Jerry Falwell ‘Finished Well'

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority and Liberty University and pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church since 1956, died today. He was 73.

Falwell was found unresponsive in his office this morning. Attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family Action, issued a statement honoring Falwell's life.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to Jerry’s wife Macel, his children Jerry, Jonathan and Jeannie, and his church. This is a tragic loss for them – and for all Americans. Jerry’s passions and convictions changed the course of our country for the better over the last 20 years – and I was proud to call him my friend.

“It was Jerry who led an entire wing of Christianity, the fundamentalist wing, away from isolation and into a direct confrontation with culture. It was my honor to share the front lines with him in the battle for righteousness in our nation. We will continue that fight, in his honor, until our mutual goals are achieved."

In 1956, at the age of 22, Falwell started Thomas Road Baptist Church in his hometown of Lynchburg, Va., with 35 members. Today, the congregation has 25,000 members.

Within weeks of founding the church, Falwell began the Old-Time Gospel Hour, a daily local radio ministry and a weekly local television ministry. In 1971, Liberty University was founded. Today, more than 21,000 students from 50 states and 80 nations attend.

In June 1979, Falwell organized the Moral Majority, a conservative political lobbying movement that rallied millions of voters who helped to get Ronald Reagan elected.

“Jerry Falwell was a friend, a leader, a man of strong, Christian commitment whose actions have been an inspiration to us all,” Don Hodel, former president of Focus on the Family, told Family News in Focus. “He persevered in his forthright, public advocacy of what was right in the face of continuous efforts to caricature him and to marginalize him.

“He has passed as an honorable man. He has finished well.”

H.B. London, vice president of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family, remembered Falwell's passion for people.

“He would never walk across a crowded campus without locking eyes with everybody in his pathway,” he said.

When Tim Dantas walks across the stage Saturday to receive his diploma from Liberty University, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell won’t be there to shake his hand.

“Dr. Falwell has meant a lot to my family,” Dantas told ABC. “He is a very personable person. He’s done everything. It’s everything you want in a president of a university. He wasn’t scared of getting involved.”

Falwell is survived by his wife, Macel, and three children, Jerry, Jonathan and Jeannie.

Remembering
Dr. Falwell

“Jerry has been a tower of strength on many of the moral issues which have confronted our nation. Liberty University is a magnificent accomplishment and will prove a lasting legacy. Jerry's courage and strength of convictions will be sadly missed in this time of increasing moral relativism.”

Pat Robertson,
founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network

“Dr. Falwell made big dreams reality — by inspiring millions to political involvement, by dedicating himself to higher education, and most importantly, by fostering Christian outreach."

Beverly LaHaye,
founder and chairwoman of Concerned Women for America

“Dr. Jerry Falwell motivated millions of Christian conservatives to engage the cultural and political issues of the day through politics. With his leadership and vision, he changed the landscape of American politics.”

Jay Sekulow,
chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice

“Jerry was a great fighter in the culture wars. He was both an exemplary evangelical and a renowned social activist, always exuding the kind of moral courage so often lacking in religious leaders of all faiths. He will be sorely missed.”

Bill Donohue,
Catholic League president

“Rev. Jerry Falwell gave his heart and soul to his family, his faith and his country. This is obvious when one looks at the decades of work he completed to grow his ministry, nurture his university, and advance the conservative movement.”

Brent Bozell,
Media Research Center president