Comments on Falwell

Read this strong commentary from Phil Perkins addressed to Keith and Patrick regarding Jerry Falwell. It's from the comments section on the post The Rev. Jerry Falwell, a Real Man:

"Keith and Patrick,

I was in junior high and high school when Falwell became nationally known. He was hated because he said promiscuity and homosexuality are wrong. Another person who said homosexuality is wrong was Anita Bryant. She was a former pop singer. At the time she was doing commercials for Florida Orange Juice, I believe. She made her stand, Falwell made his stand, and the news media went nuts.

Now this was at a time when most of America in the streets saw sodomy for what it was--a disgusting perversion.

Interestingly, virtually all Evangelical pastors and leaders either said nothing about these two or gave sermons in which these two were portrayed as bigots. They were "unloving." The best offered no support. The worst helped the world stone them.
God will repay.

And the cowardice was so stupid. Most in the pews would have supported the pastors that agreed with Falwell. Instead, the puplits came alive with relevance and God-is-luuv-and-not-much-else bologna. I think many of those pastors (and many today) were obsessed with being like "wise" women of the Phil-Donahue-Oprah-Winfrey-Alan-Alda-Jimmy-Carter type. If this was happening today, perhaps, their insurance would cover the surgery and they could be much happier.

Also, interesting is the fact that those preachers unwilling to preach against sin or to associate with those who do also contend, like Patrick, that God would never judge us--a mark, by the way, of many of the false prophets of old. On the other hand, the Spirit of God, through the prophet Amos told us just how stupid what such a contention is by comparing it to similar stupid ideas: Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: "You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?

Cowardice in the pulpits and the accompanying denial of God's judgment is nothing new. It is hideous and we ought not abide such nonsense. "Men" of God trembling at being hated by the world, while a woman is being verbally ravaged and a brother is being slandered. No excuse. How could they be so cowardly that they could not even speak the truth in their own congregations where they are supported to the hilt? Where do we find these wimps? Big booming voices on the outside, Pee Wee Herman on the inside.

And, yes, Falwell did some sins. Cowardice is just not one of them. (Read David's eulogy to Saul.)

So, Keith, I concur. We need real men. "

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.