Free Republic

The ouster of Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. over allegations of sexual misconduct and other behavior that falls short of the university's code of conduct -- not to mention Scripture -- is another in a long list of lessons each generation of Christians seems to have to learn anew. In our 1999 book, "Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can't Save America," the late Dr. Edward Dobson and I -- he a former dean of students at Liberty and me for a brief time vice president of Moral Majority -- warned about the dangers we had observed when...

With the announcement of Ted Cruz's candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination and his speech at the convocation of the ultra-conservative Liberty University, the country finds itself jilted to the right on the ideological spectrum. Ted Cruz is quite the curious ideological torchbearer precisely because he is Latino. The general assumption in politics is that growing Hispanic Latino participation in politics will only mean an ideological shift to the left. This makes Ted Cruz' candidacy a welcome reminder that Latino candidates won't, for good or bad, necessarily stray from traditional American politics any time soon. The son of Cuban immigrants...

RUSH: Folks, this is a little Inside Baseball, but it's important because he who controls the language ends up winning the debate, and it might seem like a small thing, but I have learned and I have been given to understand that the "establishment Republicans" hate the term. They don't like being called "establishment Republicans," and they are trying to change the term to "establishment conservatives" and in the process co-opt the definition of "conservative" and conservatism. It's not something that you'll notice if you watch cable news or even read. You have to be able to see the stitches...

When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements—from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful)—had mixed results. Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren't anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals, from...

No matter who becomes the next president of the United States, the American people have already won a great victory – with the total disintegration of the once all-powerful religious right. Starting in 1979, when Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority, Christian conservatives have been the most powerful voting bloc in the Republican Party. (snip) Today, the religious right has splintered into as many different factions as O.J. Simpson has alibis. Unable to find one candidate who fits the bill of being both true-blue on the issues and electable, America's ayatollahs have divided their loyalties. Indeed, in some cases, they've...

This is a big one folks. In a Brody File exclusive, we've found out that Paul Weyrich, the former co-founder of The Moral Majority has endorsed Mitt Romney for President. The Brody File has the press release. Read below: Today, Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign to be our country's next President. Paul Weyrich is one of the premier leaders in the conservative movement, having founded the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council. "As he travels across the country, Governor Romney...

For months, social conservatives have viewed Fred Thompson as a Reaganesque savior in a dreary field of GOP presidential hopefuls. But the former Tennessee senator's early days on the campaign trail have left some prominent evangelicals underwhelmed. "I'm personally not that impressed," says Paul Weyrich, a veteran strategist who cofounded the Moral Majority. One sticking point: Thompson's stance on a same-sex marriage ban. On the trail, he has declined to endorse a constitutional amendment blocking gay marriage, instead backing a broader amendment that would bar states from imposing their laws on other states. "The [marriage ban] approach has been tried...

Megachurch Leader D. James Kennedy Dies By MATT SEDENSKY Wednesday, September 5, 2007 The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and megachurch pastor whose fiercely conservative worldview helped fuel the rise of the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday. He was 76. Kennedy died at his home in Fort Lauderdale, said Kristin Cole, a spokeswoman for Kennedy's Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. The cause of death has not been determined, but Kennedy had not been seen publicly he suffered cardiac arrest Dec. 28. His retirement was announced last month. Kennedy's voice and face were known to millions through...

Jerry Falwell’s passing two months ago marks the beginning of the end. As the senior leadership of evangelical America fades from the scene, they will pass the torch to a younger ministry whose views on politics and social issues are very different. The role they will play in the Republican party will determine America’s political future for years to come. Evangelical leaders of Falwell’s generation oversaw the rise of political clout for fundamentalist Christianity. They founded the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition, the American Coalition for Traditional Values, and Focus on the Family. Pat Robertson even ran for president in...

Ultimately, Jerry Falwell was a man who loved God and who loved people, one who tried to live out the greatest Commandment in his life. Comparisons have been made between Falwell and his contemporary (they both were in the spotlight in the early 1980's) President Ronald Reagan. Both men shared something in common from their early lives. They grew up in homes where their fathers were addicted to alcohol and their mothers were addicted to prayer. And they both went on to great achievement while being known as followers of Jesus Christ. Jerry Falwell's mother listened to a preacher on...

