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Liberals, news media on smear campaign, Falwell tells donors. (People & Events).


Although TV preacher Jerry Falwell This article is about Jerry Falwell, Sr. For the article about his son, see Jerry Falwell, Jr.

Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. (August 11 1933 – May 15, 2007)[1] was an American fundamentalist Christian pastor and televangelist.
 claims to have apologized for his infamous remarks about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, his ministry has sent a fund-raising letter to donors recasting his statements in a positive light and depicting him as a victim of the news media "wolf pack wolf pack
n.
A group of submarines that attack a single vessel or a convoy.

Noun 1. wolf pack - a group of submarines operating together in attacking enemy convoys
" and "liberal lies."

In an Oct. 4 appeal for funds, Jerry Falwell Ministries accuses "liberals, and especially gay activists" of launching "a vicious smear campaign smear campaign ncampaña de calumnias

smear campaign ncampagne f de dénigrement

smear campaign smear n
 to discredit him." It says Falwell is "being roundly vilified by the news media for remarks he made in a TV interview while calling for spiritual revival in America."

The letter, signed by Falwell's son Jonathan, compares Falwell to biblical heroes such as the Prophet Jeremiah and Queen Esther and says, "Liberals of all stripes, especially in the media, have seized on this opportunity to trash dad's deeply held Christian beliefs and to literally attack him day and night."

"It seems that Satan has launched a hail of fiery darts at dad recently," writes Jonathan Falwell Jonathan Falwell is the senior pastor at the Thomas Road Baptist Church. He is the son and successor of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and the brother of Liberty University chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. . "He needs to know you still support him. Please return the enclosed Vote of Confidence Reply Card right away in the envelope I have provided within the next 5 days.... And with your card, please remember to include a special Vote of Confidence gift for Jerry Falwell of at least $50 or even $100 along with your signed card."

Falwell's critics say the fund-raising letter is a new low.

"This is truly outrageous," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn Reverend Barry W. Lynn (born 1948 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992.[1] , executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a religious freedom advocacy group in the United States which promotes the separation of church and state, a legal doctrine seen by the AU as being enshrined in the Establishment . "Falwell has gone from apologizing for his hateful remarks to trying to cash in on them.

"I thought Falwell couldn't sink much lower than he did in his vicious remarks after the Sept. 11 tragedy," continued Lynn. "But this fund-raising letter is indeed a new low."

On Sept. 13, Falwell went on TV preacher Pat Robertson's "700 Club" program to discuss the terrorist attacks. With Robertson's concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. , Falwell blamed the events on judges who uphold church-state separation, abortion rights activists, gay people, civil liberties activists and others who are "trying to secularize sec·u·lar·ize  
tr.v. sec·u·lar·ized, sec·u·lar·iz·ing, sec·u·lar·iz·es
1. To transfer from ecclesiastical or religious to civil or lay use or ownership.

2.
 America."

Said Falwell, "I point the finger in their face and say, `You helped this [the terrorist attack] happen.'"

When a wave of intense national criticism erupted, Robertson blamed the episode on Falwell. Falwell initially tried to explain away the remarks, saying they were taken out of context. Finally, however, he issued a full apology, going on ABC's "Good Morning America Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. The show was adapted from The Morning Exchange, a morning show created by and airing on the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, and was launched nationally as " Sept. 20 to admit the tirade was "stupid" and "indefensible."

The Falwell fund-raising letter says donations to his ministry have plummeted in recent days and claims "we have lost more than $500,000 in income since the terrorist attacks."

Jonathan Falwell complains that "even some Christian friends have remained silent while dad has faced the media wolf pack alone." In a P.S., he concludes, "[P]lease let Jerry Falwell know you don't believe the media distortions being spread about him."
COPYRIGHT 2001 Americans United for Separation of Church and State
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2001, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Publication:Church & State
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Nov 1, 2001
Words:492
Previous Article:Religious right leaders continue `Blame America' approach to terror attack. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
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