There are millions of principled members of the religious Right, whose beliefs, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, are undoubtedly sincere.
Then there’s grifters like Jerry Falwell Jr.
The Liberty University president touts himself as an ardent evangelical and serious man of faith. Yet in both his political activism and personal life, Falwell is a complete and utter hypocrite. The latest revelation into Falwell’s suspect character comes courtesy of an exclusive Reuters report probing the Christian leader’s shady operations with university assets.
Here’s what Reuters reported:
The report goes on to reveal that Falwell pushed his colleagues to give Crosswhite a “sweet deal.”
At surface level, it appears the always-pious Falwell used his role at Liberty University, a nonprofit that receives funding from the federal government, to enrich a young man with whom he had a close relationship. This is clearly corrupt, and an obvious innocent explanation escapes me. Still, perhaps Falwell could be forgiven, if he was otherwise the noble man of faith he makes himself out to be.
Too bad he’s not. At all.
Falwell is a loyal shill for President Trump — all Christian ethics apparently overlooked in the evangelical leader’s political calculations. Yes, Falwell practically worships the same man that’s been divorced two times, is accused of cheating on the mother of his child with a porn star, and once boasted on tape of grabbing women’s crotches without their consent.
When asked in a Washington Post interview “Is there anything President Trump could do that would endanger that support from you or other evangelical leaders?” Falwell simply replied “No.” Attempting to rationalize his support for Trump, Falwell said “you don’t choose a president based on how good they are; you choose a president based on what their policies are.”
What makes this hypocrisy so pernicious is Falwell’s in-your-face moral judgment of others, especially on matters of homosexuality and sexual morality, where Falwell takes a hard-line, socially conservative stance. In fact, a student can be expelled from Liberty University for being gay and acting on it.
To top it off, under Falwell’s leadership, the bizarrely-named university censors student publications and cracks down on free speech — all while he bashes the illiberal campus Left publicly.
Many were stunned by Reuters’ reporting on Falwell’s corruption. But for those truly familiar with the man, how is this a surprise?
