Jerry Falwell Jr Has Been Placed on Indefinite Leave of Absence as President of Liberty University. What’s This About a Pattern of Behavior?

“The journalists have obviously failed to capture my innate magnetism, humor, and charisma, and they all need to be fired from their newspapers right away” Alexei Sayle


Well, that didn’t take long. Looks like Falwell Jr.’s antics have finally gotten the attention of the Board of Trustees. In my last post, I took some time to outline Falwell’s history with racy photos.Jerry Falwell Jr’s Alleged History With Other Racy Photos Along With the Pool Boy Episode and the Alleged Hiring of THAT Micheal Cohen to Make It Go Away.

In the post I discussed:

  • Racy photos
  • His arm around his wife’s pregnant assistant seemed to be a bit too close to her breasts.
  • Allegedly hiring the infamous Michael Cohen to get rid of racy photos in the past.
  • The pool boy debacle
  • That he seemed to be slurring his words in his radio interview

I suggested that thee students dress up like Falwell and the *babe* on the first day of classes.

He has just been placed on an indefinite leave of absence.

According to Raw Story in Liberty University tells Jerry Falwell Jr. to ‘take an indefinite leave of absence’

On Friday, the board of the University encouraged Falwell to step down entirely.

“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,” the statement said, in part, according to CNN’s Jim Acosta.

A Republican lawmaker, Mark Walter, claims that this is behavior that has been going for several years.

In my post, I suggested that there was a pattern of behavior by Falwell. Republican Rep. Mark Walker from North Carolina suggested he step down as well. Again from Raw Story: Republican suggests Jerry Falwell Jr. step down from Liberty University after sexy photo: ‘We can’t look the other way

But there’s a pattern of behavior not becoming to what the school’s code of conduct is. On the property itself, his brother Jonathan Falwell pastors one of the largest churches in the country, a church that his father Jerry Sr. founded. And I believe this behavior has become troubling and I believe, whether it’s a leave of absence or stepping down, I believe his behavior, the pattern of it, has warranted this. Even if you listen to his comments on the radio show, he apologized for embarrassing the young. But he didn’t apologize to the thousands of alumni, the students, faculty, and many others who hold Liberty University in high esteem.”

…this is a pattern that has been going on for the past two to three years.

Here is a video in which Walker is calling on Falwell to resign.

Lots to talk about.

Comments

Jerry Falwell Jr Has Been Placed on Indefinite Leave of Absence as President of Liberty University. What’s This About a Pattern of Behavior? — 169 Comments

  1. I am not so certain this will result in him leaving completely. I think it’s as likely as anything else that they will let things die down, and then bring him back like nothing ever happened. There’s too much money at stake for him to back down so easily and he has friends in high places.

  2. ishy,

    And let’s face it, ishy, women who get raped are more likely to be kicked out of such schools for making a fuss than college leaders who perpetrate this disgusting hyper masculine behavior.

  3. Bridget,

    I am not sure it is hyper masculine….. this whole trailer park boys stuff is just bizarre … a “college” president acting out traiker park boys, and then tweeting out a photo like that HIMSELF?..

  4. Is this a leave with pay or without? One is just an extended paid vacation until the heat is off. Call me cynical, but I expect his return within a few months with the same huge income, but no longer as the obvious public face of Liberty U. They’ll put someone else as the public figurehead, but JF jr. still have control. He won’t let go without a bloody fight.

  5. This goes totally against what I had pumped into every vein and cell when I was an evangelical is to totally rejoice, mock, belittle, retaliate, taunt etc. when a perceived or actual adversary falls. It was old home week. I cant stand JF jr, in fact I literally loath his persana but being the degenerate that I am I am concerned for him, he did not sound well in that interview. Thats not very “loving” of be but if I was in his life I would tell him to get help. This is most likely demonic of me but just imagine if he came back in another roll fully restored and changed how that would encourage others. Again that is an evil wish but it is what it is.

  6. “A Republican lawmaker, Mark Walter, claims that this is behavior that has been going for several years.”

    Driscoll’s bad behavior went on for several years … Hybels’ bad behavior went on for several years … MacDonald’s bad behavior went on for several years, etc. etc.

    There is a systemic problem in mega-mania and the celebrity Christian bubble which enables bad-boy leaders to escape accountability. They wouldn’t get away with misbehaving for so long if they weren’t surrounded by yes-men elders and trustee boards who prop them up because they are bringing in bucks, expanding the brand, good for the movement, or other such nonsense. Lost folks love it when the church messes up like this, the precious name of Jesus is mocked, the world says there’s nothing to it.

  7. Dee maybe you could contact the board and ask them if his leave is permanent never to return? Also ask if this is leave without being paid? I think if they are forced to respond to direct questions we will get our answer. They will either say no he’s not returning ever or getting paid or they will become dodgy and not give a definitive answer or even not respond. If they don’t give a direct response then that would be a huge story across the board. Just saying!

  8. It would be refreshing if occasionally a board made up of Christian men did what the secular world does, Fire people. No way Falwell would have survived at a secular business or institution.
    after what he did.
    Secondly, I agree with my neighbors comment up above, I think he needs help of some sort. He sounded slurred on the radio show, wonder if he has an addiction of some sort.

  9. I tend to agree with ishy. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Jerry Provo released this:

    “In the 13 years that Jerry Falwell, Jr. has served as president of Liberty University, Liberty has experienced unprecedented success, not only academically and financially, with a world-class campus, but also spiritually. As we enter our 50th Anniversary year, we have been blessed to grow to a record 120,000 students, both residential and online, and continue to fulfill our founder’s mission to Train Champions for Christ across the world.

    Unfortunately, with this success and the burdens of leading a large and growing organization comes substantial pressure. Today, my colleagues and I on the Liberty University Board of Trustees and Jerry mutually agreed that it would be good for him to take an indefinite leave of absence. This was a decision that was not made lightly, and which factored the interests and concerns of everyone in the LU community, including students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, leaders of the Church, as well as the Falwell family.

    To support Jerry through this period, we ask that our entire community lift him up in prayer so he may be able to fulfill God’s purpose for him and for Liberty University.”

  10. I think Falwell has much bigger fish in the skillet than a racy photo.
    The Justice Dept. will probably launch an investigation into possible financial malfeasance.

  11. dee: He’s worth $100 million. The salary as president is peanuts to him.

    Where did his money come from? Daddy? Books?

    Certainly not from working.

  12. Muff Potter: I think Falwell has much bigger fish in the skillet than a racy photo.
    The Justice Dept. will probably launch an investigation into possible financial malfeasance.

    Money $henanigan$, I’m pretty sure. If I were the Board, I would be asking hard questions about that NASCAR sponsorship, which runs into the mid-seven figures a year. I get having to advertise, I just question whether plastering your name all over a stock car is the way to do it. I’m sure there are other things as well. That said, it’s much more likely that the state in which LU is chartered (VA?) will take a closer look, rather than the Justice Department, unless perhaps there are some interstate $henanigan$.

