[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5587-H5590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE REVEREND JERRY FALWELL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 18, 2007, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor the memory of my
constituent and my friend, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Last week, the city of Lynchburg, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and
the entire country lost one of our dearest sons in the passing of Rev.
Falwell. Today Dr. Falwell was laid to rest. I am sad that business
here in Washington kept many of us from being able to attend today's
services, but since we were unable to attend, we have joined here
tonight to pay homage to this great leader.
Dr. Falwell's legacy is one that will not soon be forgotten. He was a
man whose strong faith and vision were unshakable. He lived his life
trying to strengthen the moral fabric of our great Nation.
In his crusade to strengthen family values, he was a frequent visitor
to Washington, DC, he led many people to the Nation's Capital to demand
that leaders here strengthen our country's moral foundation.
Jerry lived his life guided by a strong set of values and an
unshakable moral compass. He lived by example, embodying the Bible's
greatest commandments. He followed the words of Matthew 22 in his daily
life: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And
the second is like it: Love your neighbors as yourself.
Anyone who ever met Jerry Falwell knew that he took this commandment
seriously and chartered his life by it.
One thing is for sure. Whether one was viewed as a friend or foe of
Jerry Falwell, he loved them all. This love for the neighbor extended
to everyone, even those who wouldn't expect it. I had many times heard
Rev. Falwell say, ``Love the sinner, hate the sin.'' This was more than
just a catch phrase. It was a way of life.
Many people have heard of the infamous Supreme Court battle between
Jerry Falwell and Larry Flynt. But what few people didn't realize is
that Falwell and Flynt actually became friends. I know Jerry did not
approve of Mr. Flynt's business, but he separated his thoughts about
the man from Flynt's activities.
{time} 1730
To most people, Jerry Falwell is a national figure. But I also know
him as a local guy who was always giving back to his community. He was
a local preacher who worked to serve his congregation and the
community. He started his church over 50 years ago in an old bottling
factory. That small congregation has grown from 35 to the over-22,000
current members of Thomas Road Baptist Church.
Dr. Falwell, through his church, set in place many ministries to aid
the community. In 1959, he established the Elim Home to help men
dealing with chemical addictions. This home has transformed the lives
of hundreds of men and remains a place to free men of their addictions.
Additionally, Dr. Falwell helped found the Liberty Godparent
Foundation. The foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life
for unwed mothers and provide a hopeful future for unborn children. The
foundation maintains Liberty Godparent Maternity Home, which offers a
safe haven for unwed mothers, and Family Services Adoption Agency,
which helps place unwanted children in safe and stable homes. The reach
of the church has touched many thousands and extends past central
Virginia and across the United States.
The list of Jerry Falwell's many ministries and accomplishments is
nearly endless. However, many people asked him of what accomplishment
he was most proud. Without hesitation he would say, Liberty University.
This university, located in my congressional district in Lynchburg,
started as a small Baptist college. Today it has grown exponentially
and serves over 10,000 students. Washington, DC is filled with Liberty
University alumni. I have been pleased to have many Liberty University
alumni serve in my office as staff and interns. In fact, L.U. alumni
are all over Capitol Hill. I have heard them talk fondly of the
education they received at Liberty, and they refer to themselves warmly
as ``Jerry's kids.''
I have frequently been on the campus of Liberty, and they are, in
fact, Jerry's kids. He loved those kids as his own. Rev. Falwell was
very involved and engaged in university life. He always had time for
the students. He was also a fixture at school events. Jerry was
especially proud of L.U. athletics and he would, with the students,
cheer the Flames on to victory. I have even heard stories of Jerry
crowd surfing at basketball games. Students would transport him from
the bottom of the stands to the top.
There is no doubt that Liberty and the alumni that it produces will
live on as Jerry Falwell's lasting legacy. These alumni carry with them
the strong values and morals that were reinforced through their
education at Liberty. The university and its alumni will remain a
living testimony of the work and vision of Jerry Falwell.
You cannot talk about Rev. Falwell without also talking about the
town that he loved, the city of Lynchburg. Jerry, though a national
figure, never left his home in central Virginia. He led his spiritual
network out of his offices in Lynchburg. The city of Lynchburg greatly
benefited from Rev. Falwell's work. As Falwell's ministries, and
especially Liberty University flourished, so did the city. The impact
that Jerry had on Lynchburg's economy and culture is undeniable.
When word of Jerry's death came, the city of Lynchburg seemed to take
a collective gasp and was filled with shock and sorrow. The loss of
Rev. Falwell was a huge loss for Lynchburg. And today I tell the
citizens of Lynchburg that the Nation mourns with you.
