As a Christian, he agreed with much of what Falwell said (alot of Falwell’s message wasn’t particularly controversial after all). He, of course, also vehemently disagreed with the comments of Falwell’s that we’re all too familiar with (from the “Civil Wrongs Movement” to “you helped this [9/11] happen” comments and everything in between). Believe me, nothing in his words or behavior could have led anyone to believe that he agreed with those kinds of statements from Falwell. Such statements were/are antithetical to his world view.

Yet despite the fact that those comments seemed to be a steady flow from Falwell’s lips and not simply four or five incidents over the course of decades, my friend weighed his distaste for some of Falwell’s views with the rest of his college experience. He liked his friends, he liked his professors (even though certainly some of his professors likely shared the very views of Falwell that my friend despised), he liked the education he was getting. He knew where he stood on the issues where he disagreed with Falwell and, though it pained him to hear those words coming from a man who was responsible for an otherwise good thing for him, he decided that it was worth the positive college experience he was having to stay there at Liberty.

If I had held him responsible for the reprehensible views of Jerry Falwell, I’d have missed out on a great friend.