[Just John]

1- I have never heard that he ruptured his spleen
2 - I have yet to hear an official specific reason why he’s on his current LOA

He was horsing around with some kids and one of them hit him in his abdomen rather hard and that is what caused it.

Thank you. I was told from someone with first-hand knowledge Jr. told him it was an accident with a four-wheeler.

[thepostman]

None of this is about Trump. I don’t even think it’s about the real estate.

It’s about Jerry’s lack of personal responsibility, his unwillingness to have any spiritual responsibility, and his treatment of others.

No list posted here would satisfy the pro-Jerry crowd because they have bought into a cult of personality and/or only look at the money. The list has been made over and over throughout this thread and in letters/petitions from alumni.

Unfortunately, it is about Trump for some people. They can't get past their disdain for Trump that is all that matters. The Save71 group, though I agree with them a lot, focus way too much on Jr's endorsement of Trump. It is why some people dismiss Jr's actions because they view it as just another anti-trump witch hunt.

I think the people who post on this board that would like to see Jr removed don't fall into that category but there are plenty outside of this community who do. In fact there are some pretty vocal Trump supporters on this board, who agree Jr needs to move on. So clearly we don't fall into that category but there are plenty that do and it doesn't do anybody any favors.

[Class of 20Something]

None of this is about Trump. I don’t even think it’s about the real estate.

It’s about Jerry’s lack of personal responsibility, his unwillingness to have any spiritual responsibility, and his treatment of others.

No list posted here would satisfy the pro-Jerry crowd because they have bought into a cult of personality and/or only look at the money. The list has been made over and over throughout this thread and in letters/petitions from alumni.

Unfortunately, it is about Trump for some people. They can't get past their disdain for Trump that is all that matters. The Save71 group, though I agree with them a lot, focus way too much on Jr's endorsement of Trump. It is why some people dismiss Jr's actions because they view it as just another anti-trump witch hunt.

I think the people who post on this board that would like to see Jr removed don't fall into that category but there are plenty outside of this community who do. In fact there are some pretty vocal Trump supporters on this board, who agree Jr needs to move on. So clearly we don't fall into that category but there are plenty that do and it doesn't do anybody any favors.

If they focused more on the issue of political endorsement and less on the who, they may cast a wider net.

He's says the first thing that comes to mind too frequently, has had a few questionable situations with women that aren't his wife, and has had some self serving business deals. Some of those were amplified when Michael Cohen began his prison sentence. Everyone that is worked directly with him had nothing but great things to say, but his public persona and general inability to articulate what he means gets him into trouble. Most don't care for his structure of administration once it gets away from his immediate subordinates. Despite quite a lengthy list of accomplishments, his personal failings overshadow them.

I'll let you decide who that paragraph is about.

[olldflame]

If there is a change at the top, it will need to be made by the university trustees. The so-called nuclear option is a nothingburger. It would only allow the church board to remove JR as a trustee. If the majority of the other trustees still supported him, he would stay on as President. The makeup of the church board is pretty suspect as it is, but even if it were rock-solid, what are they going to do? Remove every trustee who supports JR?

[bluedevilflame]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

[Purple Haize]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

Can’t argue with that

[NeoFlame]

I can't leave you guys alone for two minutes. Some of this thread is complete nonsense, while some of it holds some merit.

I will say this about the Falwells, incredible people who have done more for others than any other family I can think of.

I will say this about Jerry Jr specifically:

• His intentions are good

• He did get a bit lost and needs some help finding his way back

• Jerry needs to break the pattern of having ruthless henchmen/axemen as right hand men

To that point, every Falwell leader has one major blindspot -- they choose poor right hand men. Men who enjoy the power, being complete $%#$, but do seem to get the job done -- mostly out of fear. We can argue all day if a culture of fear begins with the person who hires the men to inflict the pain or the people who actually administer it. At least the leaders who picked those individuals have plausible deniability.

