I can’t help but be reminded of a post I saw on the Coaches Hot Seat college football blog a few years ago during the USC/Steve Sarkisian intoxication scandal.
Bottom line, the improprieties of Falwell’s personal life are now the stories of Liberty University, not anything that the University is doing on its own merit. It is time for Falwell to resign.
A couple of years ago a member of Coaches Hot Seat got promoted to the CEO position of a medium-sized company and as always he joined us at the annual Coaches Hot Seat Lake Tahoe Clambake in August of each year which includes a good amount of drinking in and around the general public at many different resorts, restaurants, and golf courses on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. What all of us noticed almost immediately with our long-time friend who was now the CEO of a decent-sized company was that he no longer did things in public that would reflect badly on the company he now led and one night we asked him about this and his response was perfect…
“I am the CEO of a company now and my behavior must reflect the values and expectations of employees and company I now lead.”
And a Coaches Hot Seat member added to that: “And you don’t want to get your a— (edited) fired for something someone filmed or saw you do in public!”
Bottom-Line Lesson: When you take on the position of CEO or head football coach for that matter your life is no longer just your own because you now are the public face and leader of that company or football team and if you don’t want the responsibility that comes with being the CEO or a head coach then for –-(edited) sure don’t take the job….BUT….if you do take that job have some –-(edited) class and act like a LEADER!
What a mess….since both the Falwells and the pool boy say it’s true, I think we can probably dispense with “alleged”. Probably too early to derive solid lessons on this, but I have to wonder whether one of them will be “never devote yourself so much to your business that your wife forgets who you are.” Perhaps another one “never become a major investor in a business if you’d be ashamed to have your picture taken there.”
I’m thinking a lot of stories are coming together with this, sad to say….and this is way uglier than I’d dared to think.
Jerry Falwell Jr., one of the most prominent evangelical supporters of President Trump, resigned on Monday from his position as president and chancellor of Liberty University, following weeks of mounting scrutiny of his private life.
Falwell needs to be away from the spotlight so he and his wife can repent and work on their spiritual lives. I’m glad he resigned, for both his and the school’s sake.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
….to how to approach this. Given some of what I’ve seen—recording of him joking with the paramour about the situation, to put it mildly—he just needs to go now.
Or better yet, ten years back, but we do not have a DeLorean in the lot…..
“The board put me on leave, took away my duties as prez, and that’s not permitted by my contract,” Mr. Falwell said Monday night. “And they put me on leave because of pressure from self-righteous people.”
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
It strikes me that in an institution like Liberty, Falwell probably does have some protection against the actions of the board—it’s fairly standard in larger institutions of higher learning with which Liberty competes for students and professors. At my alma mater, Michigan State, two people whose actions (or lack thereof) cost the school a cool half billion bucks (and counting) in the Larry Nassar crimes got big retirement payouts—LouAnna Simon and Bill Strampel. I’m guessing it will be similar in this case.
And like the MSU case, this is one where a lot of signs were there ahead of time. Spending millions on a gay-friendly youth hostel in Miami with its own bar, going nightclubbing with the manager, contracting with Michael Cohen to keep photos quiet…..if you’re going to protect your leadership with legal agreements typical of corporate leaders, you need to have a morals clause, and you need to keep an eye on what they’re doing.
If you had a good run in ministry, thinking your son is the right person to replace you almost never works out.
I graduated from Liberty. Never cared for Falwell Jr. Never lived the life of a believer as far as I could tell. I don’t know why the Christian leaders at the school tolerated him other than they thought they could do damage control or cover it up. This is not the first issue with Falwell Jr. There were other sexual, as well as financial, allegations against him.
My pastor prays, and encourages us to, “Lord, take my life if that’s what it takes to keep me from falling away.” We desperately need God’s grace to restrain us.
I graduated from Liberty. Never cared for Falwell Jr. Never lived the life of a believer as far as I could tell. I don’t know why the Christian leaders at the school tolerated him other than they thought they could do damage control or cover it up. This is not the first issue with Falwell Jr. There were other sexual, as well as financial, allegations against him.
Bye Bye.
The way the young man describes when Mrs. Falwell first approached him, it seems as if the Falwells had an established MO. I think the school needs to investigate Falwell, hire a law firm or those who do such a thing, to find out if there have been other immoral acts. His tenure also needs a good financial investigation.
Discussion
NewRelated
Falwell put out an article with the Washington Examiner yesterday, in a pre-emptive attempt at damage control: “Falwell says Fatal Attraction threat led to depression.”
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewMust go
Whether Falwell is an innocent victim, or a distrubed and perverted man, he must be removed from Liberty.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewConduct of Public Leaders
I can’t help but be reminded of a post I saw on the Coaches Hot Seat college football blog a few years ago during the USC/Steve Sarkisian intoxication scandal.
Bottom line, the improprieties of Falwell’s personal life are now the stories of Liberty University, not anything that the University is doing on its own merit. It is time for Falwell to resign.
John B. Lee
NewWhoa
What a mess….since both the Falwells and the pool boy say it’s true, I think we can probably dispense with “alleged”. Probably too early to derive solid lessons on this, but I have to wonder whether one of them will be “never devote yourself so much to your business that your wife forgets who you are.” Perhaps another one “never become a major investor in a business if you’d be ashamed to have your picture taken there.”
I’m thinking a lot of stories are coming together with this, sad to say….and this is way uglier than I’d dared to think.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewResigned
Jerry Falwell Jr. Resigns as Leader of Liberty University
Twitter
Jim's Doctrinal Statement
NewSad
Falwell needs to be away from the spotlight so he and his wife can repent and work on their spiritual lives. I’m glad he resigned, for both his and the school’s sake.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewPlot thickens
The embattled Evangelical leader says that reports of his departure from Liberty University are incorrect.
This is 2020. That is all …
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewHere's a guide
….to how to approach this. Given some of what I’ve seen—recording of him joking with the paramour about the situation, to put it mildly—he just needs to go now.
Or better yet, ten years back, but we do not have a DeLorean in the lot…..
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewHe's probably pushing back on
He’s probably pushing back on resignation story because he’s negotiating his departure. The board should just fire him for cause.
NewLatest (WSJ)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jerry-falwell-jr-tangles-with-liberty-univ…
Twitter
Jim's Doctrinal Statement
NewJim
Best quote from the article you shared:
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewHe may be right, legally at least
It strikes me that in an institution like Liberty, Falwell probably does have some protection against the actions of the board—it’s fairly standard in larger institutions of higher learning with which Liberty competes for students and professors. At my alma mater, Michigan State, two people whose actions (or lack thereof) cost the school a cool half billion bucks (and counting) in the Larry Nassar crimes got big retirement payouts—LouAnna Simon and Bill Strampel. I’m guessing it will be similar in this case.
And like the MSU case, this is one where a lot of signs were there ahead of time. Spending millions on a gay-friendly youth hostel in Miami with its own bar, going nightclubbing with the manager, contracting with Michael Cohen to keep photos quiet…..if you’re going to protect your leadership with legal agreements typical of corporate leaders, you need to have a morals clause, and you need to keep an eye on what they’re doing.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewNepotism is (almost) never a good thing
If you had a good run in ministry, thinking your son is the right person to replace you almost never works out.
I graduated from Liberty. Never cared for Falwell Jr. Never lived the life of a believer as far as I could tell. I don’t know why the Christian leaders at the school tolerated him other than they thought they could do damage control or cover it up. This is not the first issue with Falwell Jr. There were other sexual, as well as financial, allegations against him.
Bye Bye.
NewScary
My pastor prays, and encourages us to, “Lord, take my life if that’s what it takes to keep me from falling away.” We desperately need God’s grace to restrain us.
Michael Osborne
Philadelphia, PA
NewMark_Smith wrote:
The way the young man describes when Mrs. Falwell first approached him, it seems as if the Falwells had an established MO. I think the school needs to investigate Falwell, hire a law firm or those who do such a thing, to find out if there have been other immoral acts. His tenure also needs a good financial investigation.