Jerry Falwell: 1933-2007

THE LEADER OF THE MORAL MAJORITY JOINS THE MORTAL MAJORITY 

This morning, puffy evangelist Jerry Falwell was found dead in his office at Liberty University.  I am no doctor, but one look at a recent picture of the man would have told you his days on this planet were numbered.  Forgive me if I forgo the fake reverence one is expected to extend to the recently departed.  Jerry Falwell was a buffoon who claimed to be a Christian, yet he never missed an opportunity to exploit national tragedies for his own political gain.

Although he sometimes used the title “Doctor,” Falwell held no earned doctorate. He held three honorary degrees: an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Tennessee Temple Theological Seminary, an honorary Doctor of Letters from California Graduate School of Theology (an unaccredited institution), and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Central University in Seoul, South Korea (an unaccredited institution).  Those facts didn’t prevent his friends from referring to him as Doctor Falwell when they announced his death at a press conference this morning.