Jerry Falwell wants to keep the momentum alive that religious conservatives feel boosted George W. Bush to a second term as president. With that aim in mind he has formed The Faith and Values Coalition. The group will be led by Falwell, Tim LaHaye (author of the "Left Behind" books), and Jonathan Falwell, the elder Falwell's son.
One of our primary commitments is to help make President Bush"s second term the most successful in American history," Dr. Falwell said. "He will certainly need the consistent prayer and support of the evangelical community as he continues to spearhead the international war on terror and the effort to safeguard America. Falwell said the three-fold platform of the new organization is: (1) the confirmation of pro-life, strict constructionist U.S. Supreme Court justices and other federal judges; (2) the passage of a constitutional Federal Marriage Amendment; and (3) the election of another socially- fiscally- and politically-conservative president in 2008, along with other state and national candidates.
Religious conservatives are already gearing up for the 2008 presidential elections. They are clearly more organized and better funded than progressive Christians. That makes our job pretty difficult. On the other hand, progressive Christians were more active and better organized this election season than at any other time in a generation. We can be hopeful. Morality doesn’t just have to do with sex. Voting for moral values means making sure that children are taken care of, that the sick are cared for, and that peace reigns in place of war. That’s what I would call the Jesus Agenda.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you? Then he will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. - Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
Christians who ignore these passages do a disservice to God and abandon the teachings of Jesus. Falwell and his new project are conservative and political, but not faithful.