  13. Brian,

    What a deep and merciful comment.

    I don’t know what else to say right now, but wanted to thank you for what you wrote.

  14. Max: Lost folks love it when the church messes up like this, the precious name of Jesus is mocked, the world says there’s nothing to it.

    In some ways I agree, Max. If you asked random Americans to name famous Christians, how many nutty TV preachers and charlatans would they come up with?

    I’m not sure I agree that lost folks love it. Yes, there is some “I told you so” among non-Christians, but many of them were already frustrated that Christians throw so much support behind people who turn out to be flawed and deeply dishonest.

    Preachers who pridefully refuse to follow covid-19 health guidelines and emergency orders are severely damaging the reputation of Christianity. Jerry Falwell Jr was criticized earlier this year for reopening campus with inadequate safety for students. Non-Christians see the harm.

  15. Max: They wouldn’t get away with misbehaving for so long if they weren’t surrounded by yes-men elders and trustee boards who prop them up because they are bringing in bucks, expanding the brand, good for the movement, or other such nonsense.

    “I divide humanity into five categories: there are the real men, the half men, little men, … forgive me, the goons, and chickens or ducks, quack, quack, quack.” – Don Mariano.

    “The Day of the Owl”, novel by Leonardo Sciascia, film directed by Damiano Damiani.

  16. Chuck: It would be refreshing if occasionally a board made up of Christian men did what the secular world does, Fire people.

    Yes, sometimes the secular world does the right thing. However, sometimes they don’t – or it takes decades, if ever, i.e., Weinstein.

  17. Friend:
    Brian,

    What a deep and merciful comment.

    I don’t know what else to say right now, but wanted to thank you for what you wrote.

    I need His mercy daily, no secondly, I still have not figured out why that so engrages the evangelical camp, it does, it seems the worst sin one can commit is to actually desperately need the Lord Jesus. I still cant seem to figure that out. I don’t want to. I believe JF jr struggles with substance issues, we can spot each other. I could be wrong, I’m not but I could be. In the meetings we just accept each other, it is what we do to our fellow stumblers. That also enrages the evangelical industry. I struggled with self medication b/c I have three blown lower back discs, hands that are eaten alive from arthritis and tendon damage and a virus that is eating my eye out of its socket. Its hard to go from seeing ok to not seeing at all from time to time. Not said for sympathy I DONT WANT IT. Maybe just some understanding as to why I struggle.

  18. ishy: ishy on Fri Aug 07, 2020 at 09:08 PM said:
    I am not so certain this will result in him leaving completely. I think it’s as likely as anything else that they will let things die down, and then bring him back like nothing ever happened. There’s too much money at stake for him to back down so easily and he has friends in high places.

    That would be my guess also. I am sure the board is going to see what happens as attention to this dies down and respond accordingly. Only if there is a lot of pressure will Falwell be forced out permanently. Maybe if contributions or enrollment is threatened they will take action.

  19. The megadonors will likely dictate the decision, as they are the ones invested in this business (notice I didn’t say ‘school’). Liberty, like the megadonor who originally paid for this school, the Liberty Group, is primarily a real estate operation; they lost the son of that founding megadonor, Mark DeMoss, over l’affaire Trump. That wasn’t enough then to effect any change at all.

  20. Steve240: Maybe if contributions or enrollment is threatened they will take action.

    I’ve heard from some inside sources that enrollment is already way down, though some of that may be because of covid. A lot of people tried to switch to online, but LU put some roadblocks up for those students, because it means a huge loss to the money that comes from on-campus living.

    But the board is filled with Junior’s people and has consistently made decisions which benefit Junior and his friends more than the school (like allowing a huge land sale to a personal trainer with no payment).

    We saw the same things at Masters when it became clear that the leadership was more concerned with nepotism than the education of students.

  21. ishy,

    In sharp contrast, the state school where I teach has suggested that students with adequate tech resources stay at home this Fall and has waived the freshmen on-campus residency requirement to encourage them to do so. So sad when Christian institutions lag, rather than lead.

  22. ishy,

    Just another example (s) of “Christian leaders” playing the pew peons as the fool…. the more that I read at TWW, and the more I reflect on my life associated with American Churches, the more I clearly see genuine, humble servants, and “the others”. To me, this really is the core issue, pew peons need to learn “discernment”. Without sheeple, pew peons, these grifters would have to practice their skills on others…

    There is no way in h@&& people should be getting ridiculously rich off higher education, ESPECIALLY off of tuition paying students/parents at a CHRISTIAN school!

  23. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    PS…. how can Jerry Falwell Jr, if Dee is correct, be worth $100 million?? Doing what? I am not aware of any secular humanist University President, or high up administrator, worth $100 million, and worth that much from milking higher ed?? If you all know someone that is, please tell!
    In contrast, I know of very famous Biochemist, from who I took a great class, who was one of the heirs to the Levi Strauss fortune. He anonymously donated ( obviously not to anonymous since I know about it) LARGE amounts to U.C. BERKELEY…. he could have lived the playboy life ( like Jr.)….. instead he was a hard working scholar/educator his whole life…. oh, and I think he was a secular Jew, but I might wrong… why is it that Fundamentalist and evangelical are under so much “stress” that they “fall”, yet secular humanist don’t?..

  24. EricL: I expect his return within a few months with the same huge income,

    He’s worth $100 million now. He’s no longer dependent on a salary.

  25. Marilyn Johnson: In sharp contrast, the state school where I teach has suggested that students with adequate tech resources stay at home this Fall and has waived the freshmen on-campus residency requirement to encourage them to do so. So sad when Christian institutions lag, rather than lead.

    Unfortunately, that did not happen in my state. It just came out that the private company contracted to run dorms at 9 of the state schools sent a somewhat threatening letter to insist dorm occupancy not be down. Though students don’t have to comply with the universities by living in the dorms or even continuing to attend that school.

    https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/07/housing-developer-reminded-universities-about-project-debt-they-mulled-fall-plans

  26. Brian: if I was in his life I would tell him to get help. This is most likely demonic of me but just imagine if he came back in another roll fully restored and changed how that would encourage others. Again that is an evil wish but it is what it is.

    [From your other comment] …the worst sin one can commit is to actually desperately need the Lord Jesus. I still cant seem to figure that out.

    An old forgotten American custom was for people who disgraced themselves to remove themselves from polite society. This showed real remorse, and spared their families and friends the pain and dirty work of having to shun them.

    A little history. Jerry Falwell Jr was raised in an environment that thrived on racial tension. In the late 1950s, Virginia politicians used the law to close public schools instead of integrating them. Private segregation academies, often called Christian schools, admitted white students whose parents could afford to pay. Everybody else in the affected school districts went without K-12 education until the courts forced the reopening of schools. (Google “massive resistance” if you’re curious.)

    During this time, Jerry Falwell Sr worked actively to keep Virginia’s schools segregated. He founded the whites-only Lynchburg Academy in 1967. Of course, Jerry Falwell Jr attended Lynchburg Academy (now Liberty Academy).