All of that doesn't even bother me though -- heck even the fact that they loved to make people suffer. The Falwells simply couldn't recognize the lack of loyalty and their right hand men's true motivation -- which was power. Each one of these men think all of the growth at LU is because of their own doing and that they should have been handsomely rewarded (even more than they were)-- end up getting jealous -- then leave the university on their own terms but remain bitter to this day about the time spent. Don't worry though, they never end up going away too far. They're just one text message away to a reporter, message board, or former colleague continuing to live in the past and start fires whenever they can and they LOVE to see Jerry stumble.

The best part is when you hear these former henchmen blame the BOT for "not holding President Falwell accountable" which is pretty laughable. I say laughable because at a normal business the BOT is made up of a bunch of tough, sometimes ruthless individuals who wouldn't be afraid. This BOT isn't that (that isn't a good thing).

If we want to talk about accountability these men should look no further than the mirror. They certainly didn't speak up for decades while collecting checks and growing their own empires (personally and/or within the university). Heck, a lot of the corporate greed & excess we see today at the university is in large part because of these men! Club sports budget that is bigger than most D1 athletic budgets!? I digress -- back to the topic at hand -- They expect a bunch of pastors to speak while they didn't, the very people who were proud to have the label of being A-holes who would always tell it like it is to Jerry or an employee they want to punish.

tl;dr - Liberty needs to get rid of all of the henchmen who only care about greed & excess. There are still a few more. To the ones who already left: being an anonymous source to a newspaper, posting on a message board, or texting your Liberty friends (former or current) anytime an article comes out (that you were in large part responsible for) isn't actually helping. You may self justify that you are only "trying to help" but you aren't. If you want to help then come back to the university and try to right the ship. Otherwise, move on with your lives and stop living in the past.

As for Jerry, he needs to get some help. Once he taps back into the overweight farm-boy who hated the spotlight but loved this university more than anything in the world then everything will be just fine. That was the Jerry Jr EVERYONE loved. He's still that person, just bought into the hype a bit too much, flew too close to the sun, and now it's time for the greatest redemption story of all time. He's a good leader, and he's the right leader for Liberty. Even today with all of his shortcomings -- as long as he finds the humility needed to ask God, students, parents, and alumni for forgiveness -- true forgiveness.

He also needs to hire a Christian leader who can be public facing for when a Christian perspective is needed in the media, but also for all decisions at LU. Not the current skinny jeans leader - He's more more in line with what I've been ranting about on here. Jerry should only focus on the business of Liberty and speak when it comes to politics (hate it all you want but LU isn't getting out of politics anytime soon so might as well let Jerry handle it). Also, have a therapy session with the BOT and if ALL of that is enough for them to swallow then he's back with zero tolerance for any more public mistakes in the press or social media. This is also the longest tl;dr ever.

[thepostman]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

Yeah, I thought that was mentioned last week but this seems like a great move. He is well respected within the LU community.

[Jonathan Carone]

First off, that was a great post @NeoFlame. For the sake of discussion, I want to break down a few of your points and where I agree/disagree.

I will say this about the Falwell's, incredible people who have done more for others than any other family I can think of.

I will say this about Jerry Jr specifically:

• His intentions are good

• He did get a bit lost and needs some help finding his way back

• Jerry needs to break the pattern of having ruthless henchmen/axemen as right hand men

I actually buy this. The problem is the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Because Jerry got a bit lost, those good intentions in his mind led to a lot of hurt and bad actions. It's why I think he can be restored personally but I'm not sure he can be restored positionally.

To that point, every Falwell leader has one major blindspot -- they choose poor right hand men. Men who enjoy the power, being complete $%#$, but do seem to get the job done -- mostly out of fear. We can argue all day if a culture of fear begins with the person who hires the men to inflict the pain or the people who actually administer it. At least the leaders who picked those individuals have plausible deniability.

