abouttime – Protestia

(Christian News Network) A coalition of Liberty University alumni, students and faculty have launched a petition requesting that the Board of Trustees permanently remove Jerry Falwell Jr. from his position as president and “replace him with a responsible and virtuous Christian leader.”

Save71 states that it is not just the recent unzipped pants photo taken during the “Trailer Park Boys”-themed yacht party that gives rise to the call for Falwell’s firing but rather a pattern of behavior throughout much of his tenure.

“Over the past several years, President Jerry Falwell Jr. has damaged the spiritual vitality, academic quality, and national reputation of Liberty University,” the website for the effort reads.

“Liberty University, like any institution or person, needs to repent of its sins before seeking redemption,” it states. “The Board of Trustees must acknowledge the damage President Falwell has done to Liberty and the hypocrisy and corruption that has soaked into parts of its culture.”

The group, co-founded by alumni Dustin Wahl and Calum Best, provides dozens of examples of concerning statements and actions from Falwell from 2015 to present. Falwell became president of Liberty University in 2007 after his father, Moral Majority leader and university founder, Jerry Falwell, Sr., died suddenly of cardiac arrhythmia at age 73.

Among the examples include Mark DeMoss being asked to resign from the board after expressing concerns over Falwell’s endorsement of Donald Trump; to controversy surrounding the Falwell family’s hostel in Florida, which allows behavior prohibited on campus; to a “Miss Virginia” contest being hosted at the school’s Center for Music & Worship, which included a swimsuit competition; to Falwell calling a student “retarded” in email correspondence; to Falwell’s “end those Muslims” remarks; to Falwell using crude language in regard to McLean Bible Church pastor David Platt and then deleting it.

“Does this pattern of behavior demonstrate responsible and virtuous leadership fitting of one of the world’s largest Christian universities whose mission is ‘Training Champions for Christ’?” the site asks.

“[F]or too long, Liberty’s leaders have used the school’s virtues to shield its sins and used its power to cloak its failures. That must end now,” it states. “We put no faith in riches or comfort, in status or power. We put our faith in Christ alone, and we want Liberty University to follow Him.”

Liberty University announced on Monday that its Executive Committee of the Board has appointed current Chairman Jerry Prevo to step in as acting president since Falwell Jr. agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence at the request…

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Editor’s note. This article was written by Heather Clark and originally posted at the Christian News Network

Embattled Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has been asked to immediately take an “indefinite leave of absence” by the Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, according to a press release by the school.

The drastic move comes after Falwell was caught engaging in some tomfoolery of the highest order – specifically, a “Trailer Park Boy’s” themed yacht party where he posed with pants unzipped with another woman, also pants unzipped.

He later went on air in an interview to give context to the party, where he did not apologize but doubled and tripled down on his wretched and unbecoming behavior, seeming like he was either drunk or on drugs as he gave his muddled and incoherent justification.

We also wrote about other sexually perverse shenanigans he engaged in, such as “liking” the Instagram Picture of a half-naked model.

There were hints that this was in the cards, after Republican representative Mark Walker, a former LU faculty member and current school advisory board trustee tweeted that Falwell should resign.

Jerry Falwell Jr’s ongoing behavior is appalling.

As a Music Faculty Advisory Board Member and former instructor @LibertyU, I’m convinced Falwell should step down.

None of us are perfect, but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better.
— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) August 6, 2020

We at Pulpit & Pen have been instrumental in breaking the story and seeing the demise of this unqualified, troubled leader. We were one of the very first news organizations to get the story out, even as people were claiming the photos were photoshopped and doubting their veracity.

We were also the first news organization to break the story that the event was a “Trailer Park Boys” party, with our video being referenced by major national and international news sources, such as Politico, The Guardian, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and others.

We are glad that Falwell is out and we don’t see him coming back. We pray the next President that Liberty Univerity selects to lead would be a man of God with a theological clarity, character, and personal holiness befitting a Christian University.