Though he was the nation's most prominent evangelist since Billy Graham, the Rev. Jerry Falwell was best known for preaching a political gospel rather than a biblical one. In that respect, Falwell - who died yesterday at age 73 - accomplished something remarkable: Along with such figures as Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed, he gave powerful political voice to a sizable community, evangelical Christians, who long felt ignored by the national political leadership. To some, this proved a mixed blessing. True, his efforts in mobilizing these voters into a political force lay the groundwork for the election of Ronald Reagan...

May God Bless and thank you Rev. Falwell I wish to thank you for your courageous, unselfish, and unyielding, life of service, to all of us, not only those of faith, but from an entire nation.. Your leadership and moral guidance through times of tumult and tragedy has raised the bar, and served as an example to all men of good will.. Your sage advice will be surely missed, and your faith in God and your fellow man has left us all in your benevolent debt..

Jerry Falwell will be remembered as a man who strongly believed in his ideas and core values and acted upon them by dedicating his life. In the days when many politicians and leaders are putting their fingers to the wind maybe some of them will look at Falwell's example.

The Rev. Jerry Falwell was found unconscious in his office Tuesday and taken to the hospital. AP and internet reports are sketchy.

Editor's note: Jay Bakker, son of former Praise The Lord leaders Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner, is minister of Revolution Church and subject of a new documentary series, "One Punk Under God," on Sundance Channel. Marc Brown is a Revolution staff member. NEW YORK (CNN) -- What the hell happened? Where did we go wrong? How was Christianity co-opted by a political party? Why are Christians supporting laws that force others to live by their standards? The answers to these questions are integral to the survival of Christianity. While the current state of Christianity might seem normal and business-as-usual...

MANY have wondered if my invitation to Senator John McCain to deliver the commencement address next Saturday to our graduating class at Liberty University represents my support for his possible run for the presidency in 2008. It does not. The senator's speech does not symbolize an endorsement of an unannounced candidacy on my part, and it does not mark the quest for such an endorsement on his part. Mr. McCain has never sought such an endorsement, and I have not offered one. To understand the significance of Mr. McCain's commencement address, it helps to understand Liberty University. Since I founded...

True Conservatives Running as Independents against Anti-Family, Anti-Life ‘Conservative’ Candidates By Terry Vanderheyden OTTAWA, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At least two conservative pro-family independents have decided to face-off with Conservatives who support same-sex “marriage” and abortion in the federal election. Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, BC, Conservative MP James Moore riled a host of conservatives after he won his seat in 2000 while claiming that he was pro-family and pro-life, then later voted in favour of the Liberal Party’s gay “marriage” legislation. Now a former member of his riding executive, Greg Watrich, is running against Moore as an independent. “There is...

Institutionally, there is no way for fundamentalism to overcome its schizophrenia. It must choose either comprehensive cultural retreat or comprehensive cultural victory, either pietism or Christendom. Three basic ideas are crucial for the success of any religious, social, intellectual, and political movement. First, the doctrine of predestination. Second, the doctrine of law. Third, the doctrine of inevitable victory. The fusion of these three ideas has led to the victories of Marxism since 1848. The Communists believe that historical forces are on their side, that Marxism-Leninism provides them with access to the laws of historical change, and that their movement must...

Due to a labour disruption, regular programming on CBC 1 and CBC 2 is unavailable at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Enough already with this %$#@ irritating apology every few minutes on CBC Radio. What, CBC, you think your listeners are so dumb that they have to be told over and over again? What an insult. Everybody knows CBC listeners are the self-proclaimed creme de la creme of the intelligentsia; if they don't know by now that their stratospherically intellectual dosages of regular programming have been deep-sixed by the labour disruption, our country is in serious trouble. Being...

The Conservatives say they won't drop the divisive same-sex issue this fall and promise to try to repeal it if they form the next government. The federal Conservatives are still committed to revisiting the controversial same-sex marriage issue when the House returns in nine weeks, even though Bill C-38 received Royal Assent last week and despite last week's public opinion poll suggesting that a majority of Canadians don't want to reopen the divisive political issue. Conservative MP Vic Toews (Provencher, Man.), his party's high-profile justice critic and a former Manitoba justice minister, told The Hill Times that the Conservatives will...