Again - I agree this has been one of the biggest problems. Whether fair or not, I think the buck stops with the senior leader. Because Jerry hired those people and allowed them to do the things they do, it's his fault those things happened.

tl;dr - Liberty needs to get rid of all of the henchmen who only care about greed & excess. There are still a few more.

Yes. There's going to need to be a lot of cleaning house in order to fully right the ship.

As for Jerry, he needs to get some help. Once he taps back into the overweight farm-boy who hated the spotlight but loved this university more than anything in the world then everything will be just fine. That was the Jerry Jr EVERYONE loved. He's still that person, just bought into the hype a bit too much, flew too close to the sun, and now it's time for the greatest redemption story of all time.

I agree with this part as well. It's why I mentioned in the letter I wrote that who he is today is not the person I knew 12 years ago. I think that person 12 years ago was his true self. He got drunk on power, money, and fame. It's an easy thing to do. The path back is simple, but it's going to take hard work. I sincerely hope he's able to do it.

He's a good leader, and he's the right leader for Liberty. Even today with all of his shortcomings -- as long as he finds the humility needs to ask God, students, parents, and alumni for forgiveness -- true forgiveness.

I'm not sure if I can agree with the good leader and right leader for Liberty. He's a great businessman, but his hiring of senior leaders as mentioned above make me question his leadership on that front. His lack of spiritual responsibility also gives me pause when it comes to being the right leader for Liberty.

I think if he does what you mention - finds the humility to ask for true forgiveness - he can be restored personally and be put in a place of influence and guidance, but not the top leader.

He also needs to hire a Christian leader who will be public facing for when a Christian perspective is needed in the media, but also in decisions at LU. Not the current skinny jeans leader - He's more more in line with what I've been ranting about on here.

100% agree. I was excited for the Nasser hire - even texted Jerry congratulations on it - but man has he been a disappointment. The spiritual gaslighting and manipulation from him is through the roof. Not to mention how he treats other people on campus. He's one of the ones that needs to be gone.

Jerry should only focus on the business of Liberty.

An advisor role where he can do this under the direction of a university president would be the best role for him in my opinion.

and speak when it comes to politics (hate it all you want but LU isn't getting out of politics anytime soon so might as well let Jerry handle it).

I'm going to disagree with this one. We've got to get ourselves out of the politics game at the level we currently are. There's no reason we should have a political think tank named after one of the most divisive people in politics today who doesn't even have a college degree.

There will always be political issues the school needs to address, but if Jerry wants to speak into politics, he needs to do it as Jerry Falwell the businessman, not as a representative of the school.

[Just John]

Contriteness is the first step. A step not yet taken. Sometimes that limits what steps are available.

[ballcoach15]

Has anyone ever thought, "spend less time in Florida and more time on campus". ?

[Purple Haize]

Has anyone ever thought, "spend less time in Florida and more time on campus". ?

What?

[chris leedlelee]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

With a pastor serving as the interm head of the BOT, is it reasonable to believe that we will have a spiritual/academic type president nominated by them? I think that is what most of us wish for.

[flameshaw]

That's a good question. I would argue that if the board tries to bring Jerry back and Jonathan does not step in - that would be negligence. I get that he wants to be hands off, but he really needs to step up if that ends up being the only remaining option.

Why exactly should Jonathan step in and stop Jerry, Jr. from assuming his position again? Can you please give me a list of the things you think makes him GUILTY? Not mentioning Rumors, Gossip, embellished stories, opinion and personal feelings towards him politically?

He was forced to take a Leave of Absence. SOMETHING or some THINGS happened.

Yes, I would say so. I would conjecture that having an obvious alcohol problem and the ignorance of allowing your picture to be taken and posted on Instagram, would be right at the top of the list. These two things are undeniable and public information. In addition, he doesn't attend church anywhere and has made another bungle since the picture was taken . I don't believe the BOT needs much more than that as evidence. You might want to ask one of them.
They lurk here from time to time. Every now and then, when I look to see who is online, I see bot, so they are on here.

