For Falwell, defending the patriarchal family justified militarism as a family obligation.

Evidence

Defending the family was the linchpin of Falwell’s ideology. God had created families for a purpose: families were central to procreation, and, properly structured around patriarchal authority, families were also God’s mechanism for controlling and “containing” the earth. But the family was in peril. Protecting the family required moral revival, but even more importantly, a revitalized military. As Falwell explained, “the most notable example of government malfeasance in its family obligations is in the area of defense.” Due to the government’s “unilateral disarmament, mutually assured destruction, and the acceptance of Soviet military superiority,” America was failing to protect its families. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 223

Categorization

• DEFINE: Shows how ‘family values’ was explicitly fused with patriarchal authority and militarism — the hinge that connects the family rhetoric to Trump-era policy preferences.