    What does a powerful and flawed $100 million man need? What does he owe to Liberty U and to society? He can’t redo his childhood, removing the racism and lack of accountability.

    But he can disappear. He can issue a real apology, enter rehab if needed, and then live a quiet and useful life. He can live in a two-bedroom apartment in Nowheresville. He can brew the coffee at AA. He can make big, anonymous donations to charity. He can decline to write a self-serving memoir. He can refrain from making a comeback tour and returning to Liberty.

    He can atone. Quietly.

  27. dee: He’s worth $100 million. The salary as president is peanuts to him.

    Yep … power, fame and family legacy are probably more important to him at this point than fortune – he doesn’t need a stimulus or unemployment check from the government. The hit to his ego must be tormenting him … right where the enemy of the church led him.

  28. dee: I think he is going to be fired.

    … with a lucrative severance package, I’m sure. The LU Board of Trustees could have saved the church at large a lot of grief if they had done the right thing with Mr. Falwell years ago. His poor Christian character and leadership flaws were well known.

  29. Max: Yeah, we saw some of them in the pics of “low places.”

    On a trip to Asia, my in-laws stayed at a beachfront hotel. There in the sand was a wrecked boat that Vietnamese refugees had used to escape their homeland.

    The hotel guests were invited to take their cocktails aboard and play “boat people.”

    I don’t care if Falwell really was carrying a glass of water. He was mocking the poor and unsophisticated. They all were.

  30. ishy: will let things die down, and then bring him back like nothing ever happened

    A possibility, but not a positively, I suppose. Other scoundrels have returned to ministry after laying low for awhile. If/when he makes a comeback, there most likely will be a show of false humility, crying without tears, finely-crafted repentant words – all accompanied by a standing ovation from his faithful followers … we’ve seen it so many times before. On the other hand, it’s also possible that Mr. Falwell may do some real soul-searching, genuinely repent of his wicked ways, and emerge as a changed man to pursue holiness. But, should he be restored to ministry? (Christian university leadership is a ministry, IMO)

  31. Friend: He can disappear. He can issue a real apology, enter rehab if needed, and then live a quiet and useful life. He can live in a two-bedroom apartment in Nowheresville. He can brew the coffee at AA. He can make big, anonymous donations to charity. He can decline to write a self-serving memoir. He can refrain from making a comeback tour and returning to Liberty.

    He can atone. Quietly.

    Good words. Yes, this would be a perfect picture of genuine repentance. Unfortunately, I have yet to see one of the fallen Christian celebrity bad-boys take this route (Driscoll, MacDonald, etc. etc.). The applause and limelight always draw them back.

  32. Friend,

    I was thinking the same thing…..
    I had a boat person, from Vietnam, that was a undergraduate and then got a master’s degree from me. She was the oldest of ten kids, her father was a mechanic for US Air force during the war. He bought her a seat on one of those boats for a bag of gold… Boat broke down in South China sea, and they were eventually rescued by the Thi navy. She was sponsored by a Catholic family in my city, and she worked hard, Her goal, and what her father wanted, was for her to get them all out of Vietnam.. She joined the US Air Force. 10-15 years later, she came back to visit me…
    She had gotten all of her family to the US….
    This is one of the reasons I am a Professor…. to contribute to humanity this way…
    And, this is why Jr, and all of the “excesses” of Liberty U makes me want to vomit…

  33. Friend: During this time, Jerry Falwell Sr worked actively to keep Virginia’s schools segregated. He founded the whites-only Lynchburg Academy in 1967. Of course, Jerry Falwell Jr attended Lynchburg Academy (now Liberty Academy).

    To channel an old quip-quote:
    “…The ‘moral’ majority now as in back-then is Neither…”

  34. Muff Potter,

    I do think most Americans know that “The moral majority” was originally all about “segragation of education” and “right” to be “segregated”…

    Sigh…..

  35. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    Jerry is or was a real estate developer. I would have to assume that’s where the money comes from. One other possibility is if Sr had a large life insurance policy. He did have a large one for the school I don’t know about his family

  36. Brian,

    “it seems the worst sin one can commit is to actually desperately need the Lord Jesus. I still cant seem to figure that out… Not said for sympathy I DONT WANT IT.”
    ++++++++++++++++++

    i, too, encountered physical tragedy. my life was ravaged for a number of years. one aspect of the devastation was that a lifetime in church, in christianity, had nothing useful for me. had not prepared me for this possibility, and had nothing to say about it.

    at least, nothing beyond “all things work out for good”. which is like being given a cup of sand when you’re parched and dangerously dehydrated.

    pain and suffering don’t sell well, and churches are dependent on lots of people showing up who are ‘giving units’.

    “christianity” is what people make of it (not like ‘gravity’ that just ‘is’). (or like Jesus of Nazareth who just ‘is’)

    seems to me christianity has become a business with a business model of “living your best life now”, a happy smiling cookie cutter which allows for minor complications only, and no room for variations.

    shallow enough to draw and keep the most people, i guess. like TV shows or movies, aiming for the lowest common intellectual denominator to attract more viewers and paying customers.

  37. Brian: I still have not figured out why that so engrages the evangelical camp, it does, it seems the worst sin one can commit is to actually desperately need the Lord Jesus. I still cant seem to figure that out.

    Rejection by others due to suffering or struggling is, I think, partly a human thing and partly an evangelical thing. The human part is that we want to be empathetic but it’s also scary to think that it could happen to us, and no one wants to struggle or suffer. The evangelical part, IMO, is that the American evangelical church has a false idea of our present state. It’s almost a kind of magical thinking that after you are redeemed you are done. It’s not an explicit teaching but rather a culture. We are not only saved but are being saved every day through this present world all the way through to the end. On my bad days I think of one time when I thought I was going to drown, and I was once a very good swimmer. But, see, that’s the nature of how things are in this world.

    That idea doesn’t fit well with the mostly prosperous modern evangelical context. Someone who is suffering with chronic pain or struggling with a real, daily, difficult issue is not something that the average evangelical is equipped to deal with well, so they don’t. We do not mourn or lament well. As for the Industry, someone who does not respond to the “solutions” they provide in their books and conferences is a “failure” and does not help to promote their system. The Industrialists are not Jesus. Jesus had his own problems with the Industrialists in Jerusalem and Judea, so he definitely understands your pain from dealing with them now.

  38. Max,

    “On the other hand, it’s also possible that Mr. Falwell may do some real soul-searching, genuinely repent of his wicked ways, and emerge as a changed man to pursue holiness. But, should he be restored to ministry? (Christian university leadership is a ministry, IMO)”
    +++++++++++

    what would Mark DeMoss do with all the time on his hands?

  39. Jeffrey Chalmers: pew peons need to learn “discernment”. Without sheeple, pew peons, these grifters would have to practice their skills on others

    Agreed. Regrettably, too many pew peons are consumers of services rather than worshipers. So marketers tailor worship “services” and collateral publications to meet the demands of market segments. Do we want to worship or to be affirmed? To socialize? To have our kids socialized? I think there was in inflection point for evangelicalism in the late 70’s. Prosperity has killed us.