[flameshaw]

I can't leave you guys alone for two minutes. Some of this thread is complete nonsense, while some of it holds some merit.

I will say this about the Falwell's, incredible people who have done more for others than any other family I can think of.

I will say this about Jerry Jr specifically:

• His intentions are good

• He did get a bit lost and needs some help finding his way back

• Jerry needs to break the pattern of having ruthless henchmen/axemen as right hand men

To that point, every Falwell leader has one major blindspot -- they choose poor right hand men. Men who enjoy the power, being complete $%#$, but do seem to get the job done -- mostly out of fear. We can argue all day if a culture of fear begins with the person who hires the men to inflict the pain or the people who actually administer it. At least the leaders who picked those individuals have plausible deniability.

All of that doesn't even bother me though -- heck even the fact that they loved to make people suffer. The Falwell's simply couldn't recognize the lack of loyalty and their right hand men's true motivation -- which was power. Each one of these men think all of the growth at LU is because of their own doing and that they should have been handsomely rewarded (even more than they were)-- end up getting jealous -- then leave the university on their own terms but remain bitter to this day about the time spent. Don't worry though, they never end up going away too far. They're just one text message away to a reporter, message board, or former colleague continuing to live in the past and start fires whenever they can and they LOVE to see Jerry stumble.

The best part is when you hear these former henchmen blame the BOT for "not holding President Falwell accountable" which is pretty laughable. I say laughable because at a normal business the BOT is made up of a bunch of tough, sometimes ruthless individuals who wouldn't be afraid. This BOT isn't that (that isn't a good thing).

If we want to talk about accountability these men should look no further than the mirror. They certainly didn't speak up for decades while collecting checks and growing their own empires (personally and/or within the university). Heck, a lot of the corporate greed & excess we see today at the university is in large part because of these men! Club sports budget that is bigger than most D1 athletic budgets!? I digress -- back to the topic at hand -- They expect a bunch of pastors to speak while they didn't, the very people who were proud to have the label of being A-holes who would always tell it like it is to Jerry or an employee they want to punish.

tl;dr - Liberty needs to get rid of all of the henchmen who only care about greed & excess. There are still a few more. To the ones who already left: being an anonymous source to a newspaper, posting on a message board, or texting your Liberty friends (former or current) anytime an article comes out (that you were in large part responsible for) isn't actually helping. You may self justify that you are only "trying to help" but you aren't. If you want to help then come back to the university and try to right the ship. Otherwise, move on with your lives and stop living in the past.

As for Jerry, he needs to get some help. Once he taps back into the overweight farm-boy who hated the spotlight but loved this university more than anything in the world then everything will be just fine. That was the Jerry Jr EVERYONE loved. He's still that person, just bought into the hype a bit too much, flew too close to the sun, and now it's time for the greatest redemption story of all time. He's a good leader, and he's the right leader for Liberty. Even today with all of his shortcomings -- as long as he finds the humility needs to ask God, students, parents, and alumni for forgiveness -- true forgiveness.

He also needs to hire a Christian leader who will be public facing for when a Christian perspective is needed in the media, but also in decisions at LU. Not the current skinny jeans leader - He's more more in line with what I've been ranting about on here. Jerry should only focus on the business of Liberty and speak when it comes to politics (hate it all you want but LU isn't getting out of politics anytime soon so might as well let Jerry handle it). Also, have a therapy session with the BOT and if ALL of that is enough for them to swallow then he's back with zero tolerance for any more public mistakes in the press or social media. This is also the longest tl;dr ever.

[flameshaw]

I would say there is a better chance of Plugs becoming a Mensa than Jr. agreeing to come back in an advisory role. Once the king, it is much harder to be a servant. Personally, I don't see it.

[Class of 20Something]

I would say there is a better chance of Plugs becoming a Mensa than Jr. agreeing to come back in an advisory role. Once the king, it is much harder to be a servant. Personally, I don't see it.

