- In an interview with the Bookstore Journal, Graham again states quite clearly his position on ecumenism, and shows just how far he is willing to twist Scripture in order to support it:
"Another significant thing happened in the early '50s in Boston. [Catholic] Cardinal Cushing ... put 'Bravo Billy' on the front cover [of his magazine]. That made news all over the country. He and I became close, wonderful friends. That was my first real coming to grips with the whole Protestant/Catholic situation. I began to realize that there were Christians everywhere. They might be called modernists, Catholics, or whatever, but they were Christians. Jesus taught, 'By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' And that love is more important than anything else. I don't think I've ever departed from that realization" (November 1991, Bookstore Journal).
- In 1964, Graham's aide, George Edstrom, wrote: "Mr. Graham has never preached in a Catholic Church, and he does not agree with them in the joining of one church. If you heard this, it is nothing but false rumors." Yet, as early as 1963, one year prior to the above statement, Graham had spoken at the Roman Catholic Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
In 1967, Graham again spoke at Belmont Abbey, at the Institute for Ecumenical Dialogue, receiving his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (D.H.L.) from them and saying that this was "... a time when Protestants and Catholics could meet together, and greet each other as brothers, whereas ten years ago they could not." Graham said he "knew of no greater honor a North Carolina preacher, reared just a few miles from here, could have than to be presented with this degree. I'm not sure but what this could start me being called 'Father Graham,'" he facetiously added. In this same talk, Graham stated:
"Finally, the way of salvation has not changed. I know how the ending of the book will be. The gospel that built this school and the gospel that brings me here tonight is still the way to salvation" (11/22/67, The Gastonia Gazette).
Compare this to Graham's statement in 1957, when he branded the Catholic gospel, "a stench in the nostrils of God" (A Prophet With Honor, p. 223).
- In 1968, Graham was in a meeting in San Antonio, Texas. He said that the Roman Church had given "tremendous cooperation" in areas where he had held crusades. He added, "A great part of our support today comes from Catholics. We never hold a crusade without priests and nuns being much in evidence in the audience."
In 1985, the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association and Tyndale House Publishers jointly published What Christians Can Learn from One Another about Evangelizing Adults, which contained a chapter by Billy Graham. The book called for greater cooperation between Protestants and Catholics in so-called evangelism, and also included articles by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Robert Schuller, Bill Bright, Jack Wyrtzen, and others (Flirting With Rome, Vol. I: Billy Graham, p. 31).
- Thirty-four Roman Catholic churches and 300-400 parish volunteers participated in the Graham Evangelistic Association St. Louis Crusade led by Graham associate, Dr. Ralph Bell, September 22-29, 1991. The crusade was co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. (Reported in the 1992 March-April Fundamentalist Digest.) Vincent Heier of the Archdiocese office commented, "Billy Graham has always been very ecumenical ... Billy Graham has not necessarily pushed people into one denomination or another but he's tries to encourage whatever denominations that want to cooperate."
- David Briggs, an Associated Press reporter, wrote concerning the 9/22/91 Billy Graham New York City Crusade that "many of those who answer the call at the end of his crusade have been swayed by techniques such as having the ushers come forward to give the impression there is a groundswell of people committing to Christ." (Reported in The Patriot-News, Religion section, Harrisburg, PA, 9/20/91, p. 1.) The rally was endorsed by Roman Catholic Cardinal John O'Connor who said, "the Billy Graham organization has asked our help in providing people to counsel and to welcome back those who wish to practice their Catholic faith." At the rally, Graham thanked O'Connor and the area archbishops for their support. Graham also expressed appreciation to the Jewish Rabbis in New York. (Graham said: "I want to thank the Jewish Rabbis for having me for lunch. ... About 200 Rabbis gathered and we broke bread together and we talked about the things of God and the things of New York City.") When extending the invitation at the close of his message, Graham invited individuals to "come back to the Lord" by "renewing" their "vows of baptism or confirmation." (Reported in the 1992 March-April Fundamentalist Digest.) [Graham made this same appeal to "reconfirm" at a 1977 Crusade held in the heart of Roman Catholicism at Notre Dame University: "Many of you want to come tonight to reconfirm your confirmation. You want to reconfirm the decision that you made when you joined the church" (Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, pp. 75-76).]