When I heard of the passing of my good friend, Jerry Falwell, I was
deeply saddened. My wife, Mary Ellen, and I had the pleasure of knowing
Dr. Falwell for many years. He was a good man and made an undeniable
impression on many lives. Two hours after his death was confirmed, an
impromptu memorial service brought a standing room only crowd to Thomas
Road Baptist Church, a church that holds 6,000 people. Since then,
thousands have shown up to pay their respects, and thousands showed up
today for his funeral.
While many people mourn the death of Rev. Falwell, no one experiences
this loss harder than Jerry's family. Jerry was a devoted family man.
He was dedicated to his bride and partner of 49 years, Macel. Together
they raised three children. Jerry, Jr., Jonathan and Jeannie, who I
have no doubt will build on the great legacy that their father leaves
behind. Nothing can compare to the deep personal loss that they are
experiencing, and our thoughts and prayers and hearts are with them.
After hearing the sad news of Jerry's death, I was able to call and
offer my condolences to Macel. She shared with me how Jerry spent his
last day. I don't think she would mind me sharing with you what
happened, as I feel it fully embodies the man that Jerry was.
The night before he passed away, Macel and Jerry went out to dinner.
As they talked to their waitress, Jerry found out that she attended the
local community college. When he asked the young lady why she didn't go
to Liberty University, she told him that she had applied and been
accepted, but as a private school, it was too expensive. Jerry told her
that he would find a way
[[Page H5588]]
for her to attend Liberty. The next morning, the morning he passed
away, Rev. Falwell lived up to his word and found scholarship money for
the young waitress. It was perhaps one of the last things he did before
collapsing in his office.
This last act of charity and giving is a perfect example of the man
that Jerry Falwell was. Right up till the end of his life, he was
working to change lives.
There are many other stories like this one out there of how this
extraordinary man touched and changed ordinary lives. Rev. Jerry
Falwell was a loving and caring man. He led his life guided by strong
convictions. He left an unquestionable impression on our country.
I will greatly miss my friend. I pray for his family and his
congregation, and I join the Nation in mourning this great spiritual
leader.
Mr. Speaker, at this time it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks).
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, sometimes when a man affects the
world as much as Jerry Falwell does, there are all kinds of things that
are said, both by those who remember him in different ways, and I,
today, would like to just point out some basics about Jerry Falwell. I
had the privilege of knowing him many years ago, and sometimes I wonder
how many of us are in this place because Jerry Falwell lived and did
what he did.
But just to recap some of the basics, Mr. Speaker, Jerry Falwell was
born in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Helen and Carey Hezekiah Falwell. He
married the former Macel Pate on April 12, 1958. He had two sons,
Jerry, Jr., Jonathan, and one daughter, Jeannie.
The church that Jerry Falwell first started was in an abandoned
bottling plant in 1956, and it grew into a ministry giant that includes
the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the Old Time Gospel Hour
carried on television stations across the Nation, and the nearly 8,000-
student Liberty University founded in Lynchburg in 1971.
He built Christian elementary schools. He built homes for unwed
mothers and a home for alcoholics. Through these venues, Jerry's legacy
lives on in the lives of thousands of young adults whom he called
champions for Christ. And they were American patriots in his heart as
well.
Jerry Falwell launched the Moral Majority in 1979, and its purpose
was to transform a politically sleeping Christian evangelical universe
into a force to transform and preserve the very soul of America. It
grew into a 6.5-million-member organization and raised nearly $70
million, as it supported conservative candidates and campaigned to
protect innocent human life, to work against the debasing of life and
pornography and to fight for the religious freedom of students to pray
in schools.
After a decade of catalyzing a wave of conservatism that culminated
in the election and the reelection of one Ronald Reagan, Jerry
disbanded the Moral Majority, saying, ``Our mission is accomplished.''
Today, Mr. Speaker, approximately one of every four American voters
is a Christian evangelical; and one in four American citizens, those
that were the ones that Jerry helped awaken.
Not so long ago he said, what we've worked on for nearly 30 years
ago, to mobilize people of faith and value in this country, and what
we've done in those years is coming to a culmination.
The Pew Research Institute, a senior fellow there, John Green, to
paraphrase him, he said, Falwell changed the way that evangelicals
think about their political responsibility.
But it was one of Jerry's friends and colleagues, I think, Mr.
Speaker, that put it the very best. His name was Chuck Baldwin. He
spoke the following words in tribute, which I think sum up the legacy
of Jerry Falwell. He said, ``America has lost a seasoned patriot.
Thomas Road Baptist Church has lost a faithful and dedicated pastor.
