FALWELL WITH THE WORD-FAITH PENTECOSTALS AND CATHOLICS

FALWELL WITH THE WORD-FAITH PENTECOSTALS AND CATHOLICS

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Edited February 3, 1999 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, and founder of Liberty University, is scheduled to speak at a "Revival Fires Celebration" hosted by Cecil and Linda Todd in April (Charisma, January 1999, p. 97). Other speakers include Rod Parsley, Tommy Barnett, and Jesse Duplantis, all of who are proponents of word-faith doctrine and who are closely aligned with false teachers such as Benny Hinn, Rodney Howard-Browne, and Oral Roberts. Tommy Barnett is one of the trustees of the Charismatic Bible Ministries (CBM), which was founded by Oral Roberts. Ads for CBM conferences at Oral Roberts University appearing in Charisma magazine promise "miracles, signs and wonders. The men Pastor Falwell is honoring by appearing at their conference are those who have promoted such unscriptural and hurtful things as "tongues speaking," spirit slaying, fire baptism, losing one's salvation, healing in the atonement, the prosperity gospel, end-time prophets, the laughing revival, and spirit drunkenness. (We have documented these things in our new book The Laughing Revival from Azusa to Pensacola, available from Way of Life Literature in the States and Canada.) These are not minor doctrinal aberrations, and Falwell's fellowship with such men sends the message that he agrees with their doctrine and that these men are "safe" to follow.

Though Jerry Falwell claims to be a fundamental Baptist, he acts like a New Evangelical. He has long fellowshipped with Pentecostal and even Roman Catholic leaders.

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 the 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.'

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 Christianity Today, Feb. 21, 1986, Falwell stated that Catholics made up the largest constituency (30%) in the Moral Majority. At that time Moral Majority had 500,000 active contributors and a mailing list of six million people.

In his Fundamentalist Journal for December 1986, a photo of Falwell shows him addressing the students at Notre Dame University, a major Roman Catholic school.

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 sort--an agreement to work together on issues without trying simply to gloss over theological differences."

Falwell has spoken highly of the Pope on several occasions. In his January 1985 Morality 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. These are the amazing statements made by Falwell 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.

In 1985 Falwell invited Catholic Senator Edward Kennedy (liberal socialist Democrat) 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 come to feel toward 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 the shifting position of Jerry Falwell with regard to 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" (Fournier, Evangelical Catholics, p. 172).

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.

Dr. Falwell is drawing ever closer to the most radical fringes of the ecumenical world. As a wise man once said, "Compromise will take you farther than you intend to go." God's Word does not warn in vain, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).