[The following material is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1995. David W. Cloud, Editor. This material cannot be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission from the author. Any articles which are redistributed by e-mail or print must be left intact and nothing must be removed or changed, including these informational headers. All rights are reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. The Way of Life web site is located at http://www.wayoflife.org/]

FALWELL AND CO-WORKERS HAVE CHANGED THEIR POSITION

By David W. Cloud

The following quotes illustrate the change that has occurred in Falwell and in some of the key men working with him.

"Believing the Bible as I do, I would find it impossible to stop preaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ and begin doing anything else, including fighting Communism, or participating in civil rights reforms. Preachers are not called to be politicians but to be soul winners. Nowhere are we commissioned to reform the externals" (Jerry Falwell, 1965, cited in Faith for the Faith, Sept. 1985, p. 10).

"We openly and frequently decry the modern Charismatic Movement to be of Satanic origin. We do not believe the modern charismatic is of God. We reject tongues as being spurious and unscriptural for this age. We do not permit our staff or visiting speakers and singers to participate in Charismatic Churches or programs. We feel that association with a charismatic ministry creates a false impression that we believe in what they are doing" (Jerry Falwell, 1977, cited in The Baptist Challenge, July 1987, p. 9).

"As fundamentalists oppose error, or at least any erosion caused by error, they squabble with evangelicals. ... Fundamentalists have a bright future as they proclaim the truth and oppose error, but war clouds are on the horizon" (Elmer Towns, "Independent Fundamental Baptists Looking Toward 2000 A.D.," chapter 16, Roots and Origins of Baptist Fundamentalism by James O Combs, Baptist Bible Tribune Publication, 1984).

Dr. Jerry Falwell, as we see, once believed that the preacher's job is to proclaim the Gospel, not work for political reform. Yet the latter is precisely the chief aim of much of his ministry today. He once believed that the Charismatic movement is of the devil. Yet he has drawn very close to the Charismatic world in recent years. He tried to rescue the apostate PTL Club. He has had many Charismatic groups, such as the Gaithers, perform at his school. Now he has invited the Promise Keepers to his campus with all of their radical Charismatic associations.

In 1984 James Combs edited Roots and Origins of Baptist Fundamentalism. He knows that the Billy Graham-type compromise has always been anathema to Fundamental Baptists. He knows that Fundamental Baptists have historically been bitter opponents to ecumenical evangelism. Yet today he has yoked together with a ministry which is committed to precisely this type of ecumenism in political action.

In 1984 Liberty University's Elmer Towns said Fundamental Baptists are NOT Evangelicals. He said that Fundamental Baptists must fight against Evangelical compromise. Yet Towns is happily associated with a ministry today which claims to be Evangelical and which praises Billy Graham and other Evangelical compromisers.

"My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change" (Prov. 24:21).

"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).

"A little leaven leaventh the whole lump" (Gal. 5:9).