- Graham first preached in Moscow in 1982 when it was still part of the Soviet Union. When Graham returned to Russia for a 10/23/92-10/25/92 rally, he met with Russian Orthodox Church spokesman, Patriarch Alexi II, and issued a joint statement denouncing proselytizing in the former Soviet Union (July-August 1993, Fundamentalist Digest). Graham and Alexi issued the statement in a private meeting at Moscow's historic Danilov Monastery. Graham said:
"I assured him we didn't come here to proselytize, that I have been here a number of times with the Orthodox church as their guest, that I have a great love for the church and believe the people need to go back to their roots and put a great deal of emphasis on Bible study." (Reported in the 12/92 ,Baptist Challenge.) (Emphasis added.)
Street preaching, distribution of Bible tracts and other Gospel literature, and publishing of Bible- related materials by foreign missionaries have also been banned in Russia. The restrictions were pushed by the same Russian Orthodox denomination that Graham has such "a great love" for. Graham voiced his agreement with the new laws, describing tract distribution as an "inappropriate" activity.
- The 1998 animated film on the life of Moses, The Prince of Egypt, was made with input from evangelicals, Jews, and Muslims. The anti-God filmmaker, DreamWorks, taking great care not to offend these religious groups, took considerable liberties with the Biblical account. It pressured an evangelical publisher, working on a children's book tie-in, to eliminate references to God as "he" and some references to God as "Lord" (12/98, What In The World!). To meet politically correct feminist criteria for an acceptable god, it has YHWH saying, "... I am the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah" (12/98, Media Spotlight). Billy Graham, James Dobson, and Jerry Falwell were also consulted, and all praise the movie. (Reported in the 1/15/99, Calvary Contender.)
- Christianity Today reported on Graham's third Pittsburgh Crusade, held from 6/2/93-6/6/93 (previous crusades were held in 1952 and 1968):
"The effort was marked by an ecumenical cooperation that saw 1,050 churches and 65 denominations come together. ... 171,500 persons attended ... 12,515 of them making commitments to Christ. ... [Contributions came] in at $180,000 above the $1.45 million budget. ... the Crusade in largely Roman Catholic Pittsburgh had six Catholics on the [Crusade] Executive Committee. Earlier crusades did not include invitations to Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese officials. This time Graham met with eight bishops and executives from Catholic and Protestant groups" (7/19/93 Christianity Today).
- In 9/93, Graham held a crusade in Columbus, Ohio. In a pre-Crusade television interview, Graham said (speaking of the people of Columbus, Ohio):
"You're too good, you don't need evangelism. ... In fact, that's what kept us from coming [to Columbus] for so long."
A TV news reporter said Graham didn't care what faith you were from, that "the idea is to bring you back to your faith, no matter what it is, and to use the Crusade as a catalyst to bring you back to that faith." Another reporter said: "The Catholic Church ... is taking an active part ... and is inviting its parishioners to attend the crusades" (9/19/93 ,Columbus Dispatch).
Graham, in his final 9/26 sermon to 44,000 people, asked: "Is AIDS a judgment from God? I cannot say for sure, but I think so." Two weeks later he said he didn't mean it. He said: "To say God has judged people with AIDS would be very wrong and very cruel" and "I would like to say that I am very sorry for what I said" (10/10/93, Bloomington Herald-Times). Graham also told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "I don't believe that, and I don't know why I said it."
- In a five-day visit to North Korea in 3/92, Graham preached in one Protestant and one Catholic church (the only two churches permitted to exist in North Korea!). He delivered a message from the Pope, and spoke with government approval. He praised North Korea's Marxist dictator Kim II Sung's call for "reconciliation and peace," and Graham said that he has "learned to appreciate Korea's long struggle to preserve its national sovereignty." On ABC's "Good Morning America" (4/6/92), talking about his trip, Graham said that the people of North Korea seemed "relaxed and happy," noting that they were preparing for Kim's 80th birthday, of whom Graham said was almost like "a grandfather" to his people! Graham said that Kim had given the Graham party "a very lavish luncheon" during which he was "very warm and friendly." But, said Graham, he had no idea why he was invited to North Korea.
