Editing Jerry Falwell (section)

==Associated organizations==
===Thomas Road Baptist Church===
{{Main|Thomas Road Baptist Church}}

In 1956, aged 22, Falwell founded the [[Thomas Road Baptist Church]]. Originally at 701 Thomas Road in Lynchburg, with 35 members, it became a [[megachurch]]. Also in 1956, Falwell began ''[[The Old-Time Gospel Hour]]'', a nationally syndicated radio and television ministry. When Falwell died, his son Jonathan inherited his father's ministry, and took over as the church's senior pastor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sons Walking in Own Shoes, Albeit Footsteps of Famous Dads|url=http://www.theledger.com/article/LK/20071125/News/608123555/LL/|website=theledger.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217223416/http://www.theledger.com/article/LK/20071125/News/608123555/LL/|archive-date=2017-02-17}}</ref> The weekly program's name was then changed to ''Thomas Road Live''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Founder| newspaper=About Liberty |url=http://www.liberty.edu/aboutliberty/?PID=6921|publisher=Liberty University|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714091138/http://www.liberty.edu/aboutliberty/?PID=6921|archive-date=2015-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Old Time Gospel Hour|url=http://flickout.com/series/6504645-old-time-gospel-hour|website=Flick Out}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Liberty Christian Academy===
{{Main|Liberty Christian Academy}}
During the 1950s and 1960s, Falwell spoke and campaigned against the [[civil rights]] activist [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[racial desegregation]] of public school systems by the federal government. Liberty Christian Academy (LCA, founded as Lynchburg Christian Academy) is a Christian school in Lynchburg that the ''Lynchburg News'' in 1966 called "a private school for white students".

Falwell opened The Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967 as a [[segregation academy]] and a ministry of Thomas Road Baptist Church.{{sfnm |1a1=Dowland |1y=2007 |1p=23 |2a1=Dowland |2y=2015 |2p=27 |3a1=Griffith |3y=2017}}

The Liberty Christian Academy is recognized as an educational facility by the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] through the Virginia State Board of Education,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://77241.inspyred.com/images/2012-11-14%20State%20Recognized.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020114757/http://77241.inspyred.com/images/2012-11-14%20State%20Recognized.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-20 }}</ref> [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=33686|title=AdvancED – Institution Summary|access-date=January 21, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327040621/http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=33686|archive-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> and the [[Association of Christian Schools International]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acsiglobal.org/member-search |title=Member Search « ACSI |access-date=2014-04-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327031712/http://www.acsiglobal.org/member-search |archive-date=2014-03-27 }}</ref>

===Liberty University===
{{Main|Liberty University}}

In 1971, Falwell co-founded Liberty University with [[Elmer L. Towns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=97080|title=Chancellor Falwell announces Towns will step down for sabbatical – Liberty University|website=www.liberty.edu|date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> Liberty University offers over 350 accredited programs of study, with approximately 13,000 students on-campus and 90,000 online.<ref>{{cite web |title= Liberty University |url= http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=14588 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140419053903/http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=14588 |archive-date= 2014-04-19 }}</ref>

===Moral Majority===
{{Main|Moral Majority}}

[[File:Ford B1710 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-09-30)(Gerald Ford Library) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Falwell greeting [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford]] in 1976]]
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Jerry Falwell.jpg|thumb|right|Falwell with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1983]]
[[File:Bush Contact Sheet P19932 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Falwell with [[President of the United States|President]] [[George H.&nbsp;W. Bush]] in 1991]]

