Twenty years ago, I came to visit a young man who lived in a rural county in swVA. His town had roughly 450 people & one stoplight. The entire county today has just under 16,000 & still one stoplight.
Driving through the green, rolling hills, I was breathless. The pastures, the forrests, everything was like it was from a storybook. The road snaked around curves & rose & fell w/ the contours of the land.
To this day, I remember rounding a corner & coming face to face w/ a billboard--one of the few along the route. It was for Liberty University, a Christian college just under 2 hours away.
This was 20 years ago & in the ensuing time, Liberty's influence & presence in this region has only grown. The advent of online learning has offered opportunity to countless friends & neighbors to get advanced degrees.
Churches partner with Liberty for all kinds of events: training, youth conferences, sports, etc. They rely on Liberty students & graduates for ministry staff. And when kids think of going to a Christian college, they think of Liberty first.
Today, I live 1 hour away from Liberty & it's almost impossible to underestimate its influence on the church in this region. Certainly, there are anti-Liberty folks, but ime, majority of evangelicals her are very loyal to LU & follow its lead.
Which is why I feel so strongly that the @LibertyU board must lead in seeking truth & accountability. Lest I sound trite, this is a "teachable moment." How LU chooses to respond will set a regional standard for how orgs (like churches) should respond to abusive leaders.
Evangelicals have a weird relationship btwn local churches & parachurch orgs like LU. There's no offical connection; but they holdpower of influence & culture making. What LU models in this moment is what ministry students will learn is appropriate & what church boards will copy.
So I'll say it again: What happens at Liberty doesn't stay at Liberty. For the sake of local churches in the broader region, @LibertyU Board needs to open an independent, 3rd-party investigation into the abusive leadership of the Falwells.
