20 Friday, March 21, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Jerry Falwell
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The campus of Liberty University, where Jerry Falwell is chancellor, is populated with neatly dressed students,
none of whom affect the extreme fads sometimes seen at more secular institutions.
•
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•
rabbi based in Chicago and is nationally
known as the president of the Holyland
Fellowship of Christians and Jews, an
organization that seeks cooperation and
discussion of sensitive issues among Chris-
tians and Jews. Some of those issues in-
clude the fundamentalist Christian move-
ment, proselytizing among Jews and the
role of Messianic Jewish movements.
With regard to Falwell, Rabbi Eckstein
has a strong track record. Indeed, Falwell
has spoken at his Chicago synagogue, and
Rabbi Eckstein probably has a more sen-
sitive finger on the pulse of the Christian
right than any other Jew in the land.
"Falwell is a lightning rod for Jewish
criticism and at times unfairly so," Ecks-
tein said. "The company line is that he's
a symbol of those who are trying to Chris-
tianize America. Jewish fears and anxie-
ties on this question tend to latch on to
him, partly because of the media attention
he's gotten.
"People like Falwell have evolved into
symbols in this country," Eckstein added.
"In the last election, I heard people look-
ed at the election as more of a choice be-
tween Jerry Falwell and Jesse Jackson
than Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan.
Falwell doesn't command the broadbased
Christian support people give him. I think
that of the various Christian figures in the
news, he's come most to the left of center.
He's shifted as a result of public exposure.
By getting people in dialogue, you'll see
them shift to the left, and I believe that
happened to Falwell. His left is still to the
right, but there are a lot of other Christian
fundamentalist leaders with a greater fol-
lowing who could turn against us unless
we give them the opportunity to interact
with us and hear our concerns.
"I think as right wing as he is, Falwell is
extremely sensitive to Jewish thought."
Eckstein pointed to Falwell's speech last
year to the Conservative Rabbinic
Assembly. It was an apology for any
reference he might have made to the
"Christianization of America."
"The term Christian nation is somewhat
unfair as applied to Falwell," Eckstein
said. "Falwell has become sophisticated
enough to know not to talk in those terms.
On the other hand, he espouses a conser -
vative position on a variety of issues such
as the role of religion on public policy, an
that is something we have to contend with
He wants to moralize America, no '
necessarily Christianize it."
Make no mistake about it, though, Fal-
well is in favor of missionizing to non-
believers in Christ, whether they ar
Jewish or unsaved Gentiles. He believe
that Jews and Israel will take more of
role in the return of Jesus. In Jerry Falwel
and The Jews, Falwell said that th e
Messiah that is looked for by both Jew •
and Jesus are one in the same.
"Here's another area where we reall
take it in the neck," Falwell commented