Leadership Lessons From Liberty

Ephesians 5 tells us to be "imitators of God," and a few verses later, Paul writes these challenging words:
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

1 Thessalonians 5 challenges us to avoid even the appearance of evil.  Appearances can be deceiving, so it is said, but we have to try, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to steer away from situations that could reflect poorly on our Lord.  As the Bible teaches, we should not be a stumbling block to anyone and we don't need to give ammunition to the devil to destroy our reputation.  So, we have to watch how - and where - we walk.

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We have to watch how we walk as believers, because you can be reasonably assured that perhaps someone else is watching how you walk.  We are ambassadors of the Most High God and should take 
that responsibility seriously. Ephesians 5 says:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit...

You might say it was bound to happen - speaking here with a sense of irony, a high-profile college administrator used his "liberty" to bring dishonor to the school that was established by his late father, to the family name, and to the name of the Lord.  Not a major moral failure, but a series of small indiscretions that ultimately led to Jerry Falwell, Jr. to be placed on a leave of absence from Liberty University, which has been hailed as one of the largest, if not the largest, Christian universities in the world. The local newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, where the university is located, the News and Advance, offered this about the most recent developments at the school:

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. is taking an indefinite leave of absence starting immediately, the university announced Friday.

In a statement, the university said Falwell agreed to step aside after the executive committee of Liberty’s Board of Trustees requested he take a leave of absence.

In a statement issued late Friday night Jerry Prevo Chairman of the Liberty University Board of Trustees noted the growth and success the college has experienced since Falwell Jr. took the helm but said “Unfortunately, with this success and the burdens of leading a large and growing organization comes substantial pressure.”

Prevo asked for prayer for Falwell so that, as he put it, "he may be able to fulfill God’s purpose for him.”

A picture was posted on Instagram of the university president with his arm around a woman other than his wife, with both their midriffs revealed, and his - and her - pants partially unzipped.  The incident that spurred the action had to do with a costume party aboard a yacht, which featured a video parody of a video series called, "The Trailer Park Boys." He went on local radio and apologized, saying that the woman in the picture was his wife's assistant and she was pregnant and his pants were too tight, blah blah blah.  Not a good look for a man in his position.  Not a good look for a professing Christian.

But, this was what you might call the proverbial "last straw" for Falwell.  The News and Advance says:

Last fall, he was accused of leveraging the university’s business interest to enrich himself, family members and friends. In the spring, he faced a fierce backlash — and a class-action lawsuit — for his decision to invite students to return to campus dorms after spring break amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent months, he has battled accusations of racism after posting a tweet invoking Gov. Ralph Northam’s blackface scandal to mock coronavirus-related restrictions. The ensuing scandal prompted several prominent Black student-athletes and faculty members to leave the school and provided fuel for riotous activity in downtown Lynchburg.

Emma Green, generally an even-handed reporter on matters of faith, did a summary story for The Atlantic.  She mentioned that Falwell...

...laughed the incident off: “I promised my kids I’m going to try to be a good boy from here on out,” he said. But alumni and staff who had previously expressed their concerns about Falwell in private began openly calling for his resignation, including Representative Mark Walker of North Carolina; many of them noted that any number of Falwell’s actions would have gotten a Liberty student written up.

She contends that the photo mocking Virginia's governor may have the precursor to the latest action, writing:

Enough of Falwell’s supporters saw that photo as a debatable political stunt that the controversy dissipated. But it was still a turning point—a moment when pastors, alumni, and board members began questioning whether Falwell should stay in his role.

“It was just particularly disturbing,” Ike Reighard, a pastor and Liberty board member, told me. “Every leader carries two buckets in their hand. One bucket has water. One bucket has gasoline. And the test of leadership is to know when to throw which bucket.”

Reighard also told Green, “Years ago, I promised the founder, Jerry Falwell Sr., that I would serve on the board as long as I was asked to continue to do so, and to help try to be part of the spiritual barometer that he always wanted,” noting that Falwell's son's actions demonstrated “some lapse in judgment.” The pastor also said, "Character is a lot easier kept than regained,” adding, “I’m praying that the character can be regained by everyone that’s involved.”

There is also concern about the effect of Falwell's antics on evangelical Christianity in general.  Green writes:

Even within the Liberty world, alumni worry that Falwell’s name has become synonymous with the word evangelical, and see the association as misguided. “To say that Jerry Jr. speaks for evangelicalism is a misnomer, because he himself did not want to wear that mantle,” Brandon Pickett, a pastor and Liberty alumnus who is the associate executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention in Virginia, told me. “As Jerry himself has said many times, he is not a pastor, and he is not the spiritual leader.”

But, the fact is, we are all called to be spiritual leaders, in a sense, setting an example for others to follow.  One of things that comes to mind for me is how we carry ourselves as a believer.  Humor or attempts at humor can be a double-edged sword.  Humor has its place in life, but I have made feeble attempts at humor, only to wonder why I said or did something in the first place.  I am sure the people on the yacht thought this whole idea was funny, as did Jerry Jr., but it certainly backfired.  Scripture has plenty to say on that matter.  But, we always should consider how we are reflecting on our Lord and making sure that how we act is consistent with who we are as a Christian.  I think that the dignity that we exhibit can be a powerful example of the presence of Christ within us.  It's been said that Liberty trains "champions for Christ" - a champion for Christ represents Him well.

I think you also have to be very cautious about your social media postings.  Apparently, Robert Downen, the Houston Chronicle reporter who wrote the series exposing abuse in a number of Southern Baptist churches, is the one who discovered the provocative photo and distributed it more broadly on social media.  The picture in question was deleted, but its effect continues.

The apostle Paul taught on Christian "liberty."  As the Scriptures say, all things are lawful, but not all are profitable. Certainly the Falwells were free to host this party, which featured behavior that students could get suspended for, such as the fake "smoking" of cigarettes or even alcohol use. But, in our liberty, we have to make sure that we are not engaging in behavior that is dishonoring to the Lord, which can cause others to stumble.

Ultimately, Falwell's accountability structure worked.  Now, he has been under criticism for years for questionable statements and behavior.  I do not know what the Board of Trustees has perhaps said or done in its dealings with Mr. Falwell. But, we do see that ultimately, action needed to be taken.  God calls us to accountable relationships - to Him, certainly, but also to human authority.  It's healthy and Biblical.