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Topic: For Real!
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becauseHElives
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Member # 87
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Y'WEH conform us all to YOUR WILL
1COR 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
9:27 John Wesley's Notes
But I keep under my body - By all kinds of self
denial. And bring it into subjection - To my spirit and to
God. The words are strongly figurative, and signify the
mortification of the body of sin, "by an allusion to the
natural bodies of those who were bruised or subdued in combat.
Lest by any means after having preached - The Greek word means,
after having discharged the office of an herald, (still
carrying on the allusion,) whose office it was to proclaim the
conditions, and to display the prizes. I myself should become
a reprobate - Disapproved by the Judge, and so falling short of
the prize. This single text may give us a just notion of the
scriptural doctrine of election and reprobation; and clearly
shows us, that particular persons are not in holy writ
represented as elected absolutely and unconditionally to
eternal life, or predestinated absolutely and unconditionally
to eternal death; but that believers in general are elected to
enjoy the Christian privileges on earth; which if they abuse,
those very elect persons will become reprobate. St. Paul was
certainly an elect person, if ever there was one; and yet he
declares it was possible he himself might become a reprobate.
Nay, he actually would have become such, if he had not thus
kept his body under, even though he had been so long an elect
person, a Christian, and an apostle.
Matthew Henry
24-27 The apostle compares himself to the racers and combatants in the Isthmian games, well known by the Corinthians. But in the Christian race all may run so as to obtain. There is the greatest encouragement, therefore, to persevere with all our strength, in this course. Those who ran in these games were kept to a spare diet. They used themselves to hardships. They practised the exercises. And those who pursue the interests of their souls, must combat hard with fleshly lusts. The body must not be suffered to rule. The apostle presses this advice on the Corinthians. He sets before himself and them the danger of yielding to fleshly desires, pampering the body, and its lusts and appetites. Holy fear of himself was needed to keep an apostle faithful: how much more is it needful for our preservation! Let us learn from hence humility and caution, and to watch against dangers which surround us while in the body.
This is Paul, saying all this, this is Grace?
Bring the old man under subjection to the Spirit of G'D.
becauseHElives
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
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"It is one thing to invite unconverted Roman Catholics to a gospel meeting to hear the gospel preached, but it is quite another matter to go to a meeting where Roman Catholics, and Roman Catholic priests that are still firmly in Rome, are preaching from the platform." --Christian News, June 26, 1988
Nothing more plainly evidences the bankruptcy of New Evangelicalism than its flirtations with Rome, and in this report we intend to trace this sad and serious matter.
Some do not believe we should deal with negative matters such as this. They do not believe we should name names and publicly expose the compromises of Christian leaders. But we must.
First, we must preach messages of this nature as a matter of obedience. The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the apostates publicly (Matthew 23), and the Apostles followed in His footsteps. They rebuked and warned of false teachers and compromisers by name. Paul rebuked Peter publicly for his compromise of the truth (Gal. 2:9-14), then wrote it up in an Epistle for all of the churches to see. In the Pastoral Epistles alone, eight men are mentioned publicly for their errors (1 Tim. 1:19-20, 2 Tim. 1:15, 2:17, 4:10, 4:14-16). We are commanded to "preach the word ... reprove, rebuke, exhort..." (2 Tim. 4:2). This is a matter of obedience.
Second, we must preach messages of this nature because of concern for the gospel. Ecumenical relationships between Evangelicals and Catholics touches on the gospel. Rome preaches a sacramental gospel that is cursed of God and that leads people to Hell. The Council of Trent, reaffirmed by Vatican II, proclaimed, "If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed" (Canon 12). Rome is an avowed enemy of the New Testament faith.
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 denomination. Ecumenical Evangelicals break down the walls between truth and error and muddy the waters of gospel work.
Ecumenical relationships are an exceedingly serious matter with eternally destructive consequences.
Any attempt to document the connection between Evangelicalism and the Roman Catholic Church must begin with Billy Graham because he is Evangelicalism’s foremost personality in the latter half of the twentieth century. Harold Ockenga said that Graham "on the mass level is the spokesman of the convictions and ideals of the New Evangelicalism" (John Ashbrook, New Neutralism II). An article in Christianity Today in 1992 noted, "It would be difficult to overestimate Billy Graham’s importance in the last 50 years of Evangelicalism. ... Graham personally embodied most of the characteristics of resurgent Evangelicalism. ... de-emphasizing doctrinal and denominational differences that often divided Christians. ... For Evangelicalism, Billy Graham has meant the reconstitution of a Christian fellowship transcending confessional lines--a grassroots ecumenism that regards denominational divisions as irrelevant rather than pernicious" ("Can Evangelicalism Survive Its Success?" Christianity Today, Oct. 5, 1992).
Ockenga and Christianity Today admit that when we look at Billy Graham, we are looking at New Evangelicalism, and the fact is that for almost fifty years Graham has cooperated with Rome.
Let me pause and reply to THE CHARGE THAT THOSE WHO WARN OF GRAHAM’S COMPROMISE HATE HIM. Those who are opposed to biblical separation have often charged us with this, but it is slanderous and untrue. By no means do we hate Dr. Graham. I grew up in a Southern Baptist home and always loved to hear Billy Graham preach on the radio and television during my youth. I still get a thrill when I hear his voice. I have often prayed for the man, and I have often asked the Lord why a man who has preached the Gospel to so many people would so compromise the Gospel to refuse to identify and avoid false teachers. Dr. Graham’s preaching was partially instrumental in the salvation of my wife and her mother. They heard Graham on television in Alaska in the early 1960s, were stirred to seek the Lord, found a little Baptist church, and were led to Christ by the pastor of that church. I stand before the Lord tonight as I write this. He knows that I do not hate Billy Graham. I am brokenhearted over his compromise. I have shed many tears over the confusion that has been wrought by his unscriptural methodology, and I refuse to keep my mouth shut when the very Gospel of Jesus Christ is at stake. It is better to obey God than man, my dear friends. This is serious business. Paul did not hesitate to rebuke Peter publicly for his compromise and hypocrisy because he was confusing the Gospel in the minds of the observers (Galatians 2:11-14). I realize that I am not Paul, but God has told me to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3), and that is what I intend to do.
When Graham first began his evangelistic ministry, he preached against Modernism, Catholicism, and Communism; but he soon dropped the negative content of his preaching and adopted a tolerant, neutral, positive approach to the ministry. In so doing, he rejected the Bible, because the Bible