I'm not entirely surprised to hear Falwell Sr took militantly reactionary stands to "prove" a conservatism in faith he didn't personally feel:
"At the time, Jerry Sr. was on track to be another louche Falwell. 'He would drink and party with his friends,'... Jerry [Jr] told me. Falwell was a member of a teenage posse in Lynchburg called th…
I'm not entirely surprised to hear Falwell Sr took militantly reactionary stands to "prove" a conservatism in faith he didn't personally feel:
"At the time, Jerry Sr. was on track to be another louche Falwell. 'He would drink and party with his friends,'... Jerry [Jr] told me. Falwell was a member of a teenage posse in Lynchburg called the Wall Gang and routinely got into fights with rival crews. Every Sunday morning, Falwell’s mother listened to radio preacher Charles Fuller on The Old Fashioned Revival Hour, hoping her sons would hear the calling. Not long after Carey died, God answered her prayers: Jerry Sr. agreed to attend church...
"Still, Jerry learned there were fleshly motivations driving his dad’s faith journey. On Falwell’s first visit to Park Avenue Baptist in 1949, he fell for the church’s piano player, a devout auburn-haired girl named Macel Pate. Falwell joined the congregation so he could date her, even though Macel was engaged to a man studying at Baptist Bible College in St. Louis. Falwell devised a plan to sabotage the competition. He enrolled at Baptist Bible College and arranged to be roommates with Macel’s fiancé. Falwell told the fiancé he could mail his love letters to Macel. Instead, Falwell threw the letters in the trash. Macel broke off the engagement. Months later, Falwell and Macel were going out. 'My mom’s mother was terrified when my mom was dating a Falwell,' Jerry said.
"Looking back, Jerry said his dad adopted militant stands against drinking and homosexuality to prove to his wife that he would be a conservative Christian... Jerry said his dad also knew that there was a lucrative market for such beliefs. 'He became a different person to build a church and a school,' Jerry said."
I'm not entirely surprised to hear Falwell Sr took militantly reactionary stands to "prove" a conservatism in faith he didn't personally feel:
"At the time, Jerry Sr. was on track to be another louche Falwell. 'He would drink and party with his friends,'... Jerry [Jr] told me. Falwell was a member of a teenage posse in Lynchburg called the Wall Gang and routinely got into fights with rival crews. Every Sunday morning, Falwell’s mother listened to radio preacher Charles Fuller on The Old Fashioned Revival Hour, hoping her sons would hear the calling. Not long after Carey died, God answered her prayers: Jerry Sr. agreed to attend church...
"Still, Jerry learned there were fleshly motivations driving his dad’s faith journey. On Falwell’s first visit to Park Avenue Baptist in 1949, he fell for the church’s piano player, a devout auburn-haired girl named Macel Pate. Falwell joined the congregation so he could date her, even though Macel was engaged to a man studying at Baptist Bible College in St. Louis. Falwell devised a plan to sabotage the competition. He enrolled at Baptist Bible College and arranged to be roommates with Macel’s fiancé. Falwell told the fiancé he could mail his love letters to Macel. Instead, Falwell threw the letters in the trash. Macel broke off the engagement. Months later, Falwell and Macel were going out. 'My mom’s mother was terrified when my mom was dating a Falwell,' Jerry said.
"Looking back, Jerry said his dad adopted militant stands against drinking and homosexuality to prove to his wife that he would be a conservative Christian... Jerry said his dad also knew that there was a lucrative market for such beliefs. 'He became a different person to build a church and a school,' Jerry said."