  40. ishy,

    I’m overall pleased with my school. To handle the shortfall, there are, of course, pay cuts. But, the rates are progressive, and no employed who earns below $50K is receiving a cut. (Of course, no response is perfect. We’re a Big 10 school, and fall football is still on.)

  41. “Permanent” only until his Paranormal Encounter with the anonymous guy at the gas station somewhere in Wyoming who miraculously recognizes him and Prophesies over him with a direct Message from God to Return to Liberty U In Triumph before mysteriously/supernaturally vanishing.

    Which will happen once all the heat blows over.

  42. Friend: On a trip to Asia, my in-laws stayed at a beachfront hotel. There in the sand was a wrecked boat that Vietnamese refugees had used to escape their homeland.

    The hotel guests were invited to take their cocktails aboard and play “boat people.”

    Like French Aristos cosplaying poor peasants at Court in Versailles – just before the Revolution.

  43. elastigirl: “all things work out for good”.

    Romans 8:28 is another infamous clobber verse that is wrenched out of its context and used to beat suffering people over the head with guilt for not feeling happy when they are feeling miserable in the midst of their misery. It probably would have been a favorite of Job’s friends.

  44. Friend: During this time, Jerry Falwell Sr worked actively to keep Virginia’s schools segregated. He founded the whites-only Lynchburg Academy in 1967. Of course, Jerry Falwell Jr attended Lynchburg Academy (now Liberty Academy).

    “SEGREGATION NOW! SEGREGATION FO’EVAH!!!!!”
    — George C Wallace, President of the Confederacy after the 1968 elections

  45. dee: He’s worth $100 million now. He’s no longer dependent on a salary.

    ONLY $100 million?
    Kenneth Copeland is right on the cusp of Billionaire!

  46. Muff Potter:
    I think Falwell has much bigger fish in the skillet than a racy photo.
    The Justice Dept. will probably launch an investigation into possible financial malfeasance.

    Not with his Friend In High Places.

  47. Jeffrey Chalmers:
    Bridget,

    I am not sure it is hyper masculine….. this whole trailer park boys stuff is just bizarre …a “college” president acting out traiker park boys, and then tweeting out a photo like that HIMSELF?..

    At the very least, it shows very poor judgment.
    As well as a sick/sleazy sense of humor.

    “THIS CAN’T RUIN ME! NOTHING CAN RUIN ME!!!!!”
    — Congressman Wilbur Mills, when caught drunkenly cavorting with a stripper in a public fountain

  48. Nancy2(aka Kevlar): https://thebulwark.com/jerry-falwells-zipper-has-been-down-for-years/

    “… the only unassailably true things about Falwell are that he dismisses his faith at every turn, disavows his spiritual responsibility, and finds great fulfillment in the pursuit of political influence and prosperity … Falwell’s zipper has been down for a long time. We’ve seen everything, and it’s too disturbing to stay quiet.” (Calum Best, May 2020 graduate of Liberty University)

    Yep, it would best for the Body of Christ if Mr. Falwell just rode off into the sunset. Should we forgive him if he repents? Certainly! Should we restore him to Christian leadership? NO!!

  49. d4v1d: The megadonors will likely dictate the decision

    Are these fat cats still giving to LU in the name of Jerry Falwell Sr. or Jesus? Are they sowing into Falwell causes or the cause of Christ? (they have not always been one and the same)

  50. Believer,

    I feel compassion for students who are essentially trapped there. Some can’t afford the time or money to transfer. Others will have to stick it out for their own reasons, like Mom & Dad will not let them go elsewhere or quit.

  51. Marilyn Johnson: I’m overall pleased with my school. To handle the shortfall, there are, of course, pay cuts. But, the rates are progressive, and no employed who earns below $50K is receiving a cut. (Of course, no response is perfect. We’re a Big 10 school, and fall football is still on.)

    I wish my state were listening to yours. I do live in a university town, but the school here was not one of the ones with contracted dorms, thank goodness. But the university system still tried to enforce full capacity on them, probably so they could better hide the problems with the dorm contractor at the other schools. But like your school, it’s a big football school, and how dare they not have football (who cares about the classes, right?).

    The rest of my family are hardcore Nebraska fans, so they are very much against the universities closing and cancelling football. When I went to Liberty, they were 0-6 all three years (I transferred), and the only reason we went to games was because my roommate couldn’t stand to miss $.50 hot dogs.

  52. Friend: I feel compassion for students who are essentially trapped there. Some can’t afford the time or money to transfer. Others will have to stick it out for their own reasons, like Mom & Dad will not let them go elsewhere or quit.

    At least when I attended, that could have been more than half the student body. A family friend also attended, and his parents made him go there. He hated it. I attended only because they gave me a scholarship. I honestly hardly knew anything about it before I went (I am not from a religious family).

    A lot of students go online just because they do so much marketing for the online university. It’s still pretty expensive. I got a post-grad degree at Western Governors University, which is public and non-profit, and it was dirt cheap and excellent educationally (way better than LU). But a few people I’ve known were dead-set on Liberty’s online program, even though I told them the degree probably wouldn’t be worth much to employers (speaking from experience).

  53. Max: Yep, it would best for the Body of Christ if Mr. Falwell just rode off into the sunset. Should we forgive him if he repents? Certainly! Should we restore him to Christian leadership? NO!!

    I agree, though somewhat reluctantly. But, I don’t see Junior truly repenting.
    He rode in on Senior’s racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic coattails and has reaped (or raped, if you prefer) the benefits. I believe he might reap the whirlwind now.

  54. If they truly cared and humbled themselves, Falwell and White (and some others) have the executive leadership skills to “do good” by creating a new school/college/university to help rehab and retrain believers…of course, after they rehab themselves and discern what is good. I have always been puzzled by why some fall and others don’t. My GARBC, and its affiliates, list of the fallen is long, and it hurts. People I know and trusted. It becomes a struggle for me sometimes to remain faithful to my roots knowing the scams. I will always remain faithful to God. That shall remain unchanged.

  55. dee: He’s worth $100 million. The salary as president is peanuts to him.

    I think Jr. is facing a serious problem that encourages his substance abuse and bad judgement. If he has bought property and self dealt as much as is reported, with the funds of non-profit, non-taxable LU, he’s in a helluvamess! He likely knows this and is trying to assuage his anxiety. Should he somehow escape the wrath of the IRS or DoJ, he should remember that Jesus reserved his anger for those who brazenly used the temple worshipers for monetary gain. He physically threw them out of His temple. May God have mercy on the soul of Jr.

  56. Believer,

    IT sounds like his father-in-law did just what you are referring to… and his father-in-law was a elder at the “Thomas Road Baptist church”..

  57. I don’t have much sympathy for the man, but am curious to see how well he falls.

    Proverbs 11:10 comes to mind.

