Jerry Falwell

==Associated organizations==
===Thomas Road Baptist Church===
{{Main|Thomas Road Baptist Church}}

In 1956, aged 22, Falwell founded the [[Thomas Road Baptist Church]]. Originally located at 701 Thomas Road in Lynchburg, Virginia, with 35 members, the church became a [[megachurch]]. In the same year, he began ''[[The Old-Time Gospel Hour]]'', a nationally syndicated radio and television ministry. When Falwell died, his son [[Jonathan Falwell|Jonathan]] inherited his father's ministry, and took over as the senior pastor of the church.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sons Walking in Own Shoes, Albeit Footsteps of Famous Dads|url=http://www.theledger.com/article/LK/20071125/News/608123555/LL/|website=theledger.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217223416/http://www.theledger.com/article/LK/20071125/News/608123555/LL/|archive-date=2017-02-17}}</ref> The weekly program's name was then changed to ''Thomas Road Live''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Founder|url=http://www.liberty.edu/aboutliberty/?PID=6921|publisher=Liberty University|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714091138/http://www.liberty.edu/aboutliberty/?PID=6921|archive-date=2015-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Old Time Gospel Hour|url=http://flickout.com/series/6504645-old-time-gospel-hour|website=Flick Out}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Liberty Christian Academy===
{{Main|Liberty Christian Academy}}
During the 1950s and 1960s, Falwell spoke and campaigned against the [[Civil and political rights|civil rights]] activist [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[racial desegregation]] of public school systems by the US federal government. Liberty Christian Academy (LCA, founded as Lynchburg Christian Academy) is a Christian school in Lynchburg which was described in 1966 by the ''Lynchburg News'' as "a private school for white students".

The Lynchburg Christian Academy later opened in 1967 by Falwell as a [[segregation academy]] and as a ministry of Thomas Road Baptist Church.{{sfnm |1a1=Dowland |1y=2007 |1p=23 |2a1=Dowland |2y=2015 |2p=27 |3a1=Griffith |3y=2017}}

The Liberty Christian Academy is recognized as an educational facility by the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] through the Virginia State Board of Education,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://77241.inspyred.com/images/2012-11-14%20State%20Recognized.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020114757/http://77241.inspyred.com/images/2012-11-14%20State%20Recognized.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-20 }}</ref> [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=33686|title=AdvancED - Institution Summary|access-date=January 21, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327040621/http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=33686|archive-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> and the [[Association of Christian Schools International]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acsiglobal.org/member-search |title=Member Search « ACSI |access-date=2014-04-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327031712/http://www.acsiglobal.org/member-search |archive-date=2014-03-27 }}</ref>

===Liberty University===
{{Main|Liberty University}}

In 1971, Falwell co-founded Liberty University with [[Elmer L. Towns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=97080|title=Chancellor Falwell announces Towns will step down for sabbatical - Liberty University|website=www.liberty.edu|date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> Liberty University offers over 350 accredited programs of study, with approximately 13,000 students on-campus and 90,000 online.<ref>{{cite web |title= Liberty University |url= http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=14588 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140419053903/http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=14588 |archive-date= 2014-04-19 }}</ref>

===Moral Majority===
{{Main|Moral Majority}}

[[File:Ford B1710 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-09-30)(Gerald Ford Library) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Falwell greeting [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford]] in 1976]]
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Jerry Falwell.jpg|thumb|right|Falwell with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1983]]
[[File:Bush Contact Sheet P19932 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Falwell with [[President of the United States|President]] [[George H.&nbsp;W. Bush]] in 1991]]

The Moral Majority became one of the largest political lobbies for evangelical Christians in the United States during the 1980s.<ref name=MSNBC>{{cite news |title=Moral Majority Founder Jerry Falwell Dies |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18679412 |work=NBC News |date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=January 6, 2009 }}</ref> According to Falwell's self-published autobiography, the Moral Majority was promoted as being "pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-moral, and pro-American"{{sfn|J. Falwell|1997|p=388}} and was credited with delivering two thirds of the white evangelical vote to [[Ronald Reagan]] during the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential election]].{{sfnm |1a1=King |1y=1997 |2a1=Williams |2y=2010}} According to Jimmy Carter, "that autumn [1980] a group headed by Jerry Falwell purchased $10 million in commercials on southern radio and TV to brand me as a traitor to the South and no longer a Christian."{{sfn|Carter|2010|p=469}} 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. Graham stated at the time of Falwell's death, "We did not always agree on everything, but I knew him to be a man of God. His accomplishments went beyond most clergy of his generation."<ref name=MSNBC/>

===PTL===
[[File:Jerryfalwellwaterslide.jpg|thumb|upright|Falwell rides the water slide at [[Heritage USA]]]]
In March 1987, [[Pentecostal]] televangelist [[Jim Bakker]] came under media scrutiny when it was revealed that he had a sexual encounter (and alleged rape) with [[Jessica Hahn]] and had paid for her silence.<ref name=Time12-1988>{{cite magazine | last=Ostling|first=Richard N. |author-link=Richard N. Ostling | title=Jim Bakker's Crumbling World | date=December 19, 1988 | magazine=Time |volume=132 |issue=25 |location=New York |page=72 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956551,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820142543/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956551,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2006 | access-date=December 5, 2007 }}</ref> Bakker believed that fellow Pentecostal pastor [[Jimmy Swaggart]] was attempting to take over his ministry because he had initiated a church investigation into allegations of his sexual misconduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/03/24/Fire-and-brimstone-evangelist-Jimmy-Swaggart-admitted-today-he-instigated-a/5623543560400/|publisher=[[United Press International]]|title=Fire-and-brimstone evangelist Jimmy Swaggart admitted today he instigated a...| date=March 24, 1987|access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> To avoid the takeover, Bakker resigned on March 19 and appointed Falwell to succeed him as head of his PTL ministry, which included the [[PTL Satellite Network]], television program ''[[The PTL Club]]'' and the Christian-themed [[amusement park]] [[Heritage USA]].<ref name="Observer">{{cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article205362719.html|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|title=Jim Bakker's theme park was like a Christian Disneyland. Here's what happened to it.|date=March 17, 2018|access-date=January 5, 2019|last=Funk|first=Tim}}</ref>

Bakker believed Falwell would temporarily lead the ministry until the scandal died down,<ref name="ATC">{{cite news|title=Son of Jim and Tammy Faye Finds His Own 'Grace' |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/15/132864466/jim-and-tammy-fayes-son-finds-his-own-grace |work=[[All Things Considered]] |publisher=[[NPR]]| date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> but Falwell barred Bakker from returning to PTL on April 28,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501365.html?noredirect=on|last=Harris|first=Art|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Falwell Takes Control, Bars Bakker from PTL| date=April 29, 1987|access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> and referred to him as "probably the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history".<ref name="Observer"/> Later that summer, as donations to the ministry declined in the wake of Bakker's scandal and resignation, Falwell raised $20 million to keep PTL solvent and delivered on a promise to ride the water slide at Heritage USA.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,965543,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212141215/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,965543,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2005 | title=American Notes: Fund Raising | magazine=Time |location=New York | date=September 21, 1987 | access-date=November 29, 2007 }}</ref> Despite this, Falwell was unable to revive the ministry from bankruptcy and he resigned in October 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/09/us/falwell-quits-warning-ptl-ministry-may-end.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|title= Falwell Quits, Warning PTL Ministry May End|date=October 9, 1987|access-date=January 1, 2019}}</ref>