Anyone want to talk about Falwell opening Liberty University back up?

[SeaConquest]

11 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

Nice work if you can get it! 😉 

Edited to add — I keep thinking about this, and I am astounded at the level of entitlement and sheer stupidity that Jerry Jr has shown. What person in his right mind would risk so much money, power, and success just so he could watch his wife have s*x with the pool boy? Who would be dumb (or arrogant) enough to go online and post a photo that any fool would have realized could cost him his job and his reputation? 

 

Corrupt, sexually-repressed, hypocrites -- that's who.

[Katy]

10 hours ago, livetoread said:

There were pictures according to Michael Cohen, though he did not specify they involved the pool boy - just racy photos. Interesting story there involving endorsement timelines and such. Feel free to google.

 

The pool boy showed a reporter (I think from Reuters) screenshots of a Face time call where the wife was topless and complaining the pool boy was seeing other women, and Falwell was peeping in from behind a door, his full face and wife's breasts visible, apparently confirming his story that it was a multi-year, 3-way affair.

There was also an audio recording of Falwell and his wife complaining the pool boy was trying to make her jealous and that she "had feelings too."

[Paige]

13 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

What person in his right mind would risk so much money, power, and success just so he could watch his wife have s*x with the pool boy? Who would be dumb (or arrogant) enough to go online and post a photo that any fool would have realized could cost him his job and his reputation? 

 

I bet it's not just that. It's the tip of an iceberg. 

[Katy]

13 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Edited to add — I keep thinking about this, and I am astounded at the level of entitlement and sheer stupidity that Jerry Jr has shown. What person in his right mind would risk so much money, power, and success just so he could watch his wife have s*x with the pool boy? Who would be dumb (or arrogant) enough to go online and post a photo that any fool would have realized could cost him his job and his reputation?

 

Narcissistic alcoholics who think they are God's gift to the earth?

And yeah, definitely tip of the iceberg.

[HS Mom in NC]

16 hours ago, GGardner said:

Actually, this is the least controversial part of this whole mess.  LU has almost 100,000 online students, and their online offerings are a gold mine for the institution, and finance most everything else.

Other schools have online options and I don't they grew to a value in the billions so quickly. It'll be interesting to see if investigations happen, and by whom.  Will leadership at LU get investigations going so they can get ahead of a possible future scandal and take corrective action?  Will this growing story reveal other immoral behavior by the Falwells that triggers tax and/or fraud investigations?

[Catwoman]

10 hours ago, mathnerd said:

Apparently, he reversed course on his resignation and is denying that he resigned.

https://www.liberty.edu/news/2020/08/24/jerry-falwell-jr-agrees-to-resign-as-liberty-universitys-president-then-reverses-course/

Jerry Falwell, Jr. agrees to resign as Liberty University’s president then reverses course

August 24, 2020 : By Office of Communications & Public Engagement 

Lynchburg, VA—On the first day of classes of Liberty University’s fall term, Jerry Falwell, Jr., agreed to resign as its President and from its Board of Directors, but following media reports about the resignation, withdrew it.

 

 

Maybe he sobered up for a few hours and realized what he had done. 😉 

[Katy]

3 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Other schools have online options and I don't they grew to a value in the billions so quickly. It'll be interesting to see if investigations happen, and by whom.  Will leadership at LU get investigations going so they can get ahead of a possible future scandal and take corrective action?  Will this growing story reveal other immoral behavior by the Falwells that triggers tax and/or fraud investigations?

 

It's been a long time since I looked into it, but they were probably the one of the earliest adapters to make almost all of their curriculum online, and one of the earliest fully accredited schools to have more online students than on-campus students. When I was looking into going back to school more than 15 years ago they were one of the few that kept popping up in almost every search.  Only my hatred of Falwell's politics kept me from going there.  If I didn't care about , or was in the military with a generally conservative point of view it would have been a really good option.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

 

It's been a long time since I looked into it, but they were probably the one of the earliest adapters to make almost all of their curriculum online, and one of the earliest fully accredited schools to have more online students than on-campus students. When I was looking into going back to school more than 15 years ago they were one of the few that kept popping up in almost every search.  Only my hatred of Falwell's politics kept me from going there.  If I didn't care about , or was in the military with a generally conservative point of view it would have been a really good option.

