Who will carry the banner of self-righteous hatred and homophobia into the 21st century?

Evangelicals at a Crossroads As Falwell’s Generation Fades

There is no single leader who stands astride the movement as Falwell once did. Nor has a 2008 presidential contender emerged to galvanize the ranks. A generation gap is emerging between younger and older evangelicals on subjects such as homosexuality. And a sometimes bitter debate is pitting evangelicals who want to keep their political activity tightly focused on a few issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, against those who want to embrace a broader agenda, including climate change and global poverty.

Before y’all begin shedding crocodile tears for the future of Evangelical Social Conservatism, you might want to rid yourself of the notion that the death of Rev. Jerry Falwell heralds the end of the movement. Trust me on this one; there’s more than enough self-righteous Christian charity to fuel the movement that Falwell crystallized for years to come. Between former DUMB@$$ AWARD wieners like Rick Scarborough, Pat Robertson, Tom DeLay, Sam Brownback, or even other aspiring DUMB@$$E$ too numerous to name, there’s still plenty of ignorance, self-righteousness, intolerance and hatred to go around. Jerry Falwell may have started the snowball rolling, and he’ll certainly be remembered for that, but hateful, intolerant “Christianity” hasn’t been a one-man show for many years now.

Jerry Falwell didn’t invent Evangelical Social Conservatism. What he was able to do was to galvanize the movement by speaking to the fears and intolerance of those who, like Falwell, felt that American culture and it’s prurient influences were angering God with it’s emphasis on spiritual corruption and amorality.

Falwell may have been the Godfather of self-righteous intolerance. He certainly made it acceptable for well-fed White folks to view themselves as the Chosen Ones. Thankfully, a majority of Americans have long since rejected Falwell’s hate-based bastardization of Christianity. When the history of our time is written, my prediction is that Falwell will be held responsible for being one of the most divisive influences of our time. If Jerry Falwell was about Christian love and charity, then I’m the Queen of England.

May he slowly roast in the Hell he so richly deserves to spend eternity in.