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His fundamentalist following so far remains overwhelmingly white and heavy with farmers, blue-collar workers and small businessmen. He cannot get too far out in front of them politically. That may not be a problem. On issues, he says, he has always been conservative down the line. Asked if he could recall a single instance in which he had ever taken what would be considered the liberal side of an important public question, he thought for a moment, chuckled and replied: "No, I guess there is no way you're going to be able to clean me up."
After each statehouse rally, he gives a luncheon for local born-again pastors, hoping to enlist support for Moral Majority. He mentions the need for political ecumenism, and bemoans the fact that several million "conservative Christians"—his label for those who more or less agree with his reading of the Bible—do not vote. "If there is one person in this room not registered," he tells the pastors, "repent of it. It's a sin." That message must be repeated in every congregation, he says. The order of the day must be: "Get them saved, baptized and registered."
Falwell's habit of mixing religion with American chauvinism and military policy does not sit well with many born-again churchmen. Jimmy Allen of the First Baptist Church of San Antonio, Texas, and past president of the Southern Baptist Convention warns that allegiance with political organizations is dangerous for the church. Says he: "Jesus cannot be captured by any political or economic point of view." Falwell dismisses such criticism quickly: "The issue is survival. America must be turned around." As to his bellicosity, he remarks: "Jesus was not a pacifist. He was not a sissy."