  58. It’s probably been said already, but it’s telling that he’s more concerned with what people are thinking is in his glass than the obvious problem shown here.

  59. Max: Good words.Yes, this would be a perfect picture of genuine repentance. Unfortunately, I have yet to see one of the fallen Christian celebrity bad-boys take this route (Driscoll, MacDonald, etc. etc.).The applause and limelight always draw them back.

    Of all things I wish I could say about this, I wish I could give the list of names proving Max wrong.

  60. 20John,

    Famous people who have repented and gone on to do some good (significantly, not in their original fields): Michael Milken, John Dean, Charles Colson. Can anyone think of others?

    I can’t think of any disgraced pulpiteers who actually improved after resuming their pulpiteering.

  61. Nancy2(aka Kevlar): I agree, though somewhat reluctantly. But, I don’t see Junior truly repenting.

    How can you repent when You Can Do No Wrong?
    That and It’s All YOUR Fault! Not Mine!

  62. Nancy2(aka Kevlar),

    From the Bulwark article by LU 2020 grad:

    “It’s widely known that school’s faculty is overworked and underpaid, but Falwell doesn’t prioritize them … Money and power, by the way, are the two things Falwell really cares about.”

    Similarly, another yachtboy, Hybels, also ran an enterprise with $$$ at the top while stiffing the worker-bees. On staff at our church, a former WC employee described her experience working for Hybels. Degrading & impoverished while putting in mega-hours for the mega. (When she’d had enough, she fled. On her own she is a popular writer & conference organizer, highly effective, but with neither fame nor yacht.)

    Trend.

  63. Ava Aaronson: George Müller

    He seems to have had some scrapes as a teenager, before his fame, but maybe I missed something?

    Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am trying to think of people—especially preachers—who were already famous, had a major scandal or disgrace, and went on to repent, reform, and do good.

    The trend seems to be that public figures feign repentance, try to get the old glory back, but continue to do bad things.

  64. Friend,

    George Müller was in training to be a preacher but in reality a hardcore thief, living a double life. In jail, he did a 180, and eventually was trusted with fortunes, which he used to rescue orphans & fund missionaries (like Hudson Taylor).

  65. Re: yacht. As speculated yesterday, this does not seem to be Falwell’s own yacht. Two sources say it’s a craft called Wheels, owned by Hendrick Motorsports. Here’s mention of Falwell’s words about the NASCAR sponsorship:

    Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Liberty University has reached a two-year agreement to extend its sponsorship of William Byron and his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team.

    After sponsoring Byron for 12 Cup races in both 2018 and 2019, Liberty University will continue to support the 2018 Cup rookie of the year for an additional 12 Cup races in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

    …“We have been by William Byron’s side as he’s risen through the ranks at a young age, and it is an honor to continue to support one of our very own in his career,” Liberty University president Jerry Falwell said in a statement. “William and Hendrick Motorsports have always been a perfect fit for Liberty University. We share the same values and are committed to the same mission that makes champions on the racetrack and champions in life.”

    The 21-year-old Byron is a junior in Liberty University’s online program, working on an undergraduate business communications degree. The school has been a sponsor of Byron’s since he drove late model stock cars in 2014.

    https://nascar.nbcsports.com/tag/jerry-falwell/

  66. Friend: The trend seems to be that public figures feign repentance, try to get the old glory back, but continue to do bad things.

    Yes, common.

    With Jesus’ disciples, none seemed to have a claim to fame, however, some did have great turnabouts in following Jesus.

    Maybe Zacchaeus would be an example of a well-known person who truly repented (repaid x4 to all wronged). Biblical repentance.

  67. Ava Aaronson,

    I am so disgusted by all of this..
    education is supposed to be about examples like my students story….
    Are their big time problems in higher ed?? YES… I could go on and on…. but, in my 32 years, I have been through 8 Presidents, and I have seen them “leave” over “issues” that look minor to what “Jr” did, and what the President at Cedarville did/does…
    BUT, like so many other post on TWW, evangelicalism/Fundamentalism does not have the same moral standards as many secular institutions have … and the Evan/fundy world are NOT higher!
    Finally, it is the students and alumni that are getting the shaft hear… but hay, they can still cheer on their sponsored NASCAR!

  68. What is a nonprofit university doing sponsoring a presumably professional stock car racer?

    My own university has had some connections with professional teams but they were always paying the university (for use of stadium or other sports facilities) and not vice versa and even that has become very rare. I think some independent auditors authorized by the Board of Trustees and reporting to them need to be let lose on Liberty’s books before the federal or state government take a closer look (Liberty apparently receives some federal contracts or grants and this entitles the federal government to audit which it should be doing on a regular basis).

  69. Dan from Georgia: It’s probably been said already, but it’s telling that he’s more concerned with what people are thinking is in his glass than the obvious problem shown here.

    If I’m not mistaken, and please, if I am, say so (anybody).
    But in the Baptist religion, isn’t alcohol as big a no no as it is in Islam?
    So from that standpoint, Falwell is just playing a polka so to speak, to a certain segment in Baptist culture*.

    And it’s not just in Baptist culture, The Calvary Chapel hierarchy is also very averse to any form of alcohol too, even a good Chianti with pasta and a fabulous Marinara.

  70. Muff Potter,

    You could be correct about the booze….. It depends on the “type” of Baptist…. ishy would know best…
    I do agree that the drink in his hand seems to “minor” compared to all the other “issues” circling around….

  71. Muff Potter: But in the Baptist religion, isn’t alcohol as big a no no as it is in Islam?

    In the past, Southern Baptists and other conservatives like Independent Fundamentalists and GARB generally refrained (at least publicly), and abstention is still enforced at the seminaries, unless that has changed really recently. Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is grape juice. The younger people have a broader view, or at least some of them in some places.

  72. Bridget: Fallwell’s behavior is right in line with the hyper masculinity being hawked in the Evangelical world.

    There’s a new book out titled “Jesus and John Wayne” on this exact subject — Christian Culture War Hypermasculinity.

    For what it’s worth, I first heard the term “hypermasculinity” in my copy of a 1943 OSS psych profile of a certain cult leader – that Austrian with the funny little mustache.

  73. Muff Potter: But in the Baptist religion, isn’t alcohol as big a no no as it is in Islam?

    In one word, YES.
    “Dry” has been a Litmus Test of Salvation since the Temperance Movement of the late 19th Century (which gave us Prohibition). One practical reason behind Altar Call revivalism was to get the new converts up front where they could sign the Dry Pledge in front of witnesses.

    And where there is a total ban on alcohol, there will be the Secret Sip, i.e. Just Don’t Get Caught.

    And it’s not just in Baptist culture, The Calvary Chapel hierarchy is also very averse to any form of alcohol too, even a good Chianti with pasta and a fabulous Marinara.

    And since there can be NO Salvation outside of Calvary Chapel (no exaggeration), the Dry Pledge is still going strong as a Litmus Test.