I’ve known numerous people who used Liberty online due to military and that was also the “hot” school kids were applying to from my kids’ Christian private school. I remember my dd marveling about it like, why are all these kids so hopped up on going to Liberty?! 

[Sneezyone]

5 hours ago, Quill said:

I’ve known numerous people who used Liberty online due to military and that was also the “hot” school kids were applying to from my kids’ Christian private school. I remember my dd marveling about it like, why are all these kids so hopped up on going to Liberty?! 

Military students (more restricted now) have access to tuition assistance money above and beyond GIBill benefits. They are targeted by all manner of programs, especially for profit schools. Liberty, due to its accreditation and online offerings, was heavily promoted. I couldn’t get past the wizard behind the curtain. Funny thing tho, none of the locals around me seem to be chattering about this and Liberty has long arms in Hampton Roads.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Sneezyone

[Katy]

4 minutes ago, Quill said:

I’ve known numerous people who used Liberty online due to military and that was also the “hot” school kids were applying to from my kids’ Christian private school. I remember my dd marveling about it like, why are all these kids so hopped up on going to Liberty?! 

 

My guess is they liked all the rules.  And they figured most kids who went there liked them too.

It seems like I read some book by a kid who spent a semester off from Harvard going there, he was generally Christian but not fundamentalist, and thought it was more foreign than spending a semester at an international school abroad.  But since searching for the book just got me school sweatshirts and some sort of creepy kindle erotica, I can't bring myself to search for it any more.

[Sneezyone]

56 minutes ago, Katy said:

 

My guess is they liked all the rules.  And they figured most kids who went there liked them too.

It seems like I read some book by a kid who spent a semester off from Harvard going there, he was generally Christian but not fundamentalist, and thought it was more foreign than spending a semester at an international school abroad.  But since searching for the book just got me school sweatshirts and some sort of creepy kindle erotica, I can't bring myself to search for it any more.

By the same token, I think a lot of online students ignored the financial and other shenanigans going on at the school because it didn’t affect them. There was nobody at the school to really pay any attention to what they were doing in their off-campus time because they were always off-campus.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Sneezyone

4 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Other schools have online options and I don't they grew to a value in the billions so quickly. It'll be interesting to see if investigations happen, and by whom.  Will leadership at LU get investigations going so they can get ahead of a possible future scandal and take corrective action?  Will this growing story reveal other immoral behavior by the Falwells that triggers tax and/or fraud investigations?

 

I think there are just a handful that really try to pitch their services to a national market.  University of Phoenix comes to mind -- they've got so much money, they sponsor an entire football stadium, and they don't even have a team!

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

 

My guess is they liked all the rules.  And they figured most kids who went there liked them too.

It seems like I read some book by a kid who spent a semester off from Harvard going there, he was generally Christian but not fundamentalist, and thought it was more foreign than spending a semester at an international school abroad.  But since searching for the book just got me school sweatshirts and some sort of creepy kindle erotica, I can't bring myself to search for it any more.

The Unlikely Disciple:  A Sinner's Semester by Kevin Roose.  I own a copy.  It was an interesting read.  

[Corraleno]

I'd be willing to bet that there's at least one other story that parallels the Granda story. The Falwells also hooked up with another handsome, buff 20-something kid, a personal trainer named Ben Crosswhite. Falwell had Liberty sell property (owned by Liberty) to Crosswhite, with Liberty financing the sale —  loaning a 23 yr old kid $1.2 million at 3% interest with zero money down — and then Liberty leased the property back from Crosswhite for $650,000. Crosswhite, like Granda, has also traveled with the Falwells on LIberty's private jet. In an article last year in which multiple Liberty employees complained about Falwell's inappropriately sexual conversations with staff (talking about his sex life in graphic detail, bragging about his size & prowess, etc.), it was mentioned that he had sent a photo of Becki in a risqué "French maid's outfit" to multiple staff members, and when they complained, he said it was an accident — he really only meant to send it to Crosswhite. As if sending sexually revealing photos of your wife to your personal trainer is a totally normal thing.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Corraleno

