Jerry Falwell was more than just a preacher—he was a key political player who helped lay the foundation for what became known as the Christian Right. Falwell’s role in shaping this movement extended beyond his fiery sermons. He focused on strategically linking evangelical beliefs with the conservative political and economic ideologies that were gaining traction at this time in the Sunbelt region of the US.
Early in his career, Falwell aligned with segregationist politics and preached against racial integration. But by the 1970s, his congregation expanded (both in size and social class), and Falwell began to shift away from the overt racism he was once preaching. Instead, he began to embrace a broader conservative platform that largely focused on family values, religious freedom, and opposition to what he considered an overreaching federal government. I think it is important to note that this shift in political commitment was not just because of shifts in his own morality—it was a strategic political move. Falwell recognized that to grow his national influence, he needed to appeal to a larger, more diverse audience, and he did that by rebranding himself as a patriotic, pro-business, and pro-family leader who could speak for the middle class evangelicals.
As Williams points out in his article, what really made Falwell stand out was his ability to connect issues like tax cuts and defense spending (topics that don’t exactly scream evangelical theology) to a Christian worldview. For Falwell, economic conservatism wasn’t just a good policy—it was godly. He believed that capitalism was endorsed in the bible, even citing Proverbs to argue that personal responsibility and hard work are moral virtues. In his eyes, high taxes and government welfare discouraged these virtues and therefore undermined family values and the church. Specifically, Falwell and his supporters framed his opposition to welfare programs as protecting their idea of traditional family structure and encouraging more church-led community support. Falwell also found a way to place defense spending into his theology, framing it as a religious duty. Because he grew up in the wake of the Cold War and experienced his hometown of Lynchburg, VA benefit from military industry investment, Falwell believed national defense to be a policy concern and a spiritual necessity. He often framed the conflict between the US and the Soviet’s as a battle between Christianity and atheistic communism. Because of this view, Falwell’s opposition to arms treaties or his support for military buildup was viewed as patriotic and his divine duty.
Falwell’s role in shaping the Christian Right can be tied back to his ability to present economic and national security issues in a moral/spiritual context. By interpreting tax cuts and defense spending as extensions of biblical principles (and encouraging members of his congregations to do the same), he aligned evangelical voters with the broader conservative movement. Falwell has a legacy for redefining what it means to be a politically engaged Christian in the US.
Will Wright 