During the 1980s, the Moral Majority became one of the largest political lobbies for evangelical Christians in the U.S.<ref name=MSNBC>{{cite news |title=Moral Majority Founder Jerry Falwell Dies |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18679412 |work=NBC News |date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=January 6, 2009 }}</ref> According to Falwell's autobiography, the Moral Majority was promoted as "pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-moral, and pro-American"{{sfn|J. Falwell|1997|p=388}} and was credited with delivering two-thirds of the white evangelical vote to [[Ronald Reagan]] in the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential election]].{{sfnm |1a1=King |1y=1997 |2a1=Williams |2y=2010}} According to [[Jimmy Carter]], "that autumn [1980] a group headed by Jerry Falwell purchased $10 million in commercials on southern radio and TV to brand me as a traitor to the South and no longer a Christian."{{sfn|Carter|2010|p=469}} As head of the Moral Majority, Falwell consistently supported Republican candidates and conservative politics. This led [[Billy Graham]] to criticize him for "sermonizing" about political issues that lacked a moral element. At the time of Falwell's death, Graham said: "We did not always agree on everything, but I knew him to be a man of God. His accomplishments went beyond most clergy of his generation."<ref name=MSNBC/>

===PTL===
[[File:Jerryfalwellwaterslide.jpg|thumb|upright|Falwell rides the water slide at [[Heritage USA]].]]
In March 1987, [[Pentecostal]] televangelist [[Jim Bakker]] came under media scrutiny when it was revealed that he had a sexual encounter with, and allegedly raped, [[Jessica Hahn]], and had paid for her silence.<ref name=Time12-1988>{{cite magazine | last=Ostling|first=Richard N. |author-link=Richard N. Ostling | title=Jim Bakker's Crumbling World | date=December 19, 1988 | magazine=Time |volume=132 |issue=25 |location=New York |page=72 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956551,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820142543/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956551,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2006 | access-date=December 5, 2007 }}</ref> Bakker believed that fellow Pentecostal pastor [[Jimmy Swaggart]] was attempting to take over his ministry because he had initiated a church investigation into allegations of his sexual misconduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/03/24/Fire-and-brimstone-evangelist-Jimmy-Swaggart-admitted-today-he-instigated-a/5623543560400/|publisher=[[United Press International]]|title=Fire-and-brimstone evangelist Jimmy Swaggart admitted today he instigated a...|date=March 24, 1987|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101193824/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/03/24/Fire-and-brimstone-evangelist-Jimmy-Swaggart-admitted-today-he-instigated-a/5623543560400/|url-status=live}}</ref> To avoid the takeover, Bakker resigned on March 19 and appointed Falwell to succeed him as head of his PTL ministry, which included the [[PTL Satellite Network]], television program ''[[The PTL Club]]'' and the Christian-themed [[amusement park]] [[Heritage USA]].<ref name="Observer">{{cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article205362719.html|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|title=Jim Bakker's theme park was like a Christian Disneyland. Here's what happened to it.|date=March 17, 2018|access-date=January 5, 2019|last=Funk|first=Tim}}</ref>

Bakker believed Falwell would lead the ministry temporarily, until the scandal died down,<ref name="ATC">{{cite news |title=Son of Jim and Tammy Faye Finds His Own 'Grace' |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/15/132864466/jim-and-tammy-fayes-son-finds-his-own-grace |work=[[All Things Considered]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=January 5, 2019 |access-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213084653/https://www.npr.org/2011/01/15/132864466/jim-and-tammy-fayes-son-finds-his-own-grace |url-status=live }}</ref> but Falwell barred Bakker from returning to PTL on April 28,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501365.html?noredirect=on|last=Harris|first=Art|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Falwell Takes Control, Bars Bakker from PTL|date=April 29, 1987|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101145401/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501365.html?noredirect=on|url-status=live}}</ref> calling him "probably the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history".<ref name="Observer"/> Later that summer, as donations to the ministry declined in the wake of Bakker's scandal and resignation, Falwell raised $20 million to keep PTL solvent and delivered on a promise to ride the water slide at Heritage USA.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,965543,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212141215/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,965543,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2005 | title=American Notes: Fund Raising | magazine=Time |location=New York | date=September 21, 1987 | access-date=November 29, 2007 }}</ref> Despite this, Falwell was unable to save the ministry from bankruptcy, and he resigned in October 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/09/us/falwell-quits-warning-ptl-ministry-may-end.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Falwell Quits, Warning PTL Ministry May End|date=October 9, 1987|access-date=January 1, 2019|archive-date=January 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101145239/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/09/us/falwell-quits-warning-ptl-ministry-may-end.html|url-status=live}}</ref>