[Terabith]

https://thewayofimprovement.com/2020/08/07/why-did-the-liberty-university-board-of-trustees-put-jerry-falwell-jr-on-indefinite-leave/?fbclid=IwAR2mBYIzhBwZ5nrP-xaCt4PI9bQUcizr4rfT1SxrG4_asqMVDmNYoFA1GeQ

[HS Mom in NC]

More details:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914

[mathnerd]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

If Becky had an affair and Jerry knew about it, though he is playing the cuckolded martyr here, wonder who he was having an affair with for I am pretty sure he would be. 

Mrs and Mr Falwell and their pool boy  were having threesomes ... which is what is politely discussed as "Giancarlo Granda had a long standing sexual relationship with the Falwells". He is blaming his wife quickly because he is hoping to avoid public discussions of sexual relationships that involve him and a young man. There will be more such stories because I am sure that this is not the only affair - probably his other partners are lawyering up before they speak.

Edited August 25, 2020 by mathnerd

2 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

So is he going or not ? Can't they use the Liberty code of conduct to throw him out ?

 

I believe the Code of Conduct only applies to students.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, GGardner said:

 

I believe the Code of Conduct only applies to students.

How convenient. 🤨

[HS Mom in NC]

3 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

“I🙄 wish Christians and people would be as forgiving as Christ was,” she said.

 

 

I wish she would stop demanding the cheap, fake grace peddled in parts of Evangelicalism. As Dietrich  Bonhoeffer described it, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession."

There's no humble confession from her or her husband (that I've seen so far) like the example of the penitent thief on the cross demonstrated in the book of Luke:

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

                       -ESV

That's how we can tell they're unrepentant.  (Assuming the reports and quotes are up to date and accurate.) They haven't humbly confessed and willingly submitted to the consequences yet.  We haven't seen a change of heart reflected in changed behavior-that takes time. All of hat could change.  I hope for the sake of their souls it changes. And of course,  it's a warning to all of us that we need to deal with our own sin too.

[Katy]

39 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

I wish she would stop demanding the cheap, fake grace peddled in parts of Evangelicalism. As Dietrich  Bonhoeffer described it, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession."

There's no humble confession from her or her husband (that I've seen so far) like the example of the penitent thief on the cross demonstrated in the book of Luke:

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

                       -ESV

That's how we can tell they're unrepentant.  (Assuming the reports and quotes are up to date and accurate.) They haven't humbly confessed and willingly submitted to the consequences yet.  We haven't seen a change of heart reflected in changed behavior-that takes time. All of hat could change.  I hope for the sake of their souls it changes. And of course,  it's a warning to all of us that we need to deal with our own sin too.

 

The scariest parts of the Bible to me are Matthew 7:21-23:

Quote

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’

 

Seriously, these verses have given me anxiety at various times of my life.  Then I hear about something like this and think, "Oh, that's who this was talking about." 

At least I hope.

[ktgrok]

4 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

 

“The quote that keeps running through my mind is Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last,'” Falwell said. “There’s something big in the future but I don’t know what it is yet."

Because this is exactly like Martin Luther King Jr. 🙄

The hypocrisy and hubris is breath taking. 

Does he know how that story ends? Or does he think MLK Jr retired to a nice beach house somewhere?

[HS Mom in NC]

26 minutes ago, Katy said:

The scariest parts of the Bible to me are Matthew 7:21-23:

Seriously, these verses have given me anxiety at various times of my life.  Then I hear about something like this and think, "Oh, that's who this was talking about." 

At least I hope.

Yeah, that's why the moral to the Falwell story and others like it is for each of us to respond personally with, "Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me."

[Catwoman]

12 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

I wish she would stop demanding the cheap, fake grace peddled in parts of Evangelicalism. As Dietrich  Bonhoeffer described it, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession."