Liberty University has lost a visionary chancellor. The Church of
Christ, collectively, has lost a dynamic preacher of the gospel. The
Falwell family has lost a loving husband and father. And thousands of
people, such as me, have lost a hero, mentor and friend. No matter what
his enemies say, America is a better place because of Jerry Falwell.
And those of us who were privileged to personally know him will never
forget him.''
Mr. Speaker, it is hard to add to those words. But just in the way
that I could, I would simply say this, that Jerry Falwell was a man who
loved God, who loved his country, who loved his family and who loved
humanity. And more than we all realize, we are very blessed that he
came our way. And now that he has stepped over the threshold of
eternity, he has found a welcome place. He has looked into the eyes of
his Saviour and heard those eternal words of victory, ``Well done, thou
good and faithful servant.''
Mr. GOODLATTE. I thank the gentleman for his very kind and thoughtful
words.
And now I'd like to turn to the gentleman from Virginia, Congressman
Goode. Virgil Goode and I have the honor of representing central
Virginia and share many of the members of Thomas Road Baptist Church. I
have the City of Lynchburg and part of Bedford County and Amherst
County in my district, and Virgil has Appomattox County and Campbell
County and the remainder of Bedford. And we've both had the opportunity
to work with Reverend Falwell on many, many occasions. And it's my
pleasure to yield now to the gentleman for his words.
Mr. GOODE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Roanoke
for arranging this special order. I rise tonight to pay homage to Dr.
Jerry Falwell, whose funeral and visitation drew tens of thousands to
Lynchburg, Virginia, this past weekend and today.
Jerry Falwell was a native of Lynchburg, which is next to the Fifth
District, which I have the honor of representing. A devout Christian,
Dr. Falwell began his first church 51 years ago, with 35 parishioners.
In 3 years the congregation had grown to 800. During part of this
period, Dr. Falwell ran buses throughout this region and south to the
North Carolina line to bring persons to services.
Today, Thomas Road Baptist Church welcomes thousands to its sanctuary
and all related services. The services and activities offered by Thomas
Road are important to citizens of Lynchburg and to many nearby
counties, including Campbell and Bedford and Appomattox, which are in
the Fifth District. His broadcast ministry has touched millions all
around the globe.
Dr. Falwell remarked in an interview 2 years ago that his mission
remained the same, to train young champions for Christ. That training
has extended well beyond the church.
Having an equally important impact on this area of Central Virginia
is Liberty University. It is the product of Dr. Falwell's decision to
launch Liberty Baptist College in 1971. This school has grown into a
major university with an enrollment in excess of 10,000.
{time} 1745
And projections are its distance-learning programs may reach 25,000
students in a few years. It offers 71 majors and specializations and
boasts a growing law school. Liberty University is a significant
contributor to the economy of Lynchburg and the surrounding area.
And while Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University may be
considered the pillars of a legacy that will endure for generations, an
equally important contribution was Dr. Falwell's determined spirit and
unrelenting belief that Christians should stand forth proudly and be
integral parts of all of American life.
To that end he urged all to be involved politically and to press
those who would seek elective office to subscribe to strong moral
principles as the guiding light of this Nation. Today we hear the
candidates for national office professing their faith and its
importance in their lives. This is due, in no small measure, to the
trail blazed by Dr. Jerry Falwell.
To thousands in central Virginia, he was simply known as Jerry, and
those individuals will sadly miss their friend, pastor, and mentor.
To his wife, Macel; and his children, Jerry Jr., Jonathan, and
Jeanie; and to all in the Falwell family, my heartfelt sympathies are
extended, and may God bless them during this time of sorrow.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
And it is now my pleasure to yield to another representative from
Virginia, Congressman Eric Cantor, the chief deputy whip from the
Richmond area, who I knew not too long ago stopped
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off in Lynchburg and had the opportunity to spend some time with
Reverend Falwell.
I yield to the gentleman.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend from
Virginia, for yielding.
I, too, rise this evening to pay tribute to a fellow Virginian and a
great leader in America's conservative movement.
Dr. Jerry Falwell made his mark as an outspoken, passionate advocate
for conservative causes. More than any other 20th century Virginian,
Jerry Falwell's passion and convictions sparked a new generation of
grassroots activism.
Recently, as my friend from the Sixth District noted, I visited with
Dr. Falwell in his office on the campus of his beloved Liberty
University. During that visit, I gleaned a little more and had gained a
little more insight into this impressive public figure.
Jerry Falwell, a man of faith, was a pastor who loved his
congregation. He was chancellor of a growing university, a place that
began just as a vision, but one that he built into a thriving reality
that has become a major educational and economic force in Virginia.
