“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)
I was saddened by the death of Jerry Falwell on Tuesday. I first began watching him on the Old Time Gospel Hour in 1984, 7 years before I came to know the Lord. I thought he spoke so boldly and with such authority back then. I still do! I did not always agree with what he said, or even how he said it, but I always agreed with what he believed. He was a warrior for Christ and left a legacy that will endure for years.
What surprised me most about Falwell’s death was how his adversaries viewed him. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton told CNN, “Though he and I debated much and disagreed often, we shared a very cordial and warm friendship. I visited him in Lynchburg, dined with him, and even talked with him during personal crises. Though we were as politically opposite as two people could be, I truly respected his commitment to his beliefs and our mutual belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Larry Flynt, founder of Hustler magazine, who was sued by Falwell over an ad parody of him, later admitted that he considered him a friend. “My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. … I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.”
Obviously, Falwell really wasn’t hard to like.
What bothered me most were the comments of those from the clergy who saw Falwell’s death as the end of an era. For example, a young pastor in Georgia said, “A great man has fallen. I don’t know we have many left that are cut out of the same cloth.”
I agree that Jerry Falwell was one of a kind, but I don’t believe we are running out of men like him. Falwell was a great one, but other great ones have gone on only to be replaced by equally great men of God. When evangelist Billy Sunday died in 1934, mourners thought it was the end of mass evangelism. Like Falwell, Sunday had given up a lucrative baseball career to preach the Gospel. He drew huge crowds often preaching against alcohol consumption. BillySunday.org estimates that Sunday preached the Gospel to over 100,000 million people. But God was already at work in anticipation that another great evangelist would be needed. In 1934, one year before Billy Sunday died, Billy Graham was saved. Graham’s website believes he has preached to over 210 million people.
We should not be so quick to give up on God. I’ll miss Jerry Falwell probably more than most of you, but every generation loses great men of God, and God always seems to bring another one along. He will this time, too. Just watch.
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