Several students from Liberty University are speaking out for the very first time about what a sleazeball Jerry Falwell Jr. truly is.
Earlier this month, Falwell posted a photo of himself with a woman who is not his wife, both with their pants undone, partying on a yacht.
Shortly after that a video from the party surfaced, prompting the Liberty Board of Trustees to issue a statement announcing Falwell would be taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from his post as president of the Christian university:
The Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately.
Now, NPR has spoken to several students currently enrolled at Liberty and it seems, with Falwell gone, they’re finally comfortable talking about how much they don’t like him, despite his efforts to paint himself out to seem like a beloved figure on campus.
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Caroline Reinhart, a senior at Liberty, calls Falwell’s party boy behavior “sad.”
“His father worked so hard to build a legacy,” she says. “One person’s actions are threatening that, and I think that’s very sad.”
The 21-year-old continues, “If what he says and does, does not demonstrate good Christian values, or what Christians say are their values, then that will affect our witness, and hurt our witness.”
Reinhart is referring to the teaching that Christians must live out their faith in a visible way to encourage others to seek salvation in Jesus Christ.
When asked about Falwell’s close affiliation with Donald Trump, Reinhart doesn’t hold back.
“I think at times he presents himself in a way that suggests that he almost sees Trump as an idol,” she says. “I think he just excuses everything that goes on, and that’s not acceptable.”
Nick Nary, also a senior at Liberty, says he hasn’t been happy with Falwell’s behavior for a long time.
“It just feels like he’s just clowning around,” Nary says. “At some point it doesn’t really feel like he acknowledges or understands the full weight of his actions.”
The 20-year-old adds that he’s concerned Falwell’s behavior might hurt his job prospects after he finishes his degree.
“If someone graduates [from] Liberty University and they’re going out to an employer and they don’t want to hire them because of Jerry Falwell Jr.’s antics,” Nary says. “I would hate that, to be associated with someone’s character, because they might have had 50 million other reasons they went to Liberty.”
And junior Isaac Liu says he was glad that Falwell was ousted as president, saying he’s “a symptom of [the problem in] the modern-day evangelical movement in America.”
“Christianity is losing cultural relevancy due to that hypocrisy,” Liu says. “I think a lot of younger evangelical Christians really notice that.”
Since losing his job at Liberty earlier this month, Falwell kept a low profile. He hasn’t issued any comment on his termination or posted anything to social media.
Related: Jerry Falwell Jr. plays while gay students suffer under his university’s conversion “therapy”
Cam
““Christianity is losing cultural relevancy due to that hypocrisy,” Liu says. “I think a lot of younger evangelical Christians really notice that.””
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Absolutely. The sheer hypocrisy of the older evangelicals, all about greed, hate, judgement, all the while breaking whichever Biblical rules they want hasn’t gone unnoticed, even by their own followers.
rocknstan
Although the Bible is effectively unreadable, I gave it and the Koran a valiant effort a few years ago–only after wanting to see for myself what I had read in the secular literature.
It’s astounding the extent to which the Bible can be used–and has been used–as a blueprint to justify slavery and ownership, in general.
rocknstan
Repression causes a plethora of social ills, the Falwells being just one example.
Any student who gets a degree from this institution should expect some cultural backlash, unless, of course he or she stays in the so-called Christian community.
I am sure that there exist many fund-raising organizations who need Liberty University-trained accountants.
Only the secular world will help save us, in particular, humanism, or “G-dless socialism.”
All of our LGBT young people should be smart enough to appreciate that only gays are hated as much as “G-dless socialists.”
James
YOU SHOULD ALSO TALK ABOUT HOW CREEPY LIBERTY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TRULY ARE.
rocknstan
A-men.
As I said in my comment, they should only expect to be hired within the so-called Christian community.
Accounting would be a good Liberty major.
WSnyder
The elephant in the room is that the Evangelicals have tied themselves at the hip to Donald Trump, a man so immoral that they can never be seen as anything but hypocritical, ever again. Trump can’t recite a single hymn [seen during HW Bush’s funeral], can’t hold a Bible correctly [as seen during that photo-op], has been rebuked by the Washington National Cathedral faith leaders for his divisive rhetoric, and has been condemned by multiple faith leaders multiple times for his actions on Family Separations at the Boarder, insensitive comments and Tweets regarding fallen National Icons [McCain, Lewis, etc], BLM, just to name the most memorable. Yeah, the Evangelicals have pretty much destroyed all credibility when they chose to align themselves with a man on the opposite end of the religious spectrum, all for the sake of promoting their extreme Right political agenda.
