Farewell To Dr. Falwell

Stephanie and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our good friend, Dr. Jerry Falwell. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family, the members of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and the students and faculty at Liberty University. Although we know that they will carry on the works he began, his passing leaves a huge void in Lynchburg, Virginia and in the hearts of all those who knew and loved him.

I first met Dr. Falwell in 1998 at a Super Conference at Liberty. I'll never forget the experience because I almost killed myself as I went to shake his hand. I was stepping forward onto what I thought were some bleachers in the Vine's Center and my foot found no solid ground. I grabbed hold of my friend Johnny Carr at the last second and managed to avoid falling some 30 feet to the floor. Needless to say, it was not the way I wanted to introduce myself to this giant of Christian conservatism.

Dr. Falwell was very gracious and acted as if nothing had happened. He glanced down at my name tag, reached out to shake my hand and said in that deep, booming voice of his, "Brother Shane." We talked for just a few seconds and I don't really remember what either one of us said after that. I guess I was just too humiliated (and relieved) to make a mental note at that moment.

Two years later, I accepted a position with the Department of Residence Life at Liberty University and moved to Lynchburg to enroll in seminary. It was while there that I got to know Dr. Falwell and what kind of person he truly was. Although I have always had great respect for him, I never could have imagined what he was really like when the TV cameras were turned off and he was just "Doc" (as some of his friends and associates referred to him).

He was incredibly kind. And he was very funny. Quite different from the way he has been portrayed over the years by the mainstream media. To hear what some are saying about him today, you would have thought he was worse than Osama Bin Ladin. It's unfortunate that many people's memories of Dr. Jerry Falwell will not be positive ones. If they could have only met the man and gotten to know him, they would be singing a very different tune today.

Although he is best known as the founder of the Moral Majority, here are a couple of his accomplishments you don't hear much about:

-The Liberty Godparent Home, which takes in unwed pregnant girls and cares for them through the birth. They also assist in finding parents to adopt the baby if that's the route the birth mother chooses to go. Here's an example of a man who not only preached against abortion, he put actions behind his words.

-The Elim Home for Alcoholics, which has a phenomenally high success rate in helping people stay clean and sober.

Although two of his greatest accomplishments, you seldom hear about these organizations because Dr. Falwell didn't start these ministries for personal gain. He did it because he passionately loved Jesus and he compassionately loved people. He was truly a champion for Christ.

I'll never forget my time spent at Liberty. Not only did I get to meet Dr. Falwell while I was there, I also met the woman that I would spend the rest of my life with.

Stephanie Middleton was the secretary to the Dean of Men at Liberty and also a regular soloist at Thomas Road Baptist Church. My friend Johnny Carr (remember, he's the one who helped save my life) introduced me to Stephanie and we quickly fell in love with one another. We've been married now for six and a half years and she is, other than being born again, the best thing that has ever happened to me (that's two I owe you, Johnny). It was an honor to have Dr. Falwell and Stephanie's boss, Dean Emerick, officiate at our wedding.

One more funny story: Just before my groomsmen and I were about to walk into the church, Dr. Falwell spoke up in that booming voice and said, "Alright, men, check your fly." That was the first time my dad had ever met Dr. Falwell, and needless to say it was the last thing he expected to hear from him. To this day, Dad still gets a chuckle every time he recalls that moment.

I have been truly blessed in that I was able to meet two of my spiritual heroes before they went home to be with the Lord. In September of 2004, I attended the Adrian Rogers Pastor Training Institute and spent three days up close and personal with Dr. Rogers. I was fortunate enough to be seated at his table for lunch and for the dinner banquet held on the same day. Just to be able to ask him questions and soak up his responses was an incredible privilege. I was so saddened to hear, just a little over a year later, that Dr. Adrian Rogers had passed away. But I was also thankful that I had the opportunity to meet him this side of heaven.

And now we've lost Dr. Falwell. Two giants of the Christian faith in less than two years. I know that they were just men, but sometimes we look at these larger than life leaders and it seems like they will live forever. Yesterday was a reminder that, as the Bible tells us, it is appointed for all men to die once. And I believe Dr. Jerry Falwell heard Jesus say Tuesday morning, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Goodbye Doc. I'll miss you.