    And where there is the Dry Pledge, there will be the Secret Sip.

  74. Ava Aaronson: Maybe Zacchaeus would be an example of a well-known person who truly repented (repaid x4 to all wronged). Biblical repentance.

    A Jewish source told me years ago that paying back fourfold indicates not only stealing from somebody (which would be pay back twofold), but stealing their means of livelihood, i.e. the loss prevented the victim from making a living.

  75. Muff Potter,

    For Southern Baptists, it’s not a matter of law but a matter of concession to a “weaker brother” such as an alcoholic or someone who has scruples about alcohol. Despite that rationale, as a practical matter, it is defended as if it is a law, especially the grape juice in communion. But don’t get me started on that, because you know I always ask inconvenient questions of church authorities.

  76. Jeff Chalmers:
    Believer,

    IT sounds like his father-in-law did just what you are referring to… and his father-in-law was a elder at the “Thomas Road Baptist church”..

    “The two most common ways to get rich are Crime and Inheritance. The best combination is Daddy does the Crime and you Inherit his winnings.”
    — Dogbert

  77. Max: “Falwell’s zipper has been down for a long time. We’ve seen everything, and it’s too disturbing to stay quiet.”

    Was Junior the ManaGAWD who bragged that his dick was so big his wife couldn’t take it?

  78. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Thx for this info. Real repentance, IMHO, is always evidenced by re$titution.

    Sidenote about Junior-supporting LU megadonors & the yacht party. Any of them there? Who are the other individuals at this party? Interesting to know.

  79. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    The Reverend Mr. Eager : “Remember the facts about this church of Santa Croce; how it was built by faith in the full fervour of medievalism.”

    Mr. Emerson : “Built by faith indeed! That simply means the workers weren’t paid properly.”

    – “A Room with a View” novel by EM Forster, Merchant & Ivory film.

  80. I’m a lot more cynical than you all who are hoping for some kind of spiritual awakening or growth or restitution from this situation. I think he was removed only to keep up the pretense, the illusion, that this is not what it’s all about, behind the scenes. Money, power, moral license, political deals and alliances, corruption… that’s the reality. The illusion is the “Christian” part.

  81. Guess dee got a shaking this morning!? I felt it all the way down in Georgia. Thought my cat was playing under the sofa, but was totally confused when she wasn’t there.

    I grew up in San Francisco, so you’d think I could recognize an earthquake, but got so used to not feeling them in the deep South that I guess I forgot what they were like.

  82. SiteSeer: Money, power, moral license, political deals and alliances, corruption… that’s the reality. The illusion is the “Christian” part.

    You’ve described many corners of the “church” in America – it’s just more apparent in sad situations like this. They are the bunch that provide plenty of blog material for TWW. While the true Church is still out there, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find – it’s why the Done population is expanding. You’ll come closer to encountering genuine Christianity in the pew and in the community, rather than the pulpit. But whose job is the ministry anyway? Every believer has a part! Praise God – there is a growing army of the Lord who don’t go to church – they are the Church!

  83. SiteSeer: I’m a lot more cynical

    Overreach is a big theme these days. In this case, the overreach was posting the photo with the cray-cray caption. The overreach was not the trailer trash costume party on the yacht. People can do anything on the quiet, right? But Jerry Falwell went and ruined it for everybody.

  84. ishy,

    We didn’t feel it in Raleigh. i heard that Charlotte did, however, Maybe that’s why you felt it in Georgia.I go though Charlotte when I come to Atlanta.

  85. dee: We didn’t feel it in Raleigh. i heard that Charlotte did, however, Maybe that’s why you felt it in Georgia.I go though Charlotte when I come to Atlanta.

    There were quite a few reports from around here, but in the map you can kinda trace where the fault is going up and down the coast by who reported it. You can see the map and make reports at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/se60324281/dyfi/intensity

    Yes, I’ve made that drive from Atlanta to Raleigh a bunch of times both when I was a student at LU and SEBTS. Charlotte is one of the nicest cities I’ve seen.

  86. ishy: Guess dee got a shaking this morning!?

    “… there will be earthquakes in various places … and deadly and devastating pestilences, plagues, and epidemics …” (Luke 21)

    Hope everything is OK there, Dee.

  87. ishy: I felt it all the way down in Georgia.

    It was a magnitude 5.1 quake near Sparta NC at 8:07 AM this morning. I didn’t feel it in Augusta GA.

  88. “Executive Compensation at Public and Private Colleges”
    By Dan Bauman, Tyler Davis, and Brian O’Leary
    JULY 17, 2020
    The Chronicle‘s executive-compensation package includes the latest data on more than 1,400 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges from 2008-17 and nearly 270 public universities and systems from 2010-19. For more, read our highlights of public-college presidents’ compensation. Updated July 17, 2020, with 2019 public-college data.

    Liberty University

    Jerry Falwell Jr.$1,034,087 59/560
    President
    Started May 2007

    TOTAL COMPENSATION
    Base pay $985,911

    Bonus pay

    Other compensation

    Nontaxable benefits $24,000

    Other pay $24,176

    Deferred paid out

    Remaining reportable
    Non-payroll compensation
    OTHER BENEFITS
    Pay set aside

    Retirement $33,243

    https://www.chronicle.com/article/executive-compensation-at-public-and-private-colleges/#id=table_public_2019

  89. Friend,

    From the same source:

    Compared with Others at this Campus/System
    Jerry Falwell Jr. President $1,034,087
    Randall SmithChief Operating Officer $841,973
    Turner Gill Head Coach, Football $785,072
    Ritchie McKay Head Coach, Men’s Basketball $618,296

  90. Friend,

    Aaugh, I should have pointed out that this appears to be Jerry Falwell Jr’s data for 2017. The Chronicle of Higher Education doesn’t seem to gather financials for every college executive every year.

  91. Friend: Jerry Falwell Jr. President $1,034,087

    Which puts him up there with the highest paid university administrators in the country, including ivy league schools … Liberty University ain’t all that!

  92. Max,

    And remember, faculty there do not have tenure. So, they need to follow the party line, or they are gone.
    As I keep harping on, the students and the tuition paying parents are the real victims here. What, exactly are they paying for? A playboy University President that flaunts the heavy handed rules that the student get fined for breaking? A president that bragged, on campus about “nailing his wife”, and shows pictures of her in a “maids outfits”.
    Those of us in the evil, secular humanist schools don’t do that. In fact, I have seen a chair that advocated “alterative lifestyles” in a crude way get fired for it! ( not my chair!)

  93. Friend,

    is there data published somewhere that shows what faculty are paid? for perspective?

    like do history profs, or english profs, or math profs make $618,296 like Ritchie McKay (Head Coach, Men’s Basketball) does?
    ——–

    i understand there’s no tenure.

    are they even employees? or more like private contractors?

  94. elastigirl: is there data published somewhere that shows what faculty are paid? for perspective?

    Using 2018 data, Chronicle of Higher Education shows that full professors averaged $87,638 at Liberty University. They are on 10-, 11-, and 12-month contracts (no tenure except on law faculty).