There's no humble confession from her or her husband (that I've seen so far) like the example of the penitent thief on the cross demonstrated in the book of Luke:

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

                       -ESV

That's how we can tell they're unrepentant.  (Assuming the reports and quotes are up to date and accurate.) They haven't humbly confessed and willingly submitted to the consequences yet.  We haven't seen a change of heart reflected in changed behavior-that takes time. All of hat could change.  I hope for the sake of their souls it changes. And of course,  it's a warning to all of us that we need to deal with our own sin too.

 

The Falwells are sorry.

They are VERY sorry.

They are so, so, so, very, very sorry.

The are sorry they got caught. 

(And that’s about all they are sorry for.)

[HS Mom in NC]

If anyone sees any reports about the board or other forms of leadership at LU and if they're going to be held accountable for letting all of this go on without any attempts to rein it in, please post.  That's what boards are for, right?  As checks and balance systems.  Or maybe some did everything in their power and paid the price.  We should hear about them too.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Homeschool Mom in AZ
homophone brain fart

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

The Falwells are sorry.

They are VERY sorry.

They are so, so, so, very, very sorry.

The are sorry they got caught. 

(And that’s about all they are sorry for.)

It’s a Bill Clinton kind of sorry. 😂

[Corraleno]

22 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

If anyone sees any reports about the board or other forms of leadership at LU and if they're going to be held accountable for letting all of this go on without any attempts to reign it in, please post.  That's what boards are for, right?  As checks and balance systems.  Or maybe some did everything in their power and paid the price.  We should hear about them too.

The Chairman of the Board, Jerry Prevo, has been appointed Acting President indefinitely. A group of alumni, who formed a nonprofit called Save 71 to push for reform at the school, have been very critical of Prevo:

“Jerry Prevo is not the solution Liberty needs — he is part of the problem,” the tweet from Save 71 said. “We want Falwell to be permanently removed because of the toxic culture he is responsible for, and Prevo is one of his greatest enablers.”
....

Liberty “needs to repent of its sins before seeking redemption,” the group posted on its website, urging the board to name an independent committee to seek a longer-term replacement for Falwell. “The Board of Trustees must acknowledge the damage President Falwell has done to Liberty and the hypocrisy and corruption that has soaked into parts of its culture.”

Dustin Wahl, a 2018 graduate who is a co-founder of the group, said they hope the board will appoint an independent group of people from Liberty to help in the selection of a new president.”

“Jerry Prevo is not in touch with the situation at Liberty,” he said in a text message Monday, The Washington Post reported. “This is not a comforting sign, as it appears that the Board does not have interest in turning the page on the years of Falwell’s amoral and catastrophic leadership.”

LInk to article: https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2020/08/10/liberty-university-names-the-jerry-prevo-of-anchorage-acting-leader-with-falwell-on-leave/

[HS Mom in NC]

Is anyone else wondering if their denial of his involvement in the affair is so he could get his severance package? If he admitted to it would it have been a straight out firing with no payout?

[mathnerd]

1 hour ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Is anyone else wondering if their denial of his involvement in the affair is so he could get his severance package? If he admitted to it would it have been a straight out firing with no payout?

When he went into denial mode and his wife took up all the blame publicly, I thought that he was also concerned about his sexual orientation being discussed because he participated in affairs with men (and of course, his severance package).

Edited August 26, 2020 by mathnerd

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Is anyone else wondering if their denial of his involvement in the affair is so he could get his severance package? If he admitted to it would it have been a straight out firing with no payout?

Probably. It certainly is “interesting” the way this story is being reported to my on-site conservative news family member. He said, “oh I heard about that. His wife had an affair with some business associate.” Mm-hmmm. It’s a bit more involved than that, hun. 

[RootAnn]

@mathnerd Are you saying that him watching his wife have s€x with another man equates to a threesome or have you seen where someone has said he participated other than watching/ commenting? I'm confused.

I do wonder if there is 'evidence of wrongdoing' before his two years of severance pay are up, can the board refuse to pay the $8 million? Or are they on the hook now no matrer what?

[mathnerd]

Just now, RootAnn said:

@mathnerd Are you saying that him watching his wife have s€x with another man equates to a threesome or have you seen where someone has said he participated other than watching/ commenting? I'm confused.

I do wonder if there is 'evidence of wrongdoing' before his two years of severance pay are up, can the board refuse to pay the $8 million? Or are they on the hook now no matrer what?