"Well, I have an idea," says John Lofton of The Lofton Letter: "Graham is invited to such places as North Korea and the then Communist Soviet Union because he is a Dupe, what Lenin called 'a useful idiot' who can be counted on to not tell it like it is." Graham's trip was obviously of immense propaganda value to atheist North Korea, which recently joined the United Nations, and is now contracting to sell powerful "terror weapons" to Iran. (Reported in the 5/1/92 Calvary Contender and the 2/22/93 Christian News.) [Graham has always seemed to have a higher view of communism than of Scripture. A number of years ago Graham said that "Mao Tse Tung's Eight Precepts are basically the same as the Ten Commandments. In fact, if we can't have the Ten Commandments read in the schools, I'll settle for Mao's Precepts" (Gothardism Evaluated, 1988, p. 16).]
- Graham is a supporter of the Williamsburg Charter Foundation [WCF] (Graham gave the keynote address at the signing ceremony on 6/25/88), an ecumenical amalgamation of professing Christians, humanists, atheists, New Agers, Eastern religionists, etc., whose stated goal is religious tolerance in education, but all the while is promoting a new one world religion. Other "evangelical" signators and/or supporters with Graham were James Dobson, Beverly LaHaye, and Chuck Colson. [WCF no longer exists, but the curriculum has been passed on to a "new" organization, "The First Liberty Institute," an organization headed up by New Ager Dr. Charles C. Haynes. (First Liberty is located at George Mason University, which was originally designated as "national teacher training and outreach center" for the Williamsburg Charter Foundation. Its New Age/One World curriculum, "Living With Our Deepest Differences: Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society," is being offered to the nations' public schools by the National Council on Religion and Public Education, a Liberty Institute organization, and has been accepted by the California State Board of Education.)]
- A 1993 article from the Houston Chronicle quoted Billy Graham's favorable comments about left wing liberal President(s) Bill & Hillary Clinton:
"President Bill Clinton would make a great evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham told U.S. News & World Report in a recent interview. ... Graham said he was impressed with Clinton's charisma and 'with some of the things he believes. ... From a biblical point of view, we should be headed in the direction of goodness and righteousness, away from crime and immorality,' Graham said, 'and towards one's neighbors who are in need. I'm encouraged by the emphasis President Clinton and Hillary are putting on that.'"
Like what? Putting homosexuals in the military or helping to abort your neighbor's baby? Or perhaps Clinton's enthusiasm towards the New World Order? That Graham should have any kind words at all for a couple who represent the antithesis of Biblical "goodness," "righteousness," and "morality" is bad enough, but for Graham to think that the Clintons are emphasizing these virtues exhibits a heretofore unprecedented level of ignorance and/or self-deceit on Graham's part.
Graham attended a 1993 prayer breakfast in which Clinton participated. Senator Kerry read Jn. 3:1-21 (skipping verse 16) and said Christ was speaking of "spiritual renewal" and that "in the spirit of Christ ... Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, Christian" were meeting and "there is renewal ... with a new President and Vice President ..." Billy Graham added, "I do not know a time when we had a more spiritual time than we've had today."
[On the 3/5/98 "Today Show," Graham said about Clinton's sexual escapades: "I forgive him because I know the frailty of human nature and I know how hard it is, and especially a strong vigorous young man like he is -- he has such a tremendous personality. I think the ladies just go wild over him."]
- More evidence of Graham's ecumenism is his statement in U.S. News & World Report (12/19/88):
"World travel and getting to know clergy of all denominations has helped mold me into an ecumenical being. We're separated by theology and, in some instances, culture and race, but all of that means nothing to me anymore."
This should not surprise us in light of the fact that as early as 1958, Graham had reduced the doctrine of verbal inerrancy to the status of mere "theory," and denied that "this particular theory of inspiration" was even essential to Christian orthodoxy, let alone grounds for the breaking of Christian fellowship. (Billy Graham's letter to the editor, 11/58, Eternity magazine, pp. 18-19.)
- A pastor who attended a Billy Graham crusade on September 22, 1990, in Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, reported his experience as follows:
"I have read often of the compromises of Billy Graham, but doubted some of the stories as exaggerated. Now they have been proven, in my eyes, worse than reported. ... My conclusion is that Billy Graham is making men twofold more the child of hell ... The emphasis was on believing in God, with a little commentary on Jesus Christ, but very little. ... We were told that the way to take care of the sin problem is to 'receive Christ, rededicate your life, or renew your confirmation vows, or whatever you call it in your church.' I could hardly believe my ears. What do confirmation vows have to do with salvation? ... No one could have convinced me of the apostasy of Billy Graham any more than my own experience. ... He even had a Rabbi on the platform to show the unity of the religions. ... Not having competent counselors is bad enough, but then to have led them to believe that a church experience is the same as being born again is the height of apostasy. ... Billy has not compromised, he has gone kaput!" (From The Baptist Lighthouse, reprinted in The Perilous Times, March, 1991.)
