Reply #39: I'm not sure that in all cases "Christian" is understood [View All]

[saltpoint]

to be synonomous with 'good' or 'charitable.' It is sometimes, you bet. But not in every case.

An awful lot of scholars would not hold a condescending attitude toward non-Christians. I could understand their holding a condiescending attitude toward Jerry Falwell, although for a scholarly paper those writers would likely employ clinical speech to make a case against Falwell's ministry. As tempting as it would be for them to call his ministry a fraudulent sewer masquerading as Christianity, language like "fraudulent sewer" would likely not survive the final draft.

On a personal note, I do think "fraudulent sewer" works pretty well to describe Jerry Falwell's ministry.