Jerry Falwell and the Rise of the Religious Right: A Series
Segregation, Not Abortion—The True Origin Story
This series will explore the rise of the Religious Right and the role of Jerry Falwell Sr. in transforming white evangelicalism into a powerful political force. While the dominant narrative suggests that the movement was sparked by moral outrage over Roe v. Wade, the reality is far more complex—and troubling. This was never truly about abortion; it was about preserving white Christian dominance, opposing racial integration, and securing political power for conservatives. Over the next five posts, we will uncover the hidden history of this movement, beginning with its origins in the battle over segregation.
If abortion wasn’t the issue that mobilized the Religious Right, then what was? The answer lies in a different battleground: Christian schools and the battle over segregation. The fight that brought evangelicals into political activism wasn’t about the unborn—it was about their institutions’ ability to remain racially segregated while still enjoying tax-exempt status.
Christian Schools as Strongholds of Segregation
During the 1950s and 1960s, as federal courts began striking down segregation in public schools, many white parents responded by enrolling their children in private Christian academies. These schools, often called “segregation academies,” were established explicitly to circumvent desegregation mandates. Jerry Falwell Sr. founded Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967 as a segregationist alternative to integrated public schools. Other institutions, such as Bob Jones University, upheld strict policies barring Black students from admission or prohibiting interracial dating.
These schools flourished, assuming they could continue operating without government interference. However, by the early 1970s, the federal government began cracking down on these discriminatory practices, leading to the real trigger for evangelical political mobilization: the revocation of tax-exempt status for racially discriminatory institutions.
The IRS Steps In: A Political Awakening
In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled in Green v. Connally that any private school engaging in racial discrimination would lose its tax-exempt status. This decision sent shockwaves through white evangelical communities, many of whom had withdrawn their children from public schools to avoid integration.
The impact of this decision was felt most strongly in 1975 when the IRS officially rescinded the tax-exempt status of Bob Jones University due to its ban on interracial dating and marriage. The university’s leaders decried this as an attack on religious freedom, claiming that the government was persecuting them for their sincerely held beliefs. In reality, the government was enforcing civil rights laws that had been in place for over a decade.
A conservative political strategist, Paul Weyrich, saw an opportunity in this backlash. He had spent years trying to convince evangelicals to engage in politics, but until this moment, he had struggled to find an issue that resonated with them. He later admitted:
“I was trying to get these people interested in politics. I had tried everything. I had tried the Equal Rights Amendment, the pornography issue, the school prayer issue... nothing got their attention. What changed their mind was Jimmy Carter trying to take away their tax exemption because they were segregated.”
Jerry Falwell’s Pivot to Politics
Falwell, who had previously been outspoken in his belief that pastors should avoid politics, suddenly led a movement of evangelicals who felt victimized by the federal government. In the late 1970s, he began rallying conservative Christians to oppose “big government interference” in religious institutions.
It is crucial to understand that Falwell’s rhetoric was not about abortion at this time. He was focused almost entirely on resisting desegregation efforts under the guise of “religious liberty.” He positioned himself as a defender of Christian schools, arguing that the government had no right to dictate how religious institutions should operate—even when those institutions engaged in overt racial discrimination.
A Moral Cloak for a Political Agenda
By the late 1970s, it became clear that defending segregation was no longer a politically viable strategy. The civil rights movement had reshaped the national conversation, and overtly racist rhetoric was becoming unacceptable in mainstream political discourse. Conservative evangelical leaders needed a new rallying cry—one that could unite their base without explicitly invoking white supremacy.
Abortion became that issue. Though it had not originally been a major concern for evangelicals, it provided a moral veneer that could mask the movement’s true origins. Leaders like Falwell and Weyrich understood that framing their political activism around “family values” and “the sanctity of life” could attract a broader coalition of conservative Christians without alienating the public.
Thus, in 1979, Falwell launched the Moral Majority, a political organization that claimed to stand for traditional Christian values. While abortion was quickly elevated as a core issue, the organization’s deeper priorities remained focused on protecting conservative white evangelical institutions from government oversight.
The Lingering Legacy
Today, the Religious Right continues to wield enormous political influence, shaping policies around issues like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and religious freedom. However, its roots in segregation and white Christian nationalism remain largely unacknowledged.
Understanding this history is crucial because it challenges the moral legitimacy of the Religious Right’s claims. It reveals that the movement was never truly about defending biblical values—it was about defending power. And even today, the same tactics are used to justify discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.
By unmasking these historical truths, we can better understand how race, religion, and politics have been entangled in ways that continue to shape American life. The next post in this series will explore how the Religious Right strategically pivoted to abortion as its defining issue and how that shift cemented its place in conservative politics.