    Average for that position statewide in Virginia in 2018: $124,822.

    It’s a fun little chart, if you don’t mind registering for access to two free articles: https://data.chronicle.com/232557/Liberty-University/faculty-salaries/

  95. Friend,

    “Turner Gill Head Coach, Football $785,072
    Ritchie McKay Head Coach, Men’s Basketball $618,296”
    +++++++++++++

    what’s the deal with sports?

    yes, it’s a venue for excellence. it’s fun. but it doesn’t impact and change the world beyond entertainment value. the salary disparities are obscene.

    or am i missing something?

  96. Jeffrey Chalmers: And remember, faculty there do not have tenure. So, they need to follow the party line, or they are gone.

    Wonder how LU teaching faculty pay compares with that of Dear Leader & the rest of the admin, as listed in an earlier comment?

  97. elastigirl,

    What strikes me as unusual here is that the coaches are not the top paid staff. At many universities the top paid employee is the football coach.

    Going even further, in many states the highest paid government employee is a football coach. A 2018 ESPN article showed 31 states where a football coach was highest paid, 8 where a basketball coach was highest paid, and 11 where someone other than a football or basketball coach was the highest paid government employee.

  98. A professor we know at our local university had a colleague (same field) who taught for a while at Liberty University.
    He not only left Liberty, but also left Christianity over what he saw there.

  99. elastigirl,

    I agree with all your points.

    In defense of college sports, it takes tons of extra work for high school kids to make it onto any NCAA team. Only 6% of high school athletes play in NCAA Div 1, 2, or 3. They have to be decent students without serious disciplinary problems. College coaches are risk averse.

    If I were hiring, I’d be interested in college grads with 4-year participation in sports, orchestra, drama, newspaper, etc. They know how to juggle and be a member of a group. It’s challenging for college athletes to carry a full load of courses, meet GPA requirements, and attend all practices, workouts, meetings, and games. (NCAA Division 1 is a rat race, but Divs 2 and 3, and non-NCAA programs, promote balance between academics and sports.)

    The overpaid coaches tend to be in the revenue sports, usually football and basketball. Apart from the salary rule of “whatever the market will bear,” sports create campus-wide loyalty in a way that academic programs and other groups do not. Watching games is accessible. This turns into alumni dollars.

    Yes, I know, lots of people don’t like watching sports. Yes, I know the NCAA itself is Less Than.

  100. readingalong: A professor we know … not only left Liberty, but also left Christianity over what he saw there.

    “Be careful that this LIBERTY of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to others” (Romans 8:9).

  101. Max,

    To all those parents sending your kids to Liberty. Just remember that the Professor there do not have the freedom to teach their conscience… to those of us that are academics, that freedom is a big deal…

    At Liberty U, you have to teach the party line…. . but in this case, it can not Jr’s yacht party line!

  102. Jeffrey Chalmers: Just remember that the Professor there do not have the freedom to teach their conscience… to those of us that are academics, that freedom is a big deal…

    I think we can safely say that ‘Liberty’ U is anything but.
    It’s more like a Madrassa in Pakistan.

  103. Steve240: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/08/jerry-fallwell-evangelicals-liberty/615112/

    That was a good article, thanks for posting.

    From the article:

    But though Falwell may have crossed one too many lines for him to stay at Liberty for now, a redemption story may still lie ahead. “Character is a lot easier kept than regained,” Reighard, the board member, told me. “I’m praying that the character can be regained by everyone that’s involved.”

    You can’t keep or regain something you never had. Probably it would be better to pray that the character could be developed. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  104. SiteSeer: You can’t keep or regain something you never had.

    Lacking character, & furthermore, short on expertise, however …
    “Let me interrupt your expertise with my confidence.” – J.A.K., The New Yorker.

  105. There’s an irony in a rich hillbilly on his yacht imitating a poor hillbilly in a trailer park.

    In a more serious being, this man’s spiraling behavior is a cry for help. He hopefully will reach the point he recognizes the need for for counseling, spiritual and psychological that he seems to be begging for.

  106. Stuart,

    I agree…. However, one of the problems with what you wrote about his “asking for help”, is that “fundamentalist” tend to think that answer to all problems is just “read your Bible more, and pray”… which is the core of the “Biblical counseling” which is discussed allot on TWW..

  107. Stuart: There’s an irony in a rich hillbilly on his yacht imitating a poor hillbilly in a trailer park.

    Rich White Trash cosplaying Poor White Trash.

  108. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    And this, IMHO, is MUCH worse than whether there is booze in the “dark water” of his glass…. But, in fundy land, drinking is a simple litmus’s test.. making “fun” of the poor allows “wiggle room”… i.e. oh come on, we were just having a little fun, can’t you take a joke!!!

  109. Each time one of these sad examples of un-Christlikeness comes up, I am reminded of God’s warning to church leaders in Ezekiel 8:

    “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great repulsive acts which the house of Israel is committing here, to drive Me far away from My sanctuary? … do you see what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark … For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us'”

    He has seen you Jerry and weighed you in the balance.

  110. Jeffrey Chalmers: i.e. oh come on, we were just having a little fun, can’t you take a joke???

    From my experience growing up, THAT type of reversal gaslighting is a Mark of The Sociopath. 40+ years later, just reading the phrase in your comment still makes my skin crawl.

  111. New:

    “Liberty University announced that Jerry Prevo will lead the school while its longtime president, Jerry Falwell Jr., is on an indefinite leave of absence after Falwell posted a disturbing photo on social media that drew criticism from some other evangelical leaders.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/08/10/liberty-university-names-acting-president-after-jerry-falwell-jr-placed-leave-absence/?tidr=a_breakingnews&hpid=hp_no-name_hp-breaking-news%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar

  112. More… different source.

    Is it common for a board chair to take on an acting role as head of an organization in public turmoil? Who was going to say no to Prevo? Is he a good person?

    The decision to appoint Prevo was made unanimously at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

    “I want to thank my fellow board members for having confidence that I could be entrusted with the responsibility of serving as the Acting President during this time of Jerry Falwell, Jr’s indefinite leave of absence,” said Prevo.

    Prevo has served on the Liberty University Board of Trustees since 1996 and has been the Board Chairman since 2003.

    He recently retired as the Senior Pastor of Anchorage Baptist Temple in Anchorage, Alaska, after serving that community for 47 years. During his stewardship of Anchorage Baptist Temple, it became one of the largest churches in Alaska and had the largest school in Alaska, as well.

    He will begin his new role immediately and expects to work from the Lynchburg campus starting on Monday, August 17.

    He has also stepped aside from his role as Chairman of the Liberty University Board of Trustees for the duration of his service as Acting President of the University.

    https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/08/10/liberty-university-names-jerry-prevo-as-acting-president/

  113. Jerry Prevo’s school & church made news last month:

    https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2020/07/11/dozens-of-anchorage-christian-schools-alumni-say-they-experienced-racism-there-church-leaders-say-theyre-trying-to-heal-the-damage/

    “Dozens of Anchorage Christian Schools alumni are publicly speaking out against racism they say they experienced while attending the private school. They are calling for changes to the pre-K-12 school and its parent institution, Anchorage Baptist Temple.”