- During the early-1991 Gulf War with Iraq, Billy Graham was summoned to the White House to pray with and for President George Bush. Graham has said that Bush is the best friend he has in the world outside his own staff, and said that out of the war perhaps "will come a new peace and, as ... stated by the president, a new world order" (2/4/91, Christian News). (Emphasis added.)
- More evidence of Graham conforming to the world was his organization asking for a PG (Parental Guidance) rating for the film, The Prodigal. This request was "so it wouldn't be seen as a goody- two-shoes 'religious' movie" (4/90, Focus on the Family magazine). "Such primary/pragmatic concern for worldly image compromises [any] possible secondary spiritual benefits [the film might have had]" (2/15/91, Calvary Contender).
- In Amsterdam in 1986, sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade at a cost of $21 million, more than 12,000 "Christian" leaders met to plan a strategy for evangelizing the world. Graham openly admitted at the closing press conference that the only way to achieve world evangelism is under the umbrella of ecumenicity. When asked how he could conduct a conference on worldwide evangelism when so many attending groups did not even embrace the same fundamentals of the faith or agree on the definition of the Gospel, Graham responded:
"Evangelism is about the only word we can unite on ... Our methods would be different and there would be debates over even the message sometimes, but there is no debate over the fact that we need to evangelize. ... I think there is an ecumenicity that cannot [be gotten] under any other umbrella."
Thus, Graham has chosen to join in evangelism with those who would debate the very content of the Gospel! (Reported in the July 1991 CIB Bulletin and the March-May 1991 Foundation, p. 13.)
- Billy Graham was named as one of the four Honorary Co-Chairmen of the A.D. 2000 Evangelism organization. (The other three are Luis Palau, Campus Crusade's Bill Bright, and Kyun Chik Han of Korea. Paul Cedar, then head of the Evangelical Free Church, chairs the A.D. 2000 International Coalition of Christian Leaders, which is composed of 200 key leaders from various denominations, national, and local churches.) A.D. 2000 Evangelism is ecumenical, compromising to the core, and even has some New Agers in its ranks (e.g., Jay Gary and Robert Muller), yet many undiscerning or uninformed "believers" are supporting, praising, and participating in it. This unscriptural evangelism movement includes Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Charismatics, Pentecostals, and Protestants of all kinds. It is evident that many have not yet realized the impossibility of evangelizing the world when millions of those participating in that effort preach a false gospel. This makes the A.D. 2000 Evangelism program a curse, not a blessing.
According to the July-August, 1993 Mission Frontiers Bulletin, "These International Coalition leaders share the vision of the A.D. 2000 and Beyond Movement. ["A church for every people and the Gospel for every person by A.D. 2000," is their slogan.] They are 'front line' leaders, implementers, activists, equippers, and/or mobilizers in the ministry of world evangelization. Coalition members give leadership to the involvement of their own constituencies and share spiritual counsel with the various A.D. 2000 boards, committees and resource network leaders. They will seek to rally support and resources of all kinds to see the objectives of the movement fulfilled." (Emphasis added.) Seeking "all kinds" of support simply means that they will utilize whatever group claims to be in agreement with their "objectives" of global evangelization. The problem with such an inclusivist policy, however, is that some of the groups whose support they are trying to enlist embrace many unbiblical beliefs and strange gospels (September-October 1993, Foundation magazine).
- In preparation for an ecumenical evangelistic crusade that was held in Germany in March of 1993, Graham met with leading German governmental and religious officials. Among those with whom he met was Bishop Karl Lehmann, the "highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in the country." The purpose of their meeting was "to extend the opportunity for local dioceses to participate in the outreach of the crusade." According to the report, "Bishop Lehmann warmly welcomed Mr. Graham stating, 'One of the key words uniting us today, including Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic alike is 'evangelism.'" (1/93, Decision magazine, p. 19)
[Those who fellowship with Romanism put a stamp of approval -- unwittingly, perhaps, but just as surely -- upon the false gospel preached by their Roman Catholic friends. When Billy Graham includes Catholics in his evangelistic crusades and sends inquirers to Catholic churches, those looking on are made to think that Roman Catholicism must be true Christianity. When evangelical leaders fellowship with Rome, a climate is created whereby it is very difficult to preach that Catholics need to be saved and leave their apostate [church]. Ecumenical evangelicals break down the walls between truth and error and muddy the waters of gospel work. ..." (Reported in the 7/1/93 ,Calvary Contender, quoting Way of Life Literature).]
