panta ta ethne: The inerrancy of Falwell and Bush...

Natalie has a great post on the language of fundamentalism:

panta ta ethne: The inerrancy of Falwell and Bush...: "Another excellent example of the author function in Falwell's context occurred when he claimed that he had asked then-President Jimmy Carter why he had homosexuals on staff at the White House. Audiotapes proved otherwise, so Falwell explained that he was speaking in allegorical form. This apocryphal story highlight the author function that Falwell has assumed, because his followers notice the discrepancies, yet continue to be loyal to him. Because Falwell is a man of God, ordained and blessed by God, the works that he contributes to the overall discourse do not have to be literally true."