I knew the Falwell family slightly when I was a boy because my father was a Baptist minister in Falwell Sr.’s orbit.
Dad knew other popular Evangelical leaders in the South more personally, but we did visit the Falwell family, and I had a very interesting experience playing basketball with Falwell Jr. Even as a young teenager, it was obvious to me that he was a rebel and that he was a stereotypical preacher’s kid — i.e., bound for trouble.
So I was puzzled when he became such an apparently faithful Evangelical leader. When the other shoe dropped, I chuckled a little to realize my boyhood assessment hadn’t been so far off.
Forgive me for linking an article I wrote about this, but I think you might find it interesting if you haven’t seen it yet and so might other people interested in the Falwells.