Servant leadership? That sounds like some wacko Christian thing. Those people are strong enough to drive success

[Just John]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

With a pastor serving as the interm head of the BOT, is it reasonable to believe that we will have a spiritual/academic type president nominated by them? I think that is what most of us wish for.

BOT's 1st priority is fixing the spiritual issues.

Jonathan is scheduled to speak at first convo.

[bluedevilflame]

Dr. Allen McFarland to serve as Liberty's first Black interim board chairman
https://wset.com/news/local/dr-allen-mc ... d-chairman

With a pastor serving as the interm head of the BOT, is it reasonable to believe that we will have a spiritual/academic type president nominated by them? I think that is what most of us wish for.

BOT's 1st priority is fixing the spiritual issues.

Jonathan is scheduled to speak at first convo.

I wonder if he'll address the elephant in the room?

[ballcoach15]

I predict no.

[rogers3]

Has anyone ever thought, "spend less time in Florida and more time on campus". ?

What?

Not one to defend BC, but I think it is an indication that he recognizes the trap that Jerry has been caught up in, rather than just too many Florida visits.

[Purple Haize]

Has anyone ever thought, "spend less time in Florida and more time on campus". ?

What?

Not one to defend BC, but I think it is an indication that he recognizes the trap that Jerry has been caught up in, rather than just too many Florida visits.

What? I have no idea what he saying. Now I have no idea what you’re saying. It’s probably because I s agreed with Jonathan so much today my minds turned to mush

[ballcoach15]

Purple, get a calculator and add 2+2.

[Purple Haize]

Purple, get a calculator and add 2+2.

4

What does that have to do with your post?

[hoop20]

I’ve had a few conversations recently about the TRBC nuclear option. Jerry being on their board throws several wrenches in that. On top of that, Jonathan has said he was going to leave his brother to God and not step in.

Here’s a question I don’t have the answer to:

If one of the responsibilities of TRBC is making sure the spiritual nature of Liberty doesn’t drift or diminish, at what point is Jonathan negligent as their senior pastor if he doesn’t step in? I understand he doesn’t want to, but if part of his job description is that responsibility, when should he be expected to do the thing that is harder than anything I could imagine professionally?

I don’t know that answer.

That's a good question. I would argue that if the board tries to bring Jerry back and Jonathan does not step in - that would be negligence. I get that he wants to be hands off, but he really needs to step up if that ends up being the only remaining option.

Why exactly should Jonathan step in and stop Jerry, Jr. from assuming his position again? Can you please give me a list of the things you think makes him GUILTY? Not mentioning Rumors, Gossip, embellished stories, opinion and personal feelings towards him politically?

- Tweeting "pastors like David Platt need to grow a pair"
- Tweeting about his Northam mask and then a non-apology a few weeks later
- Tweeting insults at parents of LU students
- Tweeting insults at Christian music artist Ben Rector after he performed at LU and there was some type of disagreement with him
- Saying the photos of him at the Miami night club were likely photoshopped
- Mocking former professor (current professor at the time of the tweet) Marydavis Baggett on twitter "Bet the “Baggett” lady is embarrassed now!"
- Posting the Yacht pics and video, and then doing the horrible radio interview about it (while sounding intoxicated)

I am a Trump supporter and my reasons for wanting Jerry gone have nothing to do with Trump. Regardless of politics, the things I listed are still relevant. These things are more than enough reasons in my personal opinion for a new president (oops am I allowed to give my opinion?). I don't think his behavior as president aligns with our school's values. So there's your list (no rumors, gossip, embellishment, I guess some opinion?, and nothing political) - I hope that fits your ridiculous guidelines. Anyone who reads this thread should already have a good idea of the "list". I'm not sure why you say "guilty", its not a trial but many agree that his behavior warrants a removal, but I do not refer to Jerry as "guilty." Also, I love how you say to list the things that "I think" make him guilty, but then also request that I don't use any personal opinion. I'm not sure how you expect that to work. It's a message board after all - It's a place to read other opinions.