Early this week, Jerry Falwell, Jr tried to get ahead of news about he and his wife’s relationship with Giancarlo Granda. We learned within a day that his account was deceptive, and Falwell was forced to resign. Many believe Falwell’s actions now place him outside the bounds of the standard evangelical redemption arc - see this article from Chrissy Stroop, and the thread below by Bradley Onishi.

Bradley Onishi @BradleyOnishi

So much Falwell news to dissect and analyze. The jokes abound. But I want to take a minute to discuss how this scandal fits into evangelical discourse and American sex scandals generally.

August 25th 2020

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Here are some of the thoughts I’ve shared on Twitter in the last couple days (click through to read the threads):

Blake Chastain @brchastain

What the Falwell drama reveals is that the "sexual revolution" white evangelicals fight against would have created an environment where his behavior - if it involved consenting adults - would have been his own business. 1/

August 24th 2020

26 Retweets192 Likes

Blake Chastain @brchastain

I'm sure Falwell will enjoy his newfound "freedom" after leaving Liberty & its puritanical rules. Lots of Christian college students certainly do. Of course, they walk away with trauma and debt, not wealth & the ear of the world's most powerful man. He was always free anyway.

August 25th 2020

15 Retweets69 Likes

We’ve also learned more about Falwell’s predatory behavior.

Blake Chastain @brchastain

I’ve been lax in pointing out the power dynamics at play in this whole Falwell affair, and that is wrong on my part. As more information comes to light, we will likely see more clearly that Falwell’s behavior has been *predatory,* not just an exposed kink. https://t.co/uuiOhx2BQh

Steve Herman @W7VOA

"The reality is Jerry Falwell is a predator." https://t.co/ogRfSLDAXw

August 26th 2020

22 Retweets70 Likes

What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments.