On September 3rd, 2019, Jerry Falwell Jr, President of Liberty University, came over the top rope to provide backup to his Congressman Denver Riggleman after he officiated a homosexual wedding ceremony. The grievance of Riggleman’s action caused the local Republican Party to censure him. Despite this lack of local support, Jerry Falwell Jr. and even President Donald Trump had the audacity to still defend him prior to the party’s primary.
There’s a lot of BS in this endorsement letter, so let’s only look at the critical highlights.
“I was told they are assuming that because you officiated at a gay marriage recently, that you are not socially conservative.”
That’s not an assumption, that’s a logical conclusion. He officiated it, not merely attended. Therefore, we can conclude that he is not socially conservative. Now Jerry Falwell Jr. then makes an argument about the futility of resistance to gay marriage. But I challenge you to replace gay marriage with abortion.
“I was told they are assuming that because you officiated at a[n] abortion recently, that you are not socially conservative. I believe that excluding other conservatives over issues that have already been decided by the US Supreme Court does nothing but help the liberals gain more power. There is nothing that anyone in the House of Delegates or the Virginia Senate can do to change the law on gay marriage or abortion until the US Supreme Court reverses its previous decision”
So basically what he is admitting is he is no better that National Right to Life, who would refuse massive pro-life legislation because of the courts. While Jerry Falwell Jr is trying to be a strategic shill over the issue abortion, he does not trivialize the issue like he does gay marriage. In fact, he makes no effort to rebuke, disagree, or even empathize with why Conservatives, Christians would be have been outraged enough to censure him at a local party level. He either has no care in the world about pertinent religious issues in politics or secretly supports gay marriage. Let’s not forget, he went out of his way to endorse Riggleman prior to the primary because of this issue. How else is this to be taken as a closet endorsement of gay marriage, in the name of pragmatism.
He is the face of Liberty University. If he is unwilling to rebuke a mediocre low-notoriety Congressmen in his state, then what lengths will he go to to advance poor politicians who perpetuate our nation’s rejection against God. If he was unwilling to stand up against Denver Riggleman because he’s a Republican, then what is the point of him having any sort of sway in politics. Jerry Falwell Jr may fight against the Social Justice Gospel that is corrupting the church, but he is idolizing the Republican Party which is causing him to stumble on key issues. This shortcoming deserves rebuke. Our focus is to be on serving God, not the Republican Party.
The good news is that Denver Riggleman has been relieved of his nomination. The ironic news is that the Republican nominee for the Virginia 5th district is Bob Good, a former Liberty University athletics director. Denver Riggleman is only the third incumbent house member to lose his seat.
Despite going against President Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr., Bob Good and his Christian conservative base were still able to upset the establishment powers that be. As for Jerry Falwell Jr, we should hope that his political defeat would serve as a lesson that as Christians we are called to a higher purpose, and that we should make the Republican Party work for us, not the other way around. We would much rather he be an ally than an adversary for Christian political activism.
Ultimately, the Virginia 5th district now has a more formidable candidate who has not alienated his base. Bob Good’s background and record is one of consistently defending Christian values against transgenderism, the pro-abortionists, and open borders policies, all at a local level. Good’s record is clearly one where he deserves to advance to the big leagues of politics and hopefully get to serve faithfully there.
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