Jerry Falwell was a husband, father, and grandfather who actively
engaged in the affairs of this Nation because he, like all of us,
wanted to leave behind a country better, more hopeful, and filled with
greater opportunity than even the one he inherited from his parents.
The people of the Commonwealth of Virginia have lost a son and the
American people a true patriot.
To his family, I extend my deepest sympathy during this time of
sorrow.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.
We will be joined shortly by another speaker, but before we are, let
me tell a little bit more about Dr. Falwell.
At the age of 22, having just graduated from college in June of 1956,
Jerry Falwell returned to his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, and
started Thomas Road Baptist Church with just 35 members. The offering
that first Sunday totaled $135. Falwell often said about that first
collection, ``We thought we had conquered the world.'' Today Thomas
Road has over 22,000 members, and the total annual revenues of all of
the Jerry Falwell ministries total over $200 million.
Within weeks of founding his new church in 1956, Falwell began the
Old-Time Gospel Hour, a daily local radio ministry and a weekly local
television ministry. Nearly five decades later, this Old-Time Gospel
Hour is now seen and heard in every American home and on every
continent except Antarctica. Through the years, over 3 million persons
have communicated to the Falwell ministries that they have received
Christ as Lord and Savior as a result of this radio and television
ministry.
In 1967, Falwell implemented his vision to build a Christian
educational system for evangelical youth. He began with the creation of
Lynchburg Christian Academy, a Christ-centered, academically excellent,
fully accredited Christian day school providing kindergarten,
elementary, and high school. In 1971, Liberty University was founded.
Today, over 21,500 students from 50 States and 80 nations attend this
accredited liberal arts Christian university. Falwell's dream has
become a reality. A preschool child can now enter the school system at
age 3 and, 20 or more years later, leave the same campus with a Ph.D.,
without ever sitting in a classroom where the teacher was not a
Christian.
Falwell is also publisher of the National Liberty Journal, a monthly
newspaper which is read by over 200,000 pastors and Christian workers;
and the Falwell Confidential, a weekly e-mail newsletter to over
500,000 pastors and Christian activists.
In June of 1979, Falwell organized the Moral Majority, a conservative
political lobbying movement, which the press soon dubbed the
``Religious Right.'' During the first 2 years of its existence, the
Moral Majority attracted over 100,000 pastors, priests, and rabbis and
nearly 7 million religious conservatives who mobilized as a pro-life,
pro-family, pro-Israel, and pro-strong-national-defense organization.
The Moral Majority supported California Governor Ronald Reagan as their
candidate for President in 1980, registered millions of new voters, and
set about to inform and activate a sleeping giant: 80 million Americans
committed to faith, family, and moral values.
With the impetus of the newly organized Moral Majority, millions of
people of faith voted for the first time in 1980 and helped Ronald
Reagan be elected President, and many conservative Congressmen and
Senators.
Since 1979, about 30 percent of the American electorate has been
identified by media polls as the ``Religious Right.'' Most recent major
media surveys have acknowledged that these ``faith and values'' voters
reelected George W. Bush in November 2004.
Though perhaps better known outside Lynchburg for political activism,
Jerry Falwell's personal schedule confirms his passion for being a
pastor and a Christian educator. He often states that his heartbeat is
for training young people for every walk of life.
Falwell and his wife of 49 years Macel have three grown children and
eight grandchildren.
While we continue to await for our next speaker, let me read from a
report in the Lynchburg News & Advance from last Tuesday:
``Jerry Falwell was born in 1933 in Lynchburg and lived here all his
life. He married Macel Pate of Lynchburg in 1958. They had three
children: Jerry Falwell, Jr., an attorney who represents the Falwell
ministries and is vice chancellor of Liberty University; Jeannie
Falwell Savas, a Richmond surgeon; and Jonathan Falwell, the executive
pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
``Falwell founded Thomas Road in 1956 in an old soft drink bottling
plant after graduating from Baptist Bible College in Springfield,
Missouri. That same year he started his weekly television broadcast,
the Old-Time Gospel Hour.
``The church moved into a 3,200-seat sanctuary on Thomas Road in the
Fort Hill area in 1970, with services broadcast around the world.
Falwell founded Liberty University, then known as Lynchburg Baptist
College, in 1971. He always hoped the school would be one of his
lasting legacies.
``He started the Moral Majority, Incorporated, in 1979, conducting `I
love America' rallies at 44 State capitals.
``The rise of the Moral Majority coincided with the Reagan
Presidency, and Falwell rose to national prominence as well.''
Falwell and his ministries faced many challenges through the years.
