Thread by @Mamaofthreebear, I think Falwell Sr. made a mistake when he entrusted the university [...]

I think Falwell Sr. made a mistake when he entrusted the university to Jerry Jr. and the ministry to Jonathan; but Jerry was the aggressive businessman, and Jonathan was more spiritually oriented. And then...

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914 https://twitter.com/ryanlcooper/status/1297929623083331584

2/ ...Jerry consolidated power, Liberty bought the Thomas Road Baptist Church properties, Liberty Christian Academy (PK-12), etc. Even then, ~2008-2010, there was some unease, b/c Jerry Jr. was SO not his father, who was beloved...

3/In 2012, that unease grew, when Falwell Jr. announced that he would be steering some of Liberty U's business to his son Trey's new company--questionable for a non-profit / university, and Trey was just 23 years old. (Granda was a business partner in this venture.)

4/It seemed like Jerry Falwell Jr.--who is only 58--was grooming the young Trey to be his heir, which didn't sit well with everyone. And a lot of people objected (quietly) to Falwell Jr.'s wife Becki's role--I can't say, but some people found her overbearing and power-hungry.

5/Then there was (as people eventually discovered) a 2013 loan Liberty gave family friend Robert Moon to start a construction company--and then Liberty awarded the company $130 in contracts, and sold it land. This, for a non-profit (not a development corp) is...questionable.

6/And then in 2013 (things seemed to start to get really out of control around this time), Liberty began renting space to Crosswhite for use as a fitness center, but really for Falwell Jr. and his wife's personal use. Liberty then paid for expensive upgrades to the system.

7/In 2015, Liberty sold the facility to Crosswhite at a discount, and paid up front for seven years of use.

At 2017, when Trump spoke at commencement, Liberty printed and sold Trump-MAGA/Liberty merch--even tho 501(c)(3)'s aren't supposed to advertise for a candidate.

8/And Falwell Jr. didn't hide his (for lack of a better word) scandalous personal behavior--he actually talked about his sex life, his endowment. He once intended to send a pic of his wife in French maid costume to their personal trainer, but mistakenly sent it to others.

9/And people complained--none of this is new, I'd wager very few people at Liberty are surprised. People were horrified--not only was he not like his father, he was in many ways just awful. But he had consolidated power, and increased enrollment (particularly online) & assets.

10/The criticism grew louder after Trump spoke in 2016, and after Falwell Jr. right before IA endorsed Trump rather than, say, Cruz, or (!) no one (he clarified later on in his endorsement comments that it was a personal endorsement--b/c 501(c)(3) inst'ns can't endorse.)

11/It's not clear what drove Falwell Jr. to such self-destructive lengths...but people DID complain. Indeed, the degree to which there was grumbling is noteworthy, because Liberty has never exactly been tolerant of dissent.

12/And Falwell Jr. brooked no dissent on matters MAGA. Christian author J. Martin tried to lead a protest at Liberty, was escorted off campus by armed guards, told never to return. Alumnus & writer J. Merritt, was disinvited as a speaker after criticizing Liberties ties to Trump.

13/Mark DeMoss, whose father gave $20 million to Liberty, who was an alumnus, and who was Falwell Sr.'s chief of staff, was forced to resign rom the Board of Trustees (which he chaired) after criticizing Falwell Jr.'s endorsement of Trump.

14/Student editors were fired from the paper for criticizing Trump (after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced); at least one lost a scholarship; the articles were censored; the admin took over the paper.

15/Students at LU's film school were ordered to work on a film lavishing praise on Trump, and describing his ascent in politics as part of a biblical prophecy.

So it's amazing, really, that students and others made their criticism about Trump heard--and they did.

16/Students and alumni of Liberty University are proud of the values their school espoused before 2008. Falwell Sr. *was* beloved. The apple, in this case, isn't even in the same orchard as the tree.

So why didn't the board act sooner?

17/Well, Falwell Jr.--in addition to consolidating power, and apparently maintaining a culture of fear--also increased enrollment (particularly online enrollment) and increased the assets of the school tenfold. That bought him a lot of subservience.

18/But he was so outrageous--and arrogant--and such an affront to the school's values--that the complaints were made and heard. So this was just a matter of time.

But here's the lesson: just b/c one person is a spiritual leader doesn't mean their son is.

19/Spiritual leadership, or even the ability to lead a university, is not the sort of thing that can be inherited. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914

‘Someone’s Gotta Tell the Freakin’ Truth’: Jerry Falwell’s Aides Break Their Silence

More than two dozen current and former Liberty University officials describe a culture of fear and self-dealing at the largest Christian college in the world.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914

20/Some other sources:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/25/jerry-falwell-miami-hostel-liberty-university-trey-falwell-215528

https://www.thedailybeast.com/liberty-university-when-it-comes-to-free-speech-its-anything-but

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/us/trump-falwell-endorsement-michael-cohen.html

My Weekend at the Falwells’ South Beach Flophouse

Liberty University presents itself as a temple of virtue. But its founding family’s secret Miami hostel is a cesspool of vice.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/25/jerry-falwell-miami-hostel-liberty-university-trey-falwell-215528

21/end
And a few more....
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/why-liberty-university-banned-an-anti-trump-christian-author-from-campus/544571/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/24/inside-liberty-universitys-culture-fear-how-jerry-falwell-jr-silences-students-professors-who-reject-his-pro-trump-politics/?arc404=true

https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2019-church-state-magazine/people-events/former-student-hits-liberty

Why Liberty University Kicked an Anti-Trump Christian Author Off Campus

Jonathan Martin was removed by armed campus police officers and told never to return.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/why-liberty-university-banned-an-anti-trump-christian-author-from-campus/544571/

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