The accuser has said that he participated with both Mrs and Mr Falwell. Jerry says that he only watched.

[RootAnn]

Not how I read it.

10 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

The accuser has said that he participated with both Mrs and Mr Falwell. Jerry says that he only watched.

From the original Reuters article:  “Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said in an interview.

In the statement quoted by the Examiner, Falwell said that “Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-falwell-relationship-exclusive/exclusive-business-partner-of-falwells-says-he-had-long-affair-with-evangelical-power-couple-idUSKBN25K1ZO

I believe Granda's statement that Falwell Jr was involved was referring to his watching & commenting (during video calls) -- basically that he knew about & assumingly approved of the actions.

I definitely don't think Falwell said anywhere that he watched!

If you have a link to your interpretation, please share.

Edited August 26, 2020 by RootAnn
Keep spelling Falwell wrong!

[HS Mom in NC]

46 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Wouldn’t surprise me. Becki is definitely in spin control mode. Per an interview on CNN’s website this morning, they appear to be portraying themselves as victims. 

Since victims of blackmail aren't innocent it's really dumb of them to play the victim card.

36 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

When he went into denial mode and his wife took up all the blame publicly, I thought that he was also concerned about his sexual orientation being discussed because he participated in affairs with men (and of course, his severance package).

Do you mean he participated physical acts with men or he watched men with his wife? 

17 minutes ago, Quill said:

Probably. It certainly is “interesting” the way this story is being reported to my on-site conservative news family member. He said, “oh I heard about that. His wife had an affair with some business associate.” Mm-hmmm. It’s a bit more involved than that, hun. 

And the FOX News report I saw didn't mention the hostel being invested in with the pool boy is considered an LGBTQ hostel.  I'm not sure exactly how a hostel classified as such, do they deny their services to heteros?  But if it somehow is, LU is going to take another hit for hypocrisy and Falwell's sexual orientation is going to come into question.

2 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

If anyone sees any reports about the board or other forms of leadership at LU and if they're going to be held accountable for letting all of this go on without any attempts to reign it in, please post.  That's what boards are for, right?  As checks and balance systems.  Or maybe some did everything in their power and paid the price.  We should hear about them too.

 

Maybe this is a spinoff thread, but I feel like boards in general, not just in this case, but in the corporate world too, rarely perform much in terms of checks and balances, and aren't really set up to do so.  In civics, we teach the strength of having three branches of government, each of which can check the others, but you don't see this ever in the corporate world.

All boards that I know of are very part time -- they meet maybe once a month, often quarterly, and most of the members have full time jobs (and full time commitments) to other organizations. They hire the CEO, and that's about it.  So, the boards don't really have much time or effort to do much checking and balancing, nor do they have much incentive to do so.  Most of the information given to the board comes through the CEO, so they can't really do any independent checking.

[Scarlett]

When a person gets caught red handed vs confessing it is much more difficult to convince everyone you are repentant. I think many times the Caught one really believes they are repentant. 
Sometimes a person is so steeped in living a double life and dealing treacherously with others that it takes them losing everything to really wake up. 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

When a person gets caught red handed vs confessing it is much more difficult to convince everyone you are repentant. I think many times the Caught one really believes they are repentant. 
Sometimes a person is so steeped in living a double life and dealing treacherously with others that it takes them losing everything to really wake up. 

I agree, but I think there are some people who don’t ever wake up. They don’t think the rules apply to them, they are special and not subject to what the common people are subject to. 

I don’t know if that describes JF, Jr., but I tend to think so. 

[Scarlett]

34 minutes ago, Quill said:

I agree, but I think there are some people who don’t ever wake up. They don’t think the rules apply to them, they are special and not subject to what the common people are subject to. 

I don’t know if that describes JF, Jr., but I tend to think so. 

It would seem so. 

[HS Mom in NC]

55 minutes ago, GGardner said:

 

Maybe this is a spinoff thread, but I feel like boards in general, not just in this case, but in the corporate world too, rarely perform much in terms of checks and balances, and aren't really set up to do so.  In civics, we teach the strength of having three branches of government, each of which can check the others, but you don't see this ever in the corporate world.

