Jerry Falwell started a church in his own hometown, then used it as a platform to speak to the nation. In 1956 he founded the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia (with a beginning congregation of 35 people), and within a year was speaking on radio and television on "The Old-Time Gospel Hour." The church grew rapidly, his TV program went national in 1971 — the same year he founded Liberty University — and Falwell became a well-known public figure. In 1979 he founded the Moral Majority, which became a major political force in the 1980's. In recent years he has aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, and continues to be one of the most recognized Christian voices in America through his recent appearances on television talk shows and news programs. Preaching editor Michael Duduit recently visited with Falwell in his Liberty University office (where he serves as Chancellor, in addition to his pastoral duties).
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Preaching: In the past you have described yourself as a "salt and light" preacher. What do you mean by that?
Falwell: Well I believe that God has called me to be both salt of the earth and light of the world. Light of the world — evangelism, soul-winning, world evangelization church planter. Salt of the earth — confronting the culture, speaking out against the ills of society that need a prophetic voice. And I have done both for many, many years — about 50 years. Not every one agrees with that and approves it and it is something that my mentor Dr. Francis Schaeffer taught me. I was his student for many years and sometimes like to feel that I am extending his ministry.
Preaching: As you think about those two issues — evangelization and cultural confrontation — how do you relate those? Do you see them as separate themes or do you see them as connected?
Falwell: They both blend in my ministry. There's hardly a sermon I will preach anywhere in which I will not touch on both somewhere during the message. Always evangelism, always soul winning, almost always there will be some reference to my ministry to the culture.
Preaching: Has that been a characteristic of your ministry since you began preaching or is it something that developed over the years?
Falwell: Somewhere in the early 1960's, when Bible reading and prayer were removed from public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court, I began speaking out. I had been taught in Bible College that politics and religion don't mix. Nobody gave me a book, chapter and verse, but I accepted it. I was raised a Democrat by my father and I became pretty much a Republican by conviction — but I use the qualifier "pretty much" because there are many Republican whose views on the social issues leads me not to support them. When I find myself in a quandary — where both candidates are pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-strong national defense and so on — I go fishing on Election Day.