The university’s board of trustees met Friday following controversy over a photo circulating on social media.
Jerry Falwell Jr. has agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence from Liberty University, the evangelical school he has led since 2007 as president and chancellor.
The six-member executive committee of Liberty’s board of trustees, of which Falwell is a member, met today and made the decision, according to a statement posted as “Important Announcement Regarding LU Leadership.”
The leave is effective immediately.
The announcement did not indicate the reason for Falwell’s leave. However, this week, a wave of Liberty alumni and supporters spoke out against his leadership after a recent photo circulated on Twitter of him posing with a woman at a party with their midsections exposed.
The critics included a US Republican congressman, an executive board member of the state Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and multiple evangelical pastors. Some at Liberty told CT they were hopeful their voices would shift the response to the latest controversy.
The night before the trustee committee met, Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, a former pastor who serves as an advisor to Liberty’s music department, tweeted, “Jerry Falwell Jr’s ongoing behavior is appalling … I’m convinced Falwell should step down.”
“None of us are perfect, but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better,” wrote Walker, who spoke at a campus-wide convocation last year.
Several alumni, including Southern Baptist pastors, considered the photo inappropriate.
“As an @LibertyUAlum it is bewildering that the board of trustees continue to support @JerryFalwellJr to remain in his role as president of @LibertyU,” said Colby Garman, pastor of Pillar Church in Virginia and an executive board …