As I sat down to consider the topic for this issue of "Falwell Confidential," I began to think about the incredible tasks we, as Christians, have before us.

We continue to be responsible to share the Gospel of Christ with men, women, boys and girls across the globe. What a daunting task this is in our post-modern world of secularism, humanism and moral ambiguity that has no room for the absolutes of the Bible.

Furthermore, we must speak out on the crucial issues that face our age. We are obliged to continue to steadfastly oppose abortion (after 42 million babies have been "legally" slaughtered); we must courageously defend the religious freedoms that are being recurrently obliterated by the ACLU and similar organizations; and we must unwaveringly preserve our marriage laws that have been targeted by self-serving homosexual-rights activists who are pressing to legally wed.

On the precipice of turning 70 (on August 11), I am ever more conscious of the fact that we simply must raise up future generations of young people who will boldly carry the torches of conservative social activism, pro-life advocacy, religious freedom zeal and - most importantly - a passion for the Gospel.

If the America we know and love is to survive the torrent of anti-family, anti-Christian efforts of the day, it is imperative that we ensure that our young people are soundly prepared to be the future defenders of the Judeo-Christian values of our Forefathers.

Liberty University continues to be a massive catalyst for leading an uprising of young people who are saying "enough is enough" to those who are attempting to destroy the Bible-influenced moral fabric of our precious nation. This fall, more than 7,000 young people will be here on campus at Liberty, and another 10,000 enrolled in our Distance Learning Program. They understand that the future of America literally rests with their generation and that the social-political battlefield gets more precarious every day.

When these students graduate, they will join the nearly 70,000 Liberty University alumni worldwide who are presently and especially impacting the American culture as representatives of Christ and the true American spirit. They are business leaders, attorneys, doctors, nurses, medical researchers, educators, journalists, television and radio personalities, authors, political leaders, professional athletes and stay-at-home moms.

Furthermore, Liberty University has trained over 2,300 men who now serve as American senior pastors in local churches from Maui to Miami. These men are shepherding untold numbers of families and pointing their communities to the Gospel of Christ.

In addition, Liberty has sent out over 1,200 missionary families across the earth so that all may know that Christ died for them. (And each year, dozens more Liberty students venture to many world locales for short-term missions campaigns.)

At Liberty, we take ministry and activism very seriously.

We call this our salt and light ministries.

That brings me to the purpose of this special "Falwell Confidential."

When I began publishing this weekly e-mail publication a few years ago, my staff and I committed to not using this information instrument as a fundraising tool. We have remained true to that commitment ... and we will not change that policy today.

Nonetheless, I want to briefly share with you a unique way that you may want to consider helping Liberty University and the Jerry Falwell Ministries.

THE LIBERTY UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY

The Liberty University Foundation (LUF) is presently paying permanently-fixed rates of between 6 percent and 11.5 percent for life, depending on your age, when you invest in a Charitable Gift Annuity. However, we can only offer these very high rates of interest until August 15. (Only persons 60 or older are eligible to purchase LUF Gift Annuities.)

For more than three decades - since I founded Liberty in 1971 - our Estate Planning Department has helped hundreds of our friends discover the many tax and investment advantages available to them, at no charge or obligation whatsoever.

There are many benefits to setting up a Charitable Gift Annuity through LUF, including a substantial tax deduction at the time you make the investment, and a fixed income at a good interest rate. (In fact, this fixed income is for life and much of this income is tax-free!)

Plus, there is the added benefit of knowing your investment helps us preach the Gospel globally by the Old-Time Gospel Hour and provide scholarships for Young Champions for Christ here at Liberty University, the fastest-growing Christ-centered evangelical university of its kind in the nation.

In addition to the recent addition of the adjacent 888,000-square-foot, 113-acre former Ericsson multiplex, we are currently constructing 21 new dormitories that will open this fall. My goal is to build a resident campus of 10,000 students within the next three years and 25,000 on-campus students within the next 15 years. I've asked God to let me live to see this plan (a Christ-inspired plan, I believe) come to fruition.

Are you earning less than 6 percent on your bank savings? LUF Gift Annuities are paying 6 percent up to 11.5 percent?

Individuals who sign up for a Charitable Gift Annuity to Liberty University Foundation will be helping make all this possible while also providing for themselves a fixed, continuous income for life, along with significant tax advantages.

As a direct result of the current high interest rates, scores of my friends have moved some of their low-yielding savings out of their banks into Liberty University Foundation gift annuities. Many are now earning as much as 11.5% interest for as long as they live.

One friend of the ministry recently invested in a $100,000 LUF gift annuity and is now earning $11,500 annually, until death, from that one investment in the Kingdom of God. Previously, he was earning less than $3,000 each year on that same money. Many others have done the same with smaller and larger amounts. Some have invested as little as $10,000 or even $5,000.

This is an option that I wanted to alert my friends to, in case they may wish to help Liberty in this way. If your investments are currently earning less than 6 percent to 11.5 percent fixed rates, I encourage you to call one of our Estate Planning specialists to learn how to lock your earnings at these rates.

Call toll free: 1-800-543-5309 (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday).

Whether you are considering investing $5,000 or $5 million, I encourage you to think about taking advantage of these high interest rates offered by Liberty University Foundation for a Charitable Gift Annuity that will provide you with an income for life (and also greatly benefit Liberty). Remember, we must hear from you no later than August 15 if you are to receive our very high present rates of interest.

Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell.com

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