All boards that I know of are very part time -- they meet maybe once a month, often quarterly, and most of the members have full time jobs (and full time commitments) to other organizations. They hire the CEO, and that's about it.  So, the boards don't really have much time or effort to do much checking and balancing, nor do they have much incentive to do so.  Most of the information given to the board comes through the CEO, so they can't really do any independent checking.

That's not true.  There are some churches and organizations that do distribute power to avoid exactly this.  LU's board shouldn't get off the hook for this like hapless victims of a villain.  They appear to have been grossly negligent in dealing with this because it appears, based on various interviews they were aware of issues for many years.  Now it is possible there are people who stood up and clearly addressed it as much as they had power to do, and if that's the case we need to hear about them and how they were treated by the board and Falwell as a result.

Also, please explain to me what you think a board of trustees exists to do.

5 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

That's not true.  There are some churches and organizations that do distribute power to avoid exactly this.  LU's board shouldn't get off the hook for this like hapless victims of a villain.  They appear to have been grossly negligent in dealing with this because it appears, based on various interviews they were aware of issues for many years.  Now it is possible there are people who stood up and clearly addressed it as much as they had power to do, and if that's the case we need to hear about them and how they were treated by the board and Falwell as a result.

 

I suspect the power of the board is greater, the smaller and less powerful the organization is.  I *guarantee* you that the LU board will get off the hook for this.  And really, my point is, what are they on the hook for?  How could they be punished?  Removed from their board positions?  Fine, but that's a part time job at best.  And how do you think you get to be a trustee of LU? 

[Junie]

Board member Mark DeMoss resigned his position in 2016.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/may/mark-demoss-explains-why-he-resigned-from-liberty-university-board

https://wset.com/news/local/liberty-board-member-who-criticized-falwells-trump-endorsement-resigns

It might have been over Falwell's endorsement of Trump.  However, this piece (quoted from the wset article) indicates that it might have been something else (bolding mine):

Individual board members have varied reasons for their displeasure regarding Mark DeMoss' comments to the Washington Post, most of which are not related to his disagreement with Jerry Falwell's personal endorsement of Donald Trump or a belief that Mark DeMoss' motivations were entirely political. Liberty would prefer to not inventory or detail all these reasons.

[HS Mom in NC]

1 hour ago, GGardner said:

 

I suspect the power of the board is greater, the smaller and less powerful the organization is.  I *guarantee* you that the LU board will get off the hook for this.  And really, my point is, what are they on the hook for?  How could they be punished?  Removed from their board positions?  Fine, but that's a part time job at best.  And how do you think you get to be a trustee of LU? 

Being complicit through rubber stamping, looking the other way,  and/or cover up. If they played a role in illegal business practices or illegal hiring and firing practices (retribution for those who did try to tell the truth and take corrective measures) there could be legal consequences, no?  It all comes down to what exactly their duties were as board members and how they performed those duties that relate to any scandals.  If nothing else there's the Christian's role in standing for truth and loving people enough to confront them about their sin when necessary. If board members were in a position to see the problems and act to correct the problems within their power, or notify someone who had that power, and didn't do so, they're unfit for any form of leadership.

And if the board was created with no power to guard against corruption, then potential students and their parents should insist a new one be instated specifically for avoiding these types of problems before they hand any more money over to this dysfunctional organization.  If a organization that claims to believe scripture and practice its teachings doesn't grasp the nature of sin and potential problems that could come with money and influence and have policies and practices in place to deal with it, then they're blind and in need of decent leadership who does get it.  They should not be the ones in the leadership position.

[Happy2BaMom]

3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

When a person gets caught red handed vs confessing it is much more difficult to convince everyone you are repentant. I think many times the Caught one really believes they are repentant. 
Sometimes a person is so steeped in living a double life and dealing treacherously with others that it takes them losing everything to really wake up. 

 

I agree with you, but unfortunately Falwell is already guaranteed to not lose everything, or even much at allll.....he's getting a MULTI-million dollar settlement, and I'm sure the right-wing entertainment complex will GLADLY welcome his "victimization" story and he'll end up a talking head at at least one major organization. So....he will probably pick up right where he left off with leadership in certain circles....

