Many of us have questioned the principles of the Christian Right in general and Rev. Jerry Falwell, Jr., in particular. Their uncritical support of Donald Trump’s campaign was quite telling. Trump’s campaign consisted of many “un-Christian-like” actions–committing racism against African Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims; making dishonorable business dealings; benefitting illegally from contributions to his foundation, to which he never contributed; mocking a disabled man; advocating violence against other human beings; and sexually assaulting women, etc. This latter action I will emphasize.
Much has been written and broadcast about Trump’s admitted assaults against women. Consequently, virtually everyone knows about it. It can be ignored but not made unknown. A citadel of Christian Right learning, Liberty University–led by Jerry Falwell, Jr., overlooked that fact during the presidential campaign, and more significantly, they ignored it again last month as it hired as athletic director, the disgraced former athletic director of Baylor University, another bastion of Christian values.
Here is the background. Several reports were made about sexual assaults against women by Baylor University football players. Last month, the University revealed that both the athletic director, Ian McCaw, and the head football coach, Art Briles, had been informed of an allegation from a student-athlete that she had been gang-raped by members of the football team. For failing to report this information, Briles and the university president, Ken Starr, were fired, and McCaw put on probation.
If the name, Ken Starr, seems familiar, it is. Starr was the “righteous” independent prosecutor who led the crusade against President Bill Clinton.
In hiring McCaw and gushing over him at the press conference, Liberty University President Falwell minimized McCaw’s horrible failure to do his job at Baylor. Falwell excused McCaw in a more certain manner than he excused Mr. Trump. Neither Falwell nor McCaw mentioned the sordid situation at Baylor. Nothing about regrets, lessons learned, or any such thing. Astounding–for a religious university.
For years I have been concerned about the increasing numbers of African Americans participating in this so-called “evangelical” Christian Right world and presumably subscribing to Christian Right doctrines. The Christian Right sing the same hymns and quote the same scriptures as we do in traditionally black churches, but they push anti-humanist public policies.
If Mr. Trump’s campaign had not been so obviously racist would black evangelicals have provided him more support? The answer might suggest how vigilant we should be in the future.