``In the late 1990s, Falwell reemerged on the national stage in a
flurry of television appearances,'' a series of changes to his
ministries, ``but Falwell gave up campaigning for politicians as he did
for President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. `I don't plan ever to get
back into the Moral Majority-type work,' he said in a 1998 interview.
`What I did I did because I felt led to do it then, and I'm glad I did
it . . . My thing now is a nonpartisan Biblical approach to moral and
social issues.' ''
Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield to the Republican whip,
the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt). I am very pleased to have his
presence as we commemorate the life of Reverend Jerry Falwell.
Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I thank the gentleman also for putting this time together today so
that we could talk about the incredible, remarkable life of Rev. Jerry
Falwell, a man who never apologized for his spiritual beliefs, who
never wavered in his commitment to furthering the dialogue of faith and
family in America.
Jerry Falwell was a native son of Virginia, the senior pastor of one
of its most prominent and well-attended churches, and the founder of a
Christian college in Lynchburg that started its enrollment with 154
students in 1971 and today has over 20,000 students.
Along the way, Rev. Falwell honed his leadership skills and pursued
his academic study. In Springfield, Missouri, the town I live in now
and I am pleased to represent it in Congress, he transferred there as a
sophomore to Baptist Bible College. He later graduated from that school
in 1956 with a degree in theology.
And the first time I met Rev. Falwell was when he returned to
Springfield. I was a county official at the time, and I had begun to
watch him on television. And unlike so many other
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television pastors, watching Rev. Falwell was like you were right there
in the church service because it was a church service. And I remember
the growth of the church as you could watch it on that late Sunday
night broadcast that I happened to watch on Sunday evening. I remember
when they started moving the church, they had a song that was something
like ``I Want That Mountain,'' the site on which Rev. Falwell and the
church had decided they wanted to grow the church and eventually the
school. And watching his incredible faith and what he was doing, his
unflagging determination to spread the Gospel, his ability to use the
communication tools available to him in ways that others hadn't, but in
ways that his growing congregation were totally comfortable with, in
ways, in fact, that didn't compete with what he was doing every Sunday
morning and every Sunday night at the Thomas Road Baptist Church.
{time} 1800
He left Missouri in the mid-1950s with a renewed commitment to the
power of ideas, ideas about the importance of spirituality and public
life, ideas that promoted the family, ideas about the protection of
human life at all stages of development. And for 50 years, for half a
century, his mission was a mission of defending those ideas.
It would give rise to a movement of citizen activists in evangelical
Christianity that, frankly, for the previous 50 years in many ways had
been intentionally removing itself from the civic and political
process, with a focus on what was going to happen after we were here,
rather than also being focused on the world we live in. He never lost
sight of his mission.
He was a man of purpose, not a man of things, it appeared to me.
Whenever he applied that purpose to improve the conditions of the world
around him, it made a difference. The time and energy he devoted to his
once small college, in fact, once just his idea of a college, became
one of our larger universities. It's a great example.
The church he started, the Thomas Road Baptist Church, which he
started in 1956 in a bottling plant with a congregation of 35 people,
now is a church of nearly 25,000 members. But his achievements weren't
only building a church and building a school, he was deeply concerned
about the moral direction of this country, and worked hard to ensure
that people of faith were part of the national dialogue, part of a way
of changing who we were for the better.
His lifelong pursuit of truth was not a casual affair nor was his
commitment to a way of life and learning that acknowledged the lessons
of the past and applied those experiences to building a better future.
Earlier this afternoon, parishioners of the Thomas Road Baptist
Church and people from all over the country and all over the world
gathered in Lynchburg to pay a final tribute to their pastor, their
friend, a leader that they respected.
Tonight, I would like to join my good friend, Mr. Goodlatte, and
others and use this opportunity to pay my final respects to a person
who clearly was a leader. He was a teacher, he was a father and a
husband, and above all other things, he was an untiring messenger of
the good news and the eternal hope of our Lord.
I want to thank my friend for organizing this time tonight and for
giving me the time to join you.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Well, I thank the whip for joining us in this special
tribute to Reverend Jerry Falwell.
I must tell you that the mountain you refer to, which is Chandler
Mountain in Lynchburg, was acquired by Liberty University. You can see
the university growing up the sides of that mountain now. In fact, they
now have a big ``LU'' planted in trees near the top of the mountain.
Jerry Falwell climbed many mountains, and he leaves behind a legacy
not only of building an outstanding educational organization and an
outstanding church, but more importantly, he leaves behind the people
who make that church and that university strong and growing, led by his
children, who will carry on his legacy and reach out to many, many more
throughout our country and throughout the world.
I close this special order with a moment of silence, acknowledging
the life and work of my constituent and my friend, the late Rev. Jerry
Falwell.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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