Oops.
linedrive
Perfectly stated. And it’s stunning that many of them fail to see it at all.
HDTex
Ultimately, it’s self-limiting, but the limit of said self-limiting is, as one always finds, about fifteen percent of the population crazy enough to be pulled in.
Or, about 45 million Americans, well over half of the number required to vote a President into office since you can’t get the kids off their butts to vote in decent numbers and most other groups are equally lazy. (138 million voted in 2016, therefore about 70 million tilted the election, 45 million is well over half).
Fool another 25 million and you have a bloc and another Donald Trump. Or worse.
Self-limiting and lacking credibility is not a problem.
rocknstan
The one true national faith in the States of Amerikka appears to be capitalism.
We’re living in its late stage now, and in its death throes, it is becoming even more violent.
Even the virus does not appear to have brought Amerikkkans any closer to adequate, single-payer healthcare.
PeteP
I think graduates should not worry about job prospects. All opportunities at Hobby Lobby will still be there regardless of Falwell’s behavior.
dhmonarch89
Falwell Junior was never religious- he just saw a way to make big money by stepping into daddy’s shoes.
Roan
Falwell’s daddy started Thomas Roads Baptist Church in an old soda pop bottling plant in a backwater hillbilly enclave. It’s built on a foundation of racism, segregation and homophobia. Not much has changed. Lynchburg is a creepy town dominated by Falwell and politics and the hundred thousand plus LU sycophants.
rocknstan
Spot-on.
And what a shame that some of my childhood friends who are now Baptists would not befriend me as a gay adult.
WBrianG
The hypocrisy of these Evangelicals is overwhelming. Another recent story that hit the news is about Liberty University spending millions to sponsor a racing car …. millions of dollars!!! Why??? If these supposed Christians truly believed their faith they’d be spending all that extra money to help the poor. Falwell and others like him draw huge unnecessary salaries that make no sense in the world we live in. So much poverty and yet they do nothing. How do Christians justify letting this happen. How do you send money to a Tele evangelist who tells you he’s blowing away the Covid virus because the power of God is within him. God gave us brains, and God also gave us science. This is such bullshit. They should all rot in hell
ScottOnEarth
Imagine that – a trump supporter who poses as a pious “Christian” but is actually a reviled, horrible, hypocritical asshole of a human being.
Heywood Jablowme
Hey kids, get with the program. Christians worship Trump now. Forget about that sandal-wearing hippie from two thousand years ago. Jesus was a LOSER! Trump likes saviors who don’t get crucified!
LegionKeign
Religiousness adherents are ALL nut-jobs. support bigotry, homophobia, sexism and pedophilia.
The very act of proclaiming your religious affiliation should be grounds to strip you of any voting rights, access to children, positions of authority and the ability to breed.
Religion is a tool of suppression and submission and has NO redeeming qualities.
Chrisk
I do make exemptions for people like my grandma and such. I’d even go to church with her. She had a childlike view of the world.
However, I’m super suspicious of most adults that wear it like some kind of badge. Never seen one yet live up to any kind of standards of Jesus. Most of their views reflect their personal bigotry.
Chrisk
Oh yeah, those Liberty students just let him have it like Susan Collins is concerned. Lol
Honestly I even have a little more respect for Jerry Fallwell Jr then any of these loony hypocrites and their fake outrage. Like someone else said. He likes the high life and no better way to that then Daddy’s inheritance.
Ginger Tom
White Christian Evangelists almost to a man or woman don’t give a s*** about Jesus because they worship Trump. They genuinely believe this man is doing God’s work. It is so far beyond stupid it makes one despair for humanity (at least for this segment) and it should be too their eternal (and I mean eternal) shame. However one thing you learn about them is that they have no shame whatsoever, in any way, shape or form.
phillycap
Falwell is creepy, but so is this crappy institution of learning and the people who choose to attend it. They have such an unhealthy approach to everything, they are in no position to judge. Falwell is just merely one of many.
woodroad34
I wonder if someone did an actual audit of that university, if they’d find anything similar to Trump U. …Birds of a Feather and all that.