[Terabith]

I think Falwell is a sociopathic narcissist.  I don't think he is capable of feeling repentance.  

7 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

If they played a role in illegal business practices or illegal hiring and firing practices (retribution for those who did try to tell the truth and take corrective measures) there could be legal consequences, no? 

 

I have no idea if LU did anything illegal, but if they did, surely it wasn't nearly to the level that Enron was, and none of their outside board members faced legal consequences.

[HS Mom in NC]

8 minutes ago, GGardner said:

 

I have no idea if LU did anything illegal, but if they did, surely it wasn't nearly to the level that Enron was, and none of their outside board members faced legal consequences.

How is that relevant?  If the Enron scandal let the guilty parties go unpunished that's a tragedy people should outraged about too. We're talking about LU, an organization that trains future spiritual leaders, if you'll recall. This is the organization that has a leader aligning with political figures that claim to represent conservative voters who value Judaeo-Christian ethics. His source of income is a school built to appeal to his father's Moral Majority constituency.   They should be held to a high standard because they profess to be believers in Jesus Christ and get paid billions to educate people in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Frankly your response is like listening to an obnoxious teenager make excuses, " I shouldn't have got that ticket for speeding because there were other people on the road speeding faster  than me who didn't get pulled over." No foolish teen, you deserve the speeding ticket and so do they.  Just because they didn't get caught and punished doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you deserve to be caught and punished.

7 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Frankly your response is like listening to an obnoxious teenager make excuses, " I shouldn't have got that ticket for speeding because there were other people on the road speeding faster  than me who didn't get pulled over." No foolish teen, you deserve the speeding ticket and so do they.  Just because they didn't get caught and punished doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you deserve to be caught and punished.

 

You are misreading me.  I am not saying what should or should not happen from a moral perspective.  I am saying it is highly unlikely that any LU board member will face legal consequences for what happened at LU.  I am saying that boards of directors or trustees of very large organizations often don't have the oversight capabilities that we might like them to have, and  vanishingly rarely face legal consequences for the misdeeds of the organizations they represent.  Jerry Fallwell Jr's brother was on the LU board for his entire tenure, and no one thought that was a conflict of interest.

5 minutes ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

t’s virtually impossible to prove board members are criminally culpable for a jury, that’s why they usually just end up paying fines. Odd fact about Enron: my husband’s ex’s husband, who we are friends with, was the main IT guy for Ken Lay and the others

 

Sometimes the world can be very small...

Edited August 26, 2020 by GGardner

[Corraleno]

4 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

And the FOX News report I saw didn't mention the hostel being invested in with the pool boy is considered an LGBTQ hostel.  I'm not sure exactly how a hostel classified as such, do they deny their services to heteros?  But if it somehow is, LU is going to take another hit for hypocrisy and Falwell's sexual orientation is going to come into question.

Miami Hostel is listed as a "gay-friendly" hostel, but they don't exclude heterosexuals. Other aspects of the business that might be deemed unusual for someone of Falwell's "morals" are that it's connected to a liquor store (Falwell's company owns the liquor store property, but not the actual business), encourages partying, advertises a local strip club, and is a cheap place to hook up ($20/night). A Liberty alum, who has written several articles on the corruption at Liberty, stayed at the hostel and described it as dirty, smelly, a "cesspool of vice" and a "flophouse."

[mathnerd]

3 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Miami Hostel is listed as a "gay-friendly" hostel, but they don't exclude heterosexuals. Other aspects of the business that might be deemed unusual for someone of Falwell's "morals" are that it's connected to a liquor store (Falwell's company owns the liquor store property, but not the actual business), encourages partying, advertises a local strip club, and is a cheap place to hook up ($20/night). A Liberty alum, who has written several articles on the corruption at Liberty, stayed at the hostel and described it as dirty, smelly, a "cesspool of vice" and a "flophouse."

Yup, I read that and other articles bashing this man's hypocrisy and did not post the links here because of reference to Falwell's politics and his LGBTQ stance in all of those articles (because, no politics on this forum ... )