- After numerous letters from the editor of Christian News questioning Graham's alleged Masonic affiliations, a staff member of Graham's ministry denied that Graham was ever a Freemason. (In a weakly worded statement, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association "condemned" Freemasonry on the grounds that the church should meet the needs one is trying to satisfy by joining a lodge, that joining a lodge could cause a rift between husband and wife if they had not mutually agreed on the husband's lodge membership, and the requirement to take an oath violates Scripture.) But Graham's ministry also admitted that Graham attended a 33rd degree initiation rite back in 1966. Graham's defenders claim that this is how he became alerted to the dangers of Freemasonry.
But Masons are not in the habit of inviting the curious to its secret ceremonies! Can one then surmise that this was Graham's own initiation ceremony? In doing primary research for his book, The Origins and Teachings of Freemasonry (at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.), Dr. Robert A. Morey was told that they keep a file on all 33rd degree Masons. Morey asked if they had a file on Billy Graham. The Librarian said, "Yes. Do you want to see it?" But since he did not feel that it was proper, he said, "No, not at this time" (Robert Morey' letter to the editor, Christian News, 9/14/92).
Fritz Springmeier of Portland, Oregon has written a tract, "Billy Graham and the Bible." He gives evidence of Billy Graham being a 33rd degree Mason who has taken secret oaths in blood. In this tract, Springmeier states, "Billy Graham took part in the initiation rites of Jim Shaw as a 33rd degree Mason. This was before Shaw left the Masons in obedience to Christ" (9/14/92, Christian News).
- William Martin, a sociologist at Rice University, spent five years researching for an authorized biography of Graham (A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story, 1991 -- this was the second authorized biography of Graham, the other being by John Pollock in 1966). Martin characterizes Graham as a "regular guy who can skinny-dip with Lyndon Johnson or flip through Playboy at a barber shop without embarrassment. But he is also an example of clean living." Other observations by Martin include:
(a) Graham's form of Christianity relies upon emotion and a simplistic view of the Bible in favor of a mass-produced approach to gaining converts.
(b) Graham is willing to tread carelessly along the line separating religion and politics in exchange for access to the rich and powerful.
(c) Studies have found that Graham's rallies largely preach to the professing converted, and that many of those who answer the call at the end of his crusades have been swayed by techniques, such as having ushers come forward in order to give the impression that there is a groundswell of people committing to Christ.
(d) Graham has been vilified for his willingness to work in cooperation with mainline Protestants, Catholics, and others of suspect faith.
(e) Graham has publicly endorsed Martin Luther King, a known womanizer and Marxist sympathizer.
(f) Graham's ecumenical achievements include the founding of the neo-evangelical magazine Christianity Today, and the founding of the ecumenical youth organization, Youth for Christ, as well as having been an important cog in the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) since its early days.
- Graham visited the NCC's (National Council of Churches) headquarters in New York City on 8/27/91 and praised the group as follows: "There's no group of people in the world that I would rather be with right now than you all. Because I think of you, I pray for you, and we follow with great interest the things you do. ... I don't speak to too many church assemblies any more because I consider myself as belonging to all the churches. And I love everybody equally and I have no problem in fellowship with anybody who says that Jesus Christ is Lord. This has been a great relief to me to come to that conclusion about twenty-some years ago." (As reported in Foundation, June-August 1991, p. 34.) [At the 1995 NCC convention, NCC General Secretary Joan Brown Campbell read a letter from Graham encouraging the board -- "May God use your efforts to bring about a renewed understanding of the priority of evangelism, and rededication to the practice of biblical evangelism within the churches you serve."]
- For decades Billy Graham has had a love for the Charismatic movement and has supported it. His photo appears on the cover of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship magazine, Voice, for October 1962, after he spoke at their convention that year in Seattle. It was Billy Graham who was instrumental in bringing Oral Roberts into the mainstream of evangelical sympathy. He invited Oral to the World Congress on Evangelism sponsored by Christianity Today magazine in Berlin in late 1966, then spoke at the dedication of Oral Roberts University in April of 1967.
