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Old 11-05-2004, 02:47 AM  
titmowse
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Falwell studied journalism for a time after high school (1950) at Lynchburg College and then became a Christian in his second year. He then transferred to Baptist Bible College in Missouri. Soon afterwards, he met his future wife, Macel Pate. They were married on April 12, 1958. Jerry Falwell was a vocal supporter of racial segregation during the 1950s and 1960s.

He was ordained in 1956, and in 1968 Falwell began televising his services. The program was eventually titled "The Old-Time Gospel Hour." By the mid-70s, he was reaching millions. In 1979, he created the Moral Majority, a group dedicated to promoting its conservative and religious Christian-centric beliefs via support of political candidates. In the 1980s, fundamentalism began to get a negative image. Another televangelist, Jim Bakker was convicted of fraud and received jail time. Falwell, rumored to have been involved in the conviction, then took over management of Bakker's ministry, Praise The Lord (PTL), in 1987. PTL was soon bankrupt. Some argue (source A&E's "Biography") that Falwell deliberately scuttled the competition.
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