October 29, 2001
Falwell uses controversial comments as fund-raiser
___LYNCHBURG, Va. (RNS)-- Jerry Falwell's son Jonathan has sent out a fund-raising letter asking for support for his father, saying the ministry has lost more than $500,000 since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
___The letter, dated Oct. 4, follows a series of controversial statements by Jerry Falwell regarding the attacks. The televangelist said in an interview on Pat Robertson's "700 Club" that gays and lesbians, abortionists and groups such as the ACLU and People for the American Way bore responsibility for a national moral decline that led to the attacks. He later called his remarks "insensitive" and apologized for singling out particular groups for blame.
___But now his remarks are the basis of the fund-raising letter.
___"While my father made it abundantly clear that he blamed absolutely no one but the terrorists for the slaughter of thousands of Americans in Washington, New York and Pennsylvania ... liberals, and especially gay activists, have launched a vicious smear campaign to discredit him," Jonathan Falwell wrote.
___The younger Falwell serves as executive pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, the Lynchburg, Va., megachurch where his father is senior pastor.
___Jonathan Falwell, who is the church's administrator, urged donors to return a "Vote of Confidence Reply Card" with gifts of "at least $50 or even $100" and a personal note supporting his father.
___Ron Godwin, president of Jerry Falwell Ministries, confirmed the ministry has lost more than $500,000, which he attributes in part to a hesitancy of some donors to give away money at a time of economic uncertainty.
___"There are many reasons, and the smear campaign certainly played a role, I'm sure," he said.
___Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a watchdog group that often has been critical of Falwell, issued a press release about the letter.
___"I thought Falwell couldn't sink much lower than he did in his vicious remarks after the Sept. 11 tragedy," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "But this fund-raising letter is indeed a new low."
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