    “The congregation has recently undergone changes in its top leadership. [Ron] Hoffman took over as pastor when Rev. Jerry Prevo retired last year after 47 years. Prevo intertwined Baptist evangelism with conservative politics, establishing the church as a political powerhouse in Alaska.

    “‘Obviously, these things happened outside of my authority and/or position. And we certainly are looking at every one of these extremely seriously,’ Hoffman said, referring to the students’ stories. Hoffman has worked as an athletic coach in the school and spent 25 years as the pastor of the youth ministry at the church.”

  114. May 2019 retirement sendoff:

    https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Pastor-Prevo-says-goodbye-to-ABT-Congregation-509514151.html

    “He came to Alaska from Tennessee in 1971 and began growing his small church into what is now a 350,000 square foot property….Today, the Anchorage Baptist Church hosts a congregation of around 2,000 people and operates a christian school”

    “During his final farewell, Prevo was addressed by other religious leaders, most notably Franklin Graham…According to figures provided by Franklin Graham at Sunday’s service, Prevo’s business savvy has allowed him to leave his congregation a church network that’s worth an estimated $85 million, with another $21 million in savings. During an informal vote led by Graham, church members elected to keep Prevo and his wife, Carol, on the church’s payroll and insurance for the rest of their lives.”

  115. Friend,

    Friend:
    No. In the “secular heathen world”, Presidents of Universities are former faculty ( technically they still are faculty) and the “second in command” usually called a Provost, is also formally a faculty member. In my opinion, a former preacher is not qualified to be a University President, but then I am a corrupted/compromised faculty.
    I know of a couple of exceptions at major State schools, Presidents who had been CEO’s, and they did not last long….. not surprising, tenured faculty tend not click their heals to the boss…

  116. Jerome,

    There is something not “right” about a church getting THAT rich, that fast….. the description reads like a description of a successful CEO!!!

  117. Jerome: “…During an informal vote led by Graham, church members elected to keep Prevo and his wife, Carol, on the church’s payroll and insurance for the rest of their lives.”

    So is this church in Alaska providing a second source of income and benefits, on top of whatever Prevo and family will get from LU? I wonder what he was already receiving in his previous LU board position?

  118. Jeffrey Chalmers: In my opinion, a former preacher is not qualified to be a University President, but then I am a corrupted/compromised faculty.

    He also only has an honorary doctorate. I don’t understand why evangelicals act like that’s the same as earning a doctorate.

    But he is an interim, and I hope they seek out a true educator with full credentials and whose passion is the education of students.

  119. Jeffrey Chalmers: In my opinion, a former preacher is not qualified to be a University President

    A true Preacher of the Gospel would not leave his office to take a lower position of University President … his is a higher calling! It can be argued, I suppose, that administration of a Christian college is a ministry … but few actually use it as such … the power and prestige, fame and fortune, stage and applause ruin a good man (something we see in mega-mania and the Christian Industrial Complex all the time).

  120. Jeffrey Chalmers: In my opinion, a former preacher is not qualified to be a University President,

    I have the impression that in our days, the principal responsibility/function of the senior executive of any non-profit entity is “fund-raising.” To the extent that a former preacher was really good at that, he might also be suitable for that function in other contexts.

    This thought is offered only half in snark, as a sorrowful meditation on what appears to me to be the corruption by money of the entire non-profit sector, though perhaps it was always this way and what looks to me like “change” is simply “more accurate reporting.”

  121. Samuel Conner: I have the impression that in our days, the principal responsibility/function of the senior executive of any non-profit entity is “fund-raising.”

    Combined with “fund-preservation” for the institution and “fund-distribution” to his bank account.

  122. Samuel Conner: I have the impression that in our days, the principal responsibility/function of the senior executive of any non-profit entity is “fund-raising.”

    As a coordinator of alumni events (in the Before Times), I am pleased to disagree somewhat. The college leaders I have met have been active scholars, and fine ones at that. Yes, they raise money; they have to. They do that by telling current stories of needs and achievements. It’s great to talk with an emissary, when websites show only a little, and I can’t easily travel to the campus and see for myself.

  123. FYI, Liberty University cancelled its 2020 commencement, which had been pushed to September 12th:

    Here is the extremely informative announcement on the website:

    https://www.liberty.edu/commencement/

    (Currently just says: ‘Commencement 2020: Canceled’ with no link or statement)

  124. Friend: college leaders I have met have been active scholars, and fine ones at that. Yes, they raise money; they have to. They do that by telling current stories of needs and achievements. It’s great to talk with an emissary,

    Stalwart leaders, noble cause.

    As opposed to the playboy prez, the party prez.

    Good you point this out with lived experience. We see both, and keep that in mind.

  125. Jerome: Today, the Anchorage Baptist Church hosts a congregation of around 2,000 people and operates a christian school”

    Numbers don’t remotely add up. 2000 customers and a fully enrolled Christian school don’t throw off an excess 21 mill. This should be investigated. I suspect there’s more here than meets the eye.

  126. Jerome: Today, the Anchorage Baptist Church hosts a congregation of around 2,000 people and operates a christian school”

    Numbers don’t remotely add up. 2000 customers and a fully enrolled Christian school don’t throw off an excess 21 mill. This should be investigated. I suspect there’s more here than meets the eye.

  127. JDV,

    Interesting, I just looked it over.. I do not understand (sarcastic), Jr said last spring that this COVID stuff is overblown, and went ahead and had students come back, and then wanted to sue a NYT reporting looking into the LU.

  128. Muff Potter: The Justice Dept. will probably launch an investigation into possible financial malfeasance.

    Not with Junior’s Friend in High Places appointing the Attorney General/head of the DOJ.

  129. Jeffrey Chalmers:
    Bridget,

    I am not sure it is hyper masculine….. this whole trailer park boys stuff is just bizarre …a “college” president acting out traiker park boys, and then tweeting out a photo like that HIMSELF?..

    Rich White Trash cosplaying Poor White Trash.

  130. Bridget: Fallwell’s behavior is right in line with the hyper masculinity being hawked in the Evangelical world.

    https://thewayofimprovement.com/2020/08/07/some-historical-context-for-jerry-falwell-jr-s-crotch-shot/

    Within the short link above is a link to the entire article.

    1) I see you’ve discovered Professor Fea’s blog. He’s a history professor at Messiah College outside Harrisburg PA.

    2) The link above also has the cover for the book Jesus and John Wayne about hypermasculinity in American Evangelicalism. I took a look at the sample pages at Amazon and it looks pretty good.

    3) I first came across the word “hypermasculinity” in a copy of a 1942 OSS psych profile of one of its type examples — a cult leader, a well-known Austrian with a funny little mustache.