With the recent controversy over the Bush administration's courting of churches in the 2004 presidential campaign going on, there was an interesting exchange between Barry Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Jerry Falwell on CNBC's Capital Report on July 2nd. As the Americans United blog reports, here is how the exchange went:
Falwell agreed that the memo went too far and said he has been assured by the White House that it was written by an "underling" without "the blessing of anybody at the top." Then Falwell accused Lynn of trying to scare churches from legitimate involvement in social and political activities.AU's Lynn countered that Falwell isn't the best person for clergy to look to for advice on this subject. Falwell's "Old Time Gospel Hour," Lynn noted, lost its tax exemption for 1986 and 1987 for improper political activities.
Falwell indignantly interrupted. "Never," he shouted. "Never. Never. Not one minute. Not one second. You are wrong. Never one second did we lose our tax exemption."
Responded Lynn calmly, "Fifty thousand dollars was paid to the federal government. So I don't think people ought to be taking tax advice from Jerry Falwell on this very sensitive matter. This is very serious."
Blustered Falwell in response, "You are telling a lie right now, Barry."
Ah, but it turns out that Mr. Falwell is the one who is telling the lie. Does he not think that people have the ability to do a simple Nexis/Lexis search? From the New York Times, April 7, 1993:
After a four-year examination of groups affiliated with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the conservative evangelist, the Internal Revenue Service has won agreement from his broadcast ministry to pay $50,000 in taxes for engaging in political activity in 1986 and 1987.The agency found that the assets and personnel of the ministry, the Old Time Gospel Hour, were used to raise money for a political action committee in violation of laws prohibiting tax-exempt bodies from participating or intervening in political campaigns on behalf of candidates. The I.R.S. did not identify the political action committee...
The I.R.S. also revoked the tax-exempt status of another Falwell organization, the Liberty Federation, after determining that it did not operate solely for religious and charitable purposes, a ruling that was not contested.
The settlement, which revoked the Old Time Gospel Hour's tax-free status for the two years, was disclosed in a public statement signed in mid-February by Mr. Falwell as president of the ministry, an arm of the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va.
Isn't that fascinating? Not only did it happen, but it was disclosed in a letter signed by Falwell himself and sent to news organizations. Why on earth does someone go on television and lie about something that is so easily checked? And have the chutzpah to accuse someone else of lying about it at the same time! A stunning display of how utterly contemptuous Falwell is.
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This is unrelated to the topic and perhaps a bit mean-spirited, but Foulwell provides an irresistible target: Has anyone else noticed how much this man blinks? Watch him closely next time; he must surely be setting some sort of record. He looks like a pig that has been dragged from its shady wallow into the bright summer sun. His eyes are probably closed almost as much as they are open. Perhaps the same can be said of his mind. As Ben Franklin noted, "The way to see by Faith is to shut the eye of Reason."
Mr Ryan, that is not at all being mean spirited, you are telling it like it is. I stopped reading or watching anything about Falwell a long time ago, but you have peaked my curiosity about his blinking. I just might check that out. When they do lie detector tests are the movements of the eyes checked too?
This is the problem with people like Falwell: their credibility gap gives unbelievers reason to poke fun at Christianity, and ultimately, at Christ.
Steve
This is the problem with people like Falwell: their credibility gap gives unbelievers reason to poke fun at Christianity, and ultimately, at Christ.
Well Steve, let me make clear that while I take a lot of shots at folks like Falwell or Kent Hovind, men I consider outright frauds and con men, that is never intended to make fun of either the millions and millions of sincere and intelligent Christians, or of Jesus himself. I'm sure many people do interpret it that way, but those who know me well know it not to be the case. I am not one of those people who thinks that all Christians are stupid (many of them are, but the same can be said of any large group) or that there is anything intrinsically irrational about being a Christian. I simply know too many brilliant and well educated Christians to think that. And I also think that Jesus himself would probably be a good deal harder on Falwell and Hovind than I am. They tell lies in his name, after all. I suspect he wouldn't be too happy about that.