Strength for the journey

Perhaps no other American today commands such instant recognition -- or stirs up so many conflicting passions -- as Dr. Jerry Falwell, the outspoken and controversial preacher from Lynchburg, Virginia, whose views, preaching and activism have made him a national figure. To many he is best known as the dynamic founder and chief spokesperson for the Moral Majority (whose membership now includes nearly 7,000,000 families); to others as the most successful of television preachers, whose "Old Time Gospel Hour" is carried on more North American stations than any other program, sacred or secular; to almost every American he is familiar as the embattled spokesman for controversial causes and ideals, whether it is rescuing the PTL ministry or speaking out courageously on the great moral issues of the day. Yet the real Jerry Falwell, pastor of a congregation he began with thirty-five members in 1956 which has now grown to over 22,000 (and to many millions nationwide) remains unknown, despite the millions of words written about him. - Jacket flap.