Thousands Attend Falwell’s Funeral

The funeral service for the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. was on May 22 at his Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. Among the guests were the Rev. Franklin Graham, who spoke during the funeral; Gary Bauer president of American Values; Paige Patterson, president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Falwell was remembered as a prominent voice in the Christian conservative community. He founded the Moral Majority in 1979 and credited his organization with helping Ronald Reagan get elected president in 1980. Even after he stepped down from leading the Moral Majority in 1987, he continued to oppose abortion, gay marriage and bans on school prayer. “Jerry has been a tower of strength on many of the moral issues which have confronted our nation,” Robertson said. Falwell died May 15 after being found unconscious in his Liberty University office. “So many in politics aren't recognizing the social and moral issues in our society,” Roy Moore, the Alabama judge who fought to display a Ten Commandments monument, told the AP. “People like Jerry Falwell were bold enough to speak out.” After the service, a private burial was held on the grounds of Liberty University near Falwell's office.