The passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson is felt by a variety of Americans, those who loved him for his views, those who did not, and those who loved him as a person. It was in the last of those categories that Rev. Jackson became an unlikely friend to some conservatives, especially Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Rev. Jackson was a distinguished orator like his mentor, Martin Luther King, and when Dr. King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968, Jesse was speaking to him right below and just before the shot rang out. Soon after, Jackson essentially became the chief figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
Rev. Jerry Falwell was the founder of the Moral Majority and Liberty University, emerging as one of the leaders of the New Right in the 1970s and 80s. In the mid 1980s, Rev. Jackson and Rev. Falwell had large disagreements on a variety of issues, including abortion (though Jesse Jackson had once been very pro-life), how to best attack apartheid in South Africa, support of Israel, nuclear proliferation, and other issues.
Rev. Falwell was also a distinguished orator, and it is almost natural that their paths would cross, and often they did. Their television discussions about each other and the issues they were concerned with electrified the American public.
Forty years and some months ago, in September 1985, Jerry Falwell invited Jesse to speak at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, a visit that is still spoken of by those church members old enough to remember. Jesse spoke about the social issues he cared about, and then Jerry spoke afterwards. Some would have thought it blasphemy to allow Jesse Jackson to come speak at a conservative Baptist church, but the visit showed a level of tolerance each man had for the other.
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Though their disagreements remained afterwards, what was born that day was a friendship between Jerry and Jesse. They remained friends for the rest of their lives.
At times, they would call each other in prayer, and when Jesse faced a personal crisis in the early 2000s, Jerry spoke to him at length, encouraging Jackson and praying for him. When Jerry Falwell was sick a few years later, one of the first people to reach out to pray for him was Jesse Jackson. And then when Jerry passed away in May 2007, Jesse said, "Sometimes, we're separated by culture and we're linked by Christ, by our love of people, by our love of -- by our love of life."
There is much we can learn about the relationship between Jerry Falwell and Jesse Jackson, in particular how to disagree without being disagreeable; mirroring a young man 40 years later named Charlie Kirk who had Governor Gavin Newsom on his show, had friendly debates about evangelicalism and Catholicism and, the day before he died, had invited Van Jones to join his podcast as a guest.
There is a plethora of valid criticisms of American leftism, but today is not the day to disparage anything about Jesse Jackson. History will properly judge him, and more so, the Lord judges us all.
Any claim that Rev. Jackson was simply in it for money was completely misguided. His emotion and tears upon seeing the election of Barack Obama as the first black president were real and felt. Never perfect, as none of us are, Jesse felt the fight he felt led to.
Today, Rev. Jesse Jackson's passing and Homecoming provoke many emotions, but in the hearts of many conservatives, it is one of sorrow for our worthy opponent and rejoicing for a brother in the Lord. We look forward to seeing you again, Jesse, in the Promised Land and forever linked in unity with Jesus.
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and not any government agency.
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