement accomplished much.

“It encouraged millions of people to get involved, to vote and try to influence the process, and that’s always good.”

Harvey Gainey, a longtime board member at Liberty University, called Falwell “a great voice for morality in America.”

“He was good at putting his foot in his mouth sometimes,” acknowledged Gainey, owner of Gainey Transportation Services. “But in reality, Dr. Falwell was a wonderful guy with a huge heart.”

Gainey credited Falwell with building “a great Christian university” of 25,000 students and a law school.

As for the Moral Majority, he said, “It at least got people to thinking that maybe we ought to think about the direction we’re heading.”

Others disagreed, saying Falwell’s political movement and moral pronouncements did more harm than good. “I value anyone whose faith puts him into the middle of the public
square,” said the Rev. David Baak, longtime director of the Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism (GRACE). “But I found him to be a polarizing figure, and felt that often he used that faith in the service of a political agenda.”

Falwell’s strong condemnations of homosexuality turned many gays from the church, said the Rev. Jim Lucas, chaplain of the support group Gays in Faith Together. “The way he spoke about gay and lesbian people did enormous harm, not only to people who are gay but to the reputation of the Christian community,” Lucas said. “Because he was so high profile, a lot of people came to see him as representing the Christian church.”

Falwell’s Moral Majority was a symbolically important movement that laid the groundwork for the more politically effective Christian Coalition, said Calvin College political scientist Corwin Smidt.

“(Falwell) became a prominent figure representing a segment of the American people and speaking on their behalf,” Smidt said. “He articulated grievances that people felt.”