Jerry Falwell: a Complex Legacy

The Associated Press is reporting the sudden death today of the controversial evangelist Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority and president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

Falwell leaves behind a complicated legacy, in which he made himself into one of the most influential and powerful figures of the Christian Right while simultaneously drawing fire from a spectrum of critics for bigotry, particularly regarding gays and lesbians.

Among the most puzzling aspects of his career was his longtime friendship with gay rights activist the Rev. Mel White, which U.S.News & World Report chronicled in October 1999.

Also, see U.S. News & World Report's profile of Liberty University, which Falwell founded in 1971.