Posted on 03/06/2006 6:44:47 AM PST by The Lumster
Falwells Hypocrisy
In his latest column for World Net Daily, Rev Jerry Falwell takes to task the leaders of the Evangelical Climate Initiative for accepting a grant from the liberal Hewlett Foundation. The Hewlett Foundation it seems also funds abortion rights groups such as Planned Parenthood and the U.N. Population Fund.
Much can be said about the wisdom of Evangelical leaders signing on to a scientifically unproven theory which has more to do with political ideology than it does actual science. But since Falwells criticism centers not on their environmental stand but rather their source of funding, let's take a look at some of the good reverends own sources of funds.
Like the consummate politician that he is, Falwell shows right up front that he intends to have it both ways. He begins by saying, Further, I don't believe that simply accepting money from a group that has a dissimilar agenda is intrinsically wrong.
But then he follows that up with this statement: Nevertheless, I believe it behooves Christians to be diligent in defining their relationships. Even when there is a slight and possibly undeserved appearance of wrongdoing, it is best to walk away, as the Bible instructs.
Its alright to accept money from some antichrist groups but others should be strictly off limits. Is that it? It seems the Reverends standards are a bit fungible. Of course this wont surprise anyone who is familiar with Falwells own questionable associations.
The following is taken from the book Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Buying the Right by Robert Parry
On Jan. 28, 1995, a beaming Rev. Jerry Falwell told his Good Time Gospel Hour congregation news that seemed heaven sent. The televangelist hailed two Virginia businessmen as financial saviors of debt-ridden Liberty University, the fundamentalist Christian school that Falwell had made the crown jewel of his Religious Right empire
..
Reber and Thomas earned Falwell's public gratitude by excusing the Lynchburg, Va., school of about one-half of its $73 million debt. In the late 1980s, that flood of red ink had forced Falwell to abandon his Moral Majority political organization and nearly drowned Liberty University in bankruptcy
Left unmentioned in the happy sermon was the identity of the bigger guardian angel who had been protecting Falwell's financial interests -- from a distance and without publicity. That secret benefactor was the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed South Korean messiah
..
Covertly, Moon helped bail out Liberty University through one of his front groups which funnelled $3.5 million to the Reber-Thomas Christian Heritage Foundation, the non-profit that had purchased the school's debt
The full public record strongly suggests that Falwell solicited Moon's help in bailing out Liberty University. In a lawsuit on file in the Circuit Court of Bedford County -- a community in southwestern Virginia -- two of Reber's former business associates alleged that Reber and Falwell flew to South Korea on Jan. 9, 1994, on a seven-day "secret trip" to meet "with representatives of the Unification Church."
In addition, Cornerstone Magazine has reported that in 1996 News World Communications, the parent company of the Moon controlled Washington Times, loaned Falwell $400,000 at a very favorable rate of interest.
During a 1978 interview with Esquire magazine, Jerry Falwell said this about Sun Myung Moon "Reverend Sun Myung Moon is like the plague: he exploits boys and girls, and he should be exported. [sic]"
Oh what a difference a few years and several million dollars can make.
hy·poc·ri·sy The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.
.. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12:1
Steve Lumbley 2006 www.apostasywatch.com
This article may be reproduced and distributed free of charge as long as it remains in its original form.
Jerry Falwell has been scrutinized by all sides more than any preacher I have known. He is a humblke and honorable man.
I remember the money he got from the Moonies. THere was nothing wrong with the deal. A board of pastors critical of the deal examined it and found nothing to criticize.
Rick Warren, and other evangelical leaders, last week put out a public letter calling on the US to be more environmentally friendly, putting global warming on par with abortion.
This was a mistake, IMO.
But Rick Warren was disliked by many of the posters on this board for a long time before he did that.
I could not tell you why. I always liked the guy and liked his book.
LOL Seems that someone has wasted a lot of time. This article is not going to convince any Falwell fans, and those who are not Falwell fans don't need convincing.
Surprised? Don't read much, huh?
I just did a reply to you by accident. I meant for that to be for Mr. Brightside. I will redirect it. Sorry.
I am surprised that you are surprised. Must not read much.
Personally it doesn't affect me if Warren signed a document on global warming. I don't believe in it, but apparently he feels led to sign it. A disturbing issue I've seen personally is how some pastors are chastised if they don't follow Republican talking points but those that do are given a pass many times
I try and stay away from Falwell books. Happy reading if you like them.
I didn't like it at first either.
Seemed a little too elementary. I think I started it five different times.
Warren never seemed like the heretic that some on this board make him out to be.
Of course I read his column, did you ?! This is what it said:
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I denounced an effort by a group of evangelicals who are calling on Congress to enact legislation that would cut back carbon dioxide emissions to address the alleged effects of "global warming."
I stated that the group of 86 evangelical leaders part of the Evangelical Climate Initiative, or ECI acted prematurely and needs to understand that costly efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions could devastate the American economy and would only nominally reduce global temperatures. Further, many scientists are not convinced that the planet is warming beyond normal cyclical patterns.
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And he is spot on! How can you assert that he is not speaking out against their environmental stand? That is precisely what he was doing. He also attacked them for accepting funds from this foundation, but weeks after he originally spoke against their environmental stand.
Do a google search for "Rick Warren Evangelical Climate Initiative" and you'll get plenty of information:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Rick+Warren+Evangelical+Climate+Initiative&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
My take on it -- he's a decent man who has become wealthy from the sales from his book, and now he wants to do good things with that money. I think he's just made a mistake by attaching himself to this thing.
Warren represents the most ignorant aspects of the evangelical movement. He states that doctrine is not important, but unity trumps doctrine. He says that there are NO reasons for christians to separate in spite of honest genuine doctrinal differences. He says that all should be accepted in the name of the Lord and that nothing is more important than unity.
He now is on the "global warming" kick. He is forming "evangelicals for global warming awareness" groups all over. It seems that this man can NEVER get it right.
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