Graham has also appeared on TV specials with Oral Roberts. There has never been a word of protest or warning about Roberts' wild visions, faith healing, and shameless money-raising schemes. At Graham's Amsterdam '83, two of the main speakers were David Yonggi Cho of Korea and Pat Robertson of the USA. Both, of course, are outspoken charismatics (New Neutralism II, p. 30).
Billy Graham's love affair with the Charismatic movement continues today. He sent his greetings and blessing to the hyper-charismatic gathering at the "New Orleans '87 North American Congress on the Holy Spirit & World Evangelization" via a video clip which was introduced with much fanfare and shown on large screens. When asked to send greetings, he should have been honest and said, "How in the world can God bless that mess"! Instead, though, he said this: (Reported in an O Timothy Special Issue, "Charismatic Confusion in Indianapolis.")
"Greetings in the name of the Lord! I would love to be with you today in your great conference. But I am unable to do so because we are involved in a crusade here in Denver, Colorado ... I rejoice with you at the goals of your ... Congress ... And I thank God for the vital role that your movement is having in bringing about a spiritual awakening in this country ... My prayers are with you that your Congress will be greatly blessed of God and used by the Holy Spirit to further the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God bless you all." [!!!]
- A highly influential book promoting the charismatic "Manifest Sons of God" doctrine is Destined For the Throne by Paul E. Billheimer. In a chapter titled, "God's purpose for the Church," regarding the extension of the Godhead, Billheimer wrote: "The Union goes beyond a mere formal, functional or idealistic harmony or rapport. It is an 'organic relationship of personalities'; through the new birth we become bona fide members of the original, cosmic family. ..." Billheimer claims he received his "insights" by personal ministry of the "Holy Spirit." He concludes, "Thus through the new birth-and I speak reverently -- we become the 'next of kin' to the Trinity, a kind of 'extension' of the Godhead." Charismaniacs Jan and Paul Crouch of TBN mailed out hundreds of thousands of this book in 1985 and 1986. Even now they send it out as a fund raiser. The foreword to the book was written by Billy Graham. (Reported in Bold Truth News.)
- Billy Graham has also taken the "low road" with respect to pop psychological gospel being espoused by so many of today's leading "evangelicals." Two examples follow:
(a) Graham endorsed the Life Application Bible (along with Charles Stanley, Howard Hendricks, and D. James Kennedy), a study Bible with study notes in support of self-love and other humanistic concepts (e.g., study note to Rom. 12:3 -- "Healthy self-esteem is important because some of us think too little of ourselves ... the key to an honest and accurate evaluation is knowing the basis of our self-worth -- our identity in Christ ..."; and Gen. 1:26 -- "Knowing that we are made in God's image, and thus share many of His characteristics, provides a solid basis for self-worth ... Because we bear God's image, we can feel positive about ourselves ... Knowing you are a person of worth helps you love God ..."). Graham is quoted as saying that, "The Life Application Bible is a great step forward in helping Christians apply the Bible's life-changing message in their lives."
(b) Graham states in his book, Answers to Life's Problems, "... faith in God is very, very important," but apparently not enough -- "God may choose to use an able psychiatrist to help you with some of the problems you are facing ... Therefore, you should not feel that you are wrong in seeking the help of a psychiatrist or trained psychologist if that will help you deal with some deep- seated emotional problems. Seek one who will not discourage your faith in God. Your pastor can perhaps suggest a Christian psychiatrist in your area."
- Eugene Peterson's The Message has swept into Christian bookstores, homes, and churches from coast to coast. In the first four months after its mid-July, 1993 release, 100,000 copies of this "New Testament in contemporary English" were printed by NavPress and 70,000 books were sold. Apparently, most readers were delighted: "The Message is so good it leaves me breathless," wrote popular New Age author Madeleine L'Engle in her endorsement. Billy Graham has also endorsed The Message: "The Message is one of the most dynamic recent versions of the New Testament that I have seen ... Children can easily understand it, and veteran Bible readers will see Christ's words in a fresh light." In fact, Billy Graham even authorized a special edition of The Message to be distributed by his Evangelistic Association -- it contains "... many explanations that I've written to help you understand what the New Testament says."
