No longer was Tammy Faye singing gospel songs and spinning evangelistic yarns in fund-raising efforts for the PTL empire. Tammy Faye had moved to “the good side,” first hosting a television show with the openly gay Jim J. Bullock and later as a regular on the VH1 reality show “The Surreal Life,” where she starred alongside a porn star and a rapper. As CNN reported in its obituary, Tammy Faye became an icon for the gay and lesbian community, embracing them without confronting their sin.
And thus her secret: she extended the love of God without demanding respect for God in return. Hers was a “gospel” of love, peace, unity and harmony—sans repentance. You could be anything and do anything and still be loved by the god of Tammy Faye.
Not so with Jerry Falwell. Falwell could put his arm around his nemesis Larry Flynt and tell him on national television that he loved him and God loved him—but that God required Flynt to repent. Tammy Faye put her arms around the gay community, never telling them the truth about their sin.
Why has the media treated Tammy Faye softly in death, while harshly condemning Jerry Falwell? Were they both not representatives of American evangelicalism? Maybe, but with one glaring difference: Falwell was bold to proclaim what the word of God demands of us. Tammy Faye’s so-called “gospel” claimed to offer great benefits and demanded nothing in return. It should be no surprise that she won the hearts of mainstream media in doing so.