Baptist Fundamentalism '84

We went to the Washington Convention Center out of curiosity. The final night of the three-day conference "Baptist Fundamentalism '84," which was open to the public, featured speeches by President Reagan and Jerry Falwell.

The cavernous convention center held a crowd of about 13,000. Spectators had come from all over the country for what Falwell had called the "greatest event of the century." He specifically noted that the Friday evening session with Reagan "may well be our most glorious hour ever."

Six of us from Sojourners arrived at the convention center in time to get in before the Secret Service closed the doors an hour before Reagan was to speak. The Liberty Baptist College singers were performing. All of Liberty Baptist's 4,500 students had been given three days off from school and free lodging, food, and transportation to the event. We worked our way to the front section of the hall, where the only seats available were singles.

The crowd erupted with a roar when Reagan and Falwell entered the auditorium from backstage. The ovation continued as the president shook hands with the 50 men seated on the stage; then it broke into an even louder cry when Reagan shook Falwell's hand and held it in the air. The crowd was only calmed when Falwell pointed to his watch indicating the need to proceed.

Falwell began by dedicating a song to the president on behalf of himself and the many other participants and sponsors of the event. The song was one of patriotism, and, as the singer performed, the wall-sized video screens throughout the hall showed first a military cemetery and then the American flag waving in the wind. The line "This is our flag" brought cheers and shouts of "Amen" each time it was sung. The song ended to enthusiastic applause.

Falwell stepped back to the podium and began his introduction of Reagan with a remark aimed at the National Council of Churches. "Some liberal clergymen," Falwell said with a grin, "who claim to represent 44 million Americans, actually only represent themselves—and maybe their wives." The crowd laughed. Conservative fundamentalists, he went on to say, represent the mainstream majority of this country.

Falwell continued, "America's government is the best government the world has ever or ever will see," and, referring to Reagan, "this president is certainly the finest president we in our lifetime have had." To applause, he added, "And we're with you, Mr. President!"

Reagan's talk consisted of the dramatic reading of a letter written by a rabbi who was one of the chaplains for the U.S. Marines in Lebanon. His letter reflected on the courage of the survivors after the terrorist attack in October that killed 242 U.S. Marines in their barracks.

Partway into Reagan's speech, eight people stepped forward from the top of the bleacher section with a banner that said "Feed the Hungry." They began to chant "Bread not Bombs," disrupting the president's speech. Immediately a man jumped up from the seats in front of them, grabbed the banner, and began to swing at the protesters with his fists. The crowd roared its approval. The protesters continued to chant and others joined in pushing and shoving the demonstrators. A new cheer rose from the crowd for each participant joining the fray. The video monitors showed Falwell laughing in his seat on stage.

Although visibly distracted by the disruption, Reagan attempted to continue his speech. Through the million-dollar convention center amplification system, he said, "I've got more decibels than they do!" and later remarked, "I wish some of the Marine spirit would rub off on them!" The rabbi's letter ended with a call for reconciliation.

As police and ushers began to bodily remove the chanting protesters, the crowd broke into loud applause. Reagan commented, "I think they're leaving." People vehemently shouted their support for the president with "Hail to the Chief!" and "We love you, President Reagan!"

After Reagan finished his speech and left the hall, Falwell stepped to the podium and said, "I reminded the president that they [indicating the demonstrators] were not with us." The crowd applauded, and Falwell continued, "I also reminded him that as Baptists, we're not pacifists—and we know how to take care of those kind of people!"

Then Falwell summed up the three-day conference: "We have had Senator Jesse Helms, Vice President George Bush, and President Reagan. No one could top that but the Lord himself!"

Jim Rice is editor of Sojourners. Dennis Marker was an assistant to the editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.