But The Message teaches a different gospel and a different morality than the Bible (as well as a worldly/warm fuzzy view of life). For example, The Message translates Jesus' statement in John 14:28, "The Father is the goal and purpose of my life," versus the Bible's "... The Father is greater than I." In l Cor. 6:18-20, the words "sexual immorality" are deleted and the words "avoids commitment and intimacy" are added. (One could conclude that "commitment and intimacy," not marriage, set the boundaries for acceptable sex.) In Rom. 1:26-27, the words "God gave them over ..." are deleted and words that qualify homosexuality are added (providing a loophole for committed homosexuals who "love" each other; thus lust becomes the sin, not the choice of a same-sex partner). There are hundreds of examples like these in The Message.
Peterson himself, in his introduction to The Message, says, "This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of The Message current and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners ..." This all sounds like an excuse for "dumbing-down" Scripture to match our culture's downward trends. Should we then rewrite God's holy Scriptures to fit our more shallow and worldly communications? And what does it say about a man like Billy Graham when he endorses it as an authentic translation of the Bible rather than as Peterson's personal, politically correct interpretation. (Also endorsing The Message were Warren Wiersbe, J.I. Packer, and Jack Hayford.) [Adapted from "What Kind of Message is THE MESSAGE?, an article by Berit Kjos.]
- Regardless of which of the Bible versions a true Bible-believer might choose to use, all can agree that The Living Bible is not an acceptable "translation." In July 1996 the New Living Translation (NLT) by Tyndale House Publishers came out as a remake of Kenneth Taylor's The Living Bible, which first appeared in a complete Bible in 1971 and which has sold more than 40 million copies. The advertisements tell us that "The New Living Translation provides a wonderful balance of readability and authority. ... due to the careful work of 90 leading Bible scholars, it is accurate to the original Greek and Hebrew text." The cover jacket of the NLT contains enthusiastic recommendations by Billy Graham, Bill Hybels, and Josh McDowell, and was featured positively in the 10/28/96 edition of Christianity Today in an article, "The Living Bible Reborn."
In truth, the NLT is a more worthless version than The Living Bible ever was. It is again a paraphrase, like The Living Bible, but its updating of the language and phrase additions make a mockery of the Word of God.
- Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) "men's movement" among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK's contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a "phallic messiah" tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Billy Graham is a supporter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men's movement. Graham relayed to everyone at the February, 1996, PK Clergy Conference in Atlanta that PK is "the organization that helps the church work," and needs to "tear down the walls that separate us."
- Foundation magazine seems to adequately sum up the case against Billy Graham:
"Fifty years of compromise have increased Billy Graham's popularity but have resulted in a serious loss of spiritual discernment and Scriptural convictions. Fifty years of compromise have brought Billy Graham into close fellowship and cooperation with millions of those who preach a false gospel and teach dangerous, unscriptural doctrines. His refusal to warn about the false gospel preached by the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches is inexcusable and indefensible. His failure to warn about the dangers of the wildfire teachings of charismatic leaders opens the door for millions of believers to be deceived. Fifty years of compromise have even led Billy Graham into joining with leaders of pagan, heathen religions on the basis of a mutual search for world peace" (March- May 1991 Foundation, p. 16).
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Unless otherwise noted, the information in this report, and other factual documentation on Billy Graham, can be found in the following sources:
(a) Church League of America. Billy Graham: Performer, Politician, Preacher, Prophet, 1982.
(b) Cloud, David. Flirting With Rome, Vol. 1: Billy Graham, 1992, 48 ppgs.
(c) Dullea, Charles. A Catholic Looks at Billy Graham, 1967.
(d) Dunham, William E. "The Billy Graham Compromise," The Review of the News, 5/8/74.
(e) Ewin, Wilson. The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham Into the Roman Catholic Church, 1992, 23 ppgs.
(f) Hulls, Errol. Billy Graham: The Pastor's Dilemma, 1966.
(g) Pasley, Ian. Billy Graham and the Church of Rome, 19??.
(h) Peterson, F. Paul. The Other Side of Billy Graham and Watergate, 1974.
(i) Pickering, Ernest. Biblical Separation, 1979 (pp. 141-155).
(j) Reynolds, M.H. "Billy Graham, the Pope, and the Bible," Fundamental Evangelistic Association tract, 19??.
(k) Waite, D.A. "Billy Graham's Rapid Change of Principles," Bible For Today, 6 ppgs.
May God be judge...