제리 팔웰 Jerry Layman Falwell 리버티대학

[남대문고씨]

Jerry Layman Falwell 1933~2007 도덕적 다수 운동으로 정치 참여

세계 최대의 기독교 복음주의 대학 리버티 대학 설립자.
기독교 보수 세력의 보루로서 정치참여 모임인 <도덕적 다수> 설립자이다.
실패한 복음주의자.

주요 업적과 영향력

1. 리버티 대학교(Liberty University) 창립

   • 1971년 버지니아주 린치버그에 설립한 기독교 대학으로, 현재 미국에서 가장 큰 복음주의 대학 중 하나입니다.

2. 도덕적 다수(Moral Majority) 운동 주도

   • 1979년 보수 기독교 정치 단체인 Moral Majority를 창설하여, 기독교 우파의 정치적 영향력을 강화하는 데 중요한 역할을 했습니다.
   • 로널드 레이건 대통령(1981~1989) 당선에 크게 기여하며 미국 내 보수주의 운동을 촉진했습니다.

3. 보수 기독교 이념 전파

   • 낙태 반대, 동성애 반대, 기독교 가치 기반의 교육 강조 등 보수적 기독교 입장을 강하게 주장했습니다.
   • 미국 내 정치와 종교가 결합하는 흐름을 이끄는 핵심 인물 중 하나였습니다.

4. 논란과 비판

   • 9/11 테러 이후 미국 내 도덕적 타락이 테러를 초래했다는 취지의 발언으로 큰 논란을 일으켰습니다.
   • 마틴 루서 킹 주니어와 시민권 운동을 처음에는 반대했으며, 인종차별적 발언도 한 적이 있어 비판받았습니다.
   • 동성애와 페미니즘에 대한 강한 반대 입장으로 진보 진영과 대립했습니다.

Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He founded Lynchburg Christian Academy (now Liberty Christian Academy) in 1967, Liberty University in 1971, and cofounded the Moral Majority in 1979.

Personal life

Falwell and twin brother Gene were born in the Farview Heights region of Lynchburg, Virginia, the son of Helen and Carey Hezekiah Falwell. His father was an entrepreneur and onetime bootlegger who was agnostic. His grandfather was a staunch atheist. Jerry Falwell married the former Macel Pate on April 12, 1958. The couple had two sons and a daughter (Jerry Falwell, Jr., a lawyer; Jonathan Falwell, a pastor; Jeannie, a surgeon).

He graduated from Brookville High School in Lynchburg, Va., and from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri in 1956. This Bible college was unaccredited until 2001. Falwell was eventually awarded three honorary doctoral degrees, and he sometimes used the title "doctor". The honorary doctorates were Doctor of Divinity from Tennessee Temple Theological Seminary, Doctor of Letters from California Graduate School of Theology, and Doctor of Laws from Central University in Seoul, South Korea.

Associated organizations

Thomas Road Baptist Church

In 1956, at age 22, Falwell founded the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, where he served as pastor. The Church went on to become a megachurch, and is now run by Jerry Falwell's son Jonathan Falwell, who serves in the same capacity as his father.

Liberty University

In 1971, Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University, a Christian liberal arts university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty University has approximately 62,000 students of whom about 12,000 are residential students and 50,000 are enrolled online.

Moral Majority

In 1979, Falwell founded the Moral Majority, which became one of the largest political lobby groups for evangelical Christians in the United States during the 1980s. The Moral Majority was founded as being "pro-family", "pro-life", "pro-defense" and pro-Israel.The group is credited with delivering two thirds of the white, evangelical Christian vote to Ronald Reagan during the 1980 presidential election.[8][9] During his time as head of the Moral Majority, Falwell consistently pushed for Republican candidates and for conservative politics. This led Billy Graham to criticize him for "sermonizing" about political issues that lacked a moral element.

Social and political views

Families

Falwell strongly advocated beliefs and practices he believed were taught by the Bible. The church, Falwell asserted, was the cornerstone of a successful family. Not only was it a place for spiritual learning and guidance, but also a gathering place for fellowship and socializing with like minded individuals. Often he built conversations he had with parishioners after the worship service into focused speeches or organized goals he would then present to a larger audience via his various media outlets.

Civil rights

On his evangelist program The Old-Time Gospel Hour in the mid 1960s, Falwell regularly featured segregationist politicians like Lester Maddox and George Wallace. About Martin Luther King he said: "I do question the sincerity and nonviolent intentions of some civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. James Farmer, and others, who are known to have left wing associations."

In speaking of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, he said, in 1958:

"If Chief Justice Warren and his associates had known God's word and had desired to do the Lord's will, I am quite confident that the 1954 decision would never had been made. The facilities should be separate. When God has drawn a line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line." In 1977, Falwell supported Anita Bryant's campaign, which was called by its proponents "Save Our Children", to overturn an ordinance in Dade County, Florida prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and he supported a similar movement in California.