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May 25, 2007 Jerry was widely criticized in the Christian community for
lending legitimacy to Moon's organization. Moon had always claimed
that he was Jesus Christ's successor and moral superior. It was
inconceivable that a "fundamentalist Christian" like
Falwell would regard Moon as anything other than a blasphemer.
But, as always, whenever confronted with a choice between money,
connections, or the appearance of propriety, propriety came last.
One of Falwell’s first steps toward compromise was in the late 1970s when he decided that he needed to influence politics, and toward that end he formed the Moral Majority. By 1986, Moral Majority had 500,000 active contributors and a mailing list of six million people. In Christianity Today, Feb. 21, 1986, Falwell stated that Catholics made up the largest constituency (30%) in the Moral Majority. Christianity Today, Nov. 2, 1979, records an ecumenical gathering Falwell attended in 1979. “Seated with Falwell on the platform were ministers of varying racial, ethnic, and denominational backgrounds, including traditionalist Catholic theologian, William H. Marshner ... A Jew, director Howard Phillips of Conservative Caucus, gave the opening address.” Falwell was one of the speakers at the April 1980 “Washington for Jesus“ rally. Fellow speakers were Catholic priests John Bertolucci, John Randall, and Michael Scanlon; as well as Modernist Robert Schuller; and a host of radical Charismatics, including Jim Bakker of PTL, Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, and Demos Shakarian of the Full Gospel Business’ Men’s Fellowship International. In 1985, Falwell gathered with thirty-two Catholics, Protestants, and Jews at Indiana University for discussions sponsored by Rabbi Leon Klenicki (Australian Beacon, Nov. 1985). In 1983, Gary Habermas, a professor at Falwell’s school, co-authored a book which, according to an advertisement in Charisma magazine, reached an amazing conclusion: “The Shroud [of Turin] [which the Catholic church claims to be Christ’s burial shroud] is almost certainly authentic. Through its revelation about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it helps build faith in an unbelieving age” (The Flaming Torch, Jan.-Feb. 1983). Habermas would have us believe that a bogus Catholic relic can actually build faith in an unbelieving generation, an amazing conclusion for supposed Fundamentalists to reach. There are many objective reasons for rejecting the Shroud of Turin. For one, the image on the Shroud depicts a longhaired man. This could not possibly be the Lord Jesus Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 11, which says it is a shame for a man to have long hair. In the December 1984 issue of Falwell’s Fundamentalist Journal, a Roman Catholic cardinal was given a forum to tell Fundamentalists what he felt they needed to hear. This is like asking the Devil what he thinks of Fundamental Baptists! Journal editor Edward Dobson said: “‘What would you say to a Fundamentalist if given the opportunity?’ This was the question we recently asked a Jewish rabbi, a Roman Catholic cardinal, an Evangelical leader, and an articulate voice for liberal Christianity ... For too many years, we Fundamentalists have existed in our hermetically sealed world and promoted the attitude that we do not care what anyone else thinks about anything. In this issue of the Journal, we venture into new territory and listen to what others say and think about Fundamentalism. “The article by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin is especially interesting. It reflects many of the changes that have occurred in the Roman Catholic church in recent decades. We view much of that change in a positive light. ... To Cardinal Bernardin’s unique insight into the American Catholic church we say, ‘gratias’” (Fundamentalist Journal, Dec. 1984). God has not called His people to listen to heretics; He has commanded that we reject them! For a supposed fundamentalist to call the changes in Rome “positive” is evidence of overwhelming ignorance and blindness. In the March 1985 issue of Falwell’s Fundamentalist Journal, Ed Dobson, then vice-president of student affairs at Liberty Baptist College, made this amazing statement: “Extremists who declare that the Papacy is of anti-Christ ... are insensitive to others and lack the love of Christ.” If it is extremism to declare the papacy anti-Christ, most Bible-believing preachers through the centuries have been extremists! I have documented dozens of such “extremists” in our book Rome and the Bible (available from Way of Life Literature). In the Fundamentalist Journal for December 1986, a photo of Falwell shows him addressing the students at Notre Dame University, a major Roman Catholic school. By the way, not only is Notre Dame University a hotbed of Catholic dogma; it is a hotbed of theological Modernism. The professors teach that the Bible is a mixture of truth and myth, that Adam and Eve were not historic, that the world evolved, that Jonah was not swallowed by a whale, etc. In an editorial in the Jan. 15, 1988, issue of Christianity Today, author Terry Muck noted Falwell’s radical, ground-breaking ecumenism: “Perhaps Falwell’s greatest accomplishment, however, was getting Protestants, Catholics, and Jews to work together on common causes. The Moral Majority is a coalition of groups that heretofore had let theological differences stand in the way of coordinated activity on shared concerns like abortion and pornography. It stands as a model of ecumenicity of the best sortan agreement to work together on issues without trying simply to gloss over theological differences.” Falwell spoke highly of the pope on several occasions. In his January 1985 Moral Majority Report, Falwell called the pope and Billy Graham great moral and religious leaders. In 1988, Falwell mailed to bookstores a letter advertising a film about John Paul II. Falwell made the following amazing statement about this Catholic pope: “Dear Christian Bookstore Owner: Pope John Paul II will never become a Baptist, and it is for sure that I will never convert to Roman Catholicism. However, I have stated often that I believe this Pope is a man of unique character and courage. His consistent stand on moral and social issues has provided the world leadership so desperately needed at this hour. Robert Evans is the Cecil B. deMille of this generation. It should be, then, no marvel that Mr. Evans has so perfectly captured the innermost person and principles of John Paul II. When I first watched the ‘Power of Faith,’ I was deeply moved. While the Pope and I have broad doctrinal and theological differences, this man’s commitment to the dignity of human life and his strong opposition to tyranny and bigotry provide a shining light for the people of our generation who need such reinforcement. ... I think people from all faiths and walks of life will appreciate this film.” Why would a Baptist leader promote a video by a religious leader who preaches a false gospel and thereby leads multitudes to eternal Hell? The Bible says the pope is under God’s curse (Galatians 1). Falwell did not fear that someone reading his recommendation of the pope might be encouraged to listen to him and thereby be deceived into following Catholicism? The Bible says we are not even to bid “God speed” to those who deny the doctrine of Christ (2 John 8-11), because those who assist false teachers become partakers of their evil deeds. In praising the pope and recommending his video, Falwell did much more than bidding him “God speed.” When New York’s Cardinal John O’Connor died on May 3, 2000, Falwell praised him. O’Connor was who was one of the most prominent Catholic leaders in America. In his news fax on May 4, Jerry Falwell said: “The Cardinal and I differed on a few theological and social issues, but my respect for him was unwavering because of his ministerial kindness and unconditional willingness to help those in need. . . . Every pastor in America can learn a great lesson from this man. We should never permit our political or social differences to hamper our God-given instruction to minister to our fellow man. As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I cannot expect people to take this message seriously if I am unwilling, as a representative of Christ, to meet them where they are. Change in people’s lives comes after a relationship with Christ begins, so we must be frequently disposed to taking the Gospel to unfriendly environments. Cardinal O’Connor embodied this mandate. I am grateful that John O’Connor -- a man of courageous faith -- had such a profound influence on the Catholic Church through his fifty-five years of ministry. I pray that another pro-life, pro-family minister can be found to fill his significant and substantial shoes.” I can understand how Pastor Falwell could say he was thankful for Cardinal John O’Connor’s efforts against abortion and homosexual “rights,” but in praising him so profusely and in failing so completely to warn that the cardinal preached a false gospel, Falwell misled his listeners. Yes, he mentioned in passing that he and O’Connor “differed on a few theological and social issues.” A FEW! Cardinal John O’Connor believed that salvation is through the sacraments of Rome, that the Pope is the Holy Father and Vicar of Christ, that the Catholic priesthood mediates between God and man, that Mary is the sinless Queen of Heaven, that dead “saints” can answer prayer, that the mass is the literal body and blood and re-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that Christians go to purgatory, etc. Are those simply “a few” theological matters? In truth, they are the difference between Heaven and Hell! Yet Jerry Falwell--addressing his vast listening audience composed of people from all sorts of denominations, including Catholic--left them with the impression that he believed Cardinal O’Connor was a true Christian minister. Furthermore, according to 2 John 9-11, we are not even to bid false teachers like John O’Connor “godspeed.” We are not even to greet them, let alone praise them! In 1985, Falwell invited radical Catholic Senator Edward Kennedy to speak at Liberty Baptist College and Thomas Road Baptist Church. “The Senator announced to the audience of 5,000, ‘I am an American and a Catholic.’ He then lectured them on Pope John XXIII’s renewal of the gospel call and the voice of Catholic bishops in the U.S.A. He opened his speech with these words. ‘I have come here to discuss my beliefs about faith and country, tolerance, and truth in America. ... I love my country and I treasure my faith.’ ... In spite of Kennedy’s travesty of historical facts, open defiance of Biblical standards (‘I utterly reject any such standards,’ he said), his obvious scorn of Biblical truth and defense of his Roman faith, the Senator was given two standing ovations and was interrupted a dozen times by applause. Cal Thomas’ impression as Moral Majority spokesman was that this is a step towards ‘disarming ideologues on both sides’” (The Flaming Torch, Jan.-Mar. 1985). We see just how cozy Falwell has become with Roman Catholicism in a scene described by Keith Fournier in his book Evangelical Catholics. Fournier, Dean of Evangelism at Roman Catholic Franciscan University of Steubenville, verifies Falwell’s shifting position concerning the Roman Catholic Church. Speaking about a meeting he attended of the “American Congress of Christian Citizens,” Fournier states: “In our meeting room were major Evangelical leaders I’ve admired for years Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson, and many others. I found not only a tremendous openness to my presence, but also a growing respect for my church and a thawing in what had been hard ice in the past. Perhaps the comments by Dr. Falwell were most illustrative. “He told the whole group not even to consider trying to affect public policy with only a narrow Evangelical Protestant church coalition. He said that from its inception any such effort must include Catholics and consultation with great churchmen such as Cardinal Law and Cardinal O’Connor. Clearly not backing off one bit from his self-described ‘narrowness of doctrine,’ Dr. Falwell showed a refreshing openness” (Evangelical Catholics, p. 172). The root of societal ills is religious or spiritual in nature. The root problem of America’s social ills is the apostasy and cowardice in the pulpits and the churches. Roman Catholicism, because of its apostasy from the Word of God and the New Testament faith, is at the heart of American’s problem (as is theological modernism and every other anti-scriptural ism); it is foolish in the extreme to think that Romanism could somehow be part of the solution. How can Roman Catholicism, which has never produced true biblical morality, be an effective accomplice in a coalition to bring back morality to America? Wherever Roman Catholicism holds sway over men’s lives (visit Italy or Mexico or Ireland, for example), you will find rampant immorality (adultery, fornication, pornography, child molestation) (even in its priests), divorce, annulments, gambling, lascivious dancing, immodest dress, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, idolatry, occultism, superstition, hypocrisy, agnosticism. It is with no sense of joy that I say these things, but this is a fact that I have observed with my own eyes. I realize that not every Catholic priest is a moral reprobate, but huge numbers of them are; and I realize that not every Catholic man or woman practices the things I have listed, but large numbers of them do. Roman Catholicism simply does not have the spiritual life and power to produce genuine biblical godliness. The Devil is the author of false religions like Roman Catholicism (2 Corinthians 11; 1 Timothy 4), and it is a strange sight to see men like Jerry Falwell clamor for unity with false religions for the purpose of defeating the Devil’s works! Falwell endorsed Chuck Colson’s 1992 book, The Body, which urges Evangelicals to join forces with Catholics and Charismatics and which looks upon the Catholic Church as a part of the body of Christ. Colson’s wife is a Roman Catholic. The coach of Liberty University’s football team is a Roman Catholic (Frontline, May-June 2000, p. 6). See also the following articles at the Way of Life Literature web site under the Compromising Fundamentalist and the Evangelical sections of the End Times Apostasy Database -- http://www.wayoflife.org/ “Billy Graham and Rome”
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