What rises to the level of news is not that pastor-evangelist Jerry Falwell has changed his views about gays and lesbians, but that the general news media now speak well of him.

Monday, November 15, 1999

What rises to the level of news is not that pastor-evangelist Jerry Falwell has changed his views about gays and lesbians, but that the general news media now speak well of him. Jerry Falwell’s recent meeting with gays and lesbians is no change of concept, but he finally got through that he opposes homosexuality and also has compassion for gays and lesbians as persons. Simply objecting to homosexuality is not homophobia or hate.

Falwell has, in fact, made some distinctly foolish remarks about gays and lesbians. However, most of the bad press he has suffered is the result of either biased reporting that gave the worse possible construction to what he said or, more frequently I suspect, over zealous reporters who were working hard to get their stories published and editors eager for eye-catching, head-shaking headlines. A preacher who sermonizes about loving our neighbors does not get covered, because this is not news but the usual. I have heard such sermons from Falwell, and in his Lynchburg, Virginia church.

Sometimes Falwell was speaking hyperbolically, but it was reported as literal statements by the same reporters who denigrate him for always taking the Bible literally. Other times he was quoted out of context when the context yields a substantially different meaning. Still other times the portion quoted in the press was distortingly selective, when the full statement would show balance.

Mel White was once a trusted associate of Falwell and often ghost-wrote for him and other evangelical leaders. A couple of years ago White came out and self-identified as gay. He did not then simply leave Falwell but attacked his former employer publicly. Some statements White made about Falwell and other evangelical figures are as untrue and unkind as those with which White charges evangelicals as making against gays and lesbians. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that some evangelicals have made slanderous statements about gays and lesbians, and White does well to call them to account.

What brought all this to a head are the widespread accusations that Jerry Falwell was directly responsible for the death of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shephard. The charge was that Falwell inflamed people like those now convicted of the terrible and inexcusable murder. This, in my opinion, is stretching cause-effect beyond rationality. If the murderers had sat under Falwell’s preaching, one might begin to build a case; but even that could not reach this conclusion.

However, I commend Falwell for recognizing serious danger in excessive, irresponsible rhetoric that is so easily misunderstood and exploited. He does get carried away with homiletical zeal, and this has been a worthwhile experience for him.

The stronger anyone – preacher or others – speaks out against homosexuality, the harder he must work to ensure his objection is conceptual and targets the behavior rather than the person. His concern must be for the welfare of gays and lesbians and not defense of his own opinions. If he ever pleads "some of my best friends are gay or lesbian," he better go out of his way to make some gays and lesbians his best friends.

Jerry Falwell can be expected always to preach against homosexuality, and I don’t know if gays and lesbians will ever be among his best friends. But I also anticipate his speaking much more carefully now. This also teaches the rest of us not to presume upon moral disagreement with homosexual behavior that the objector hates gays and lesbians as persons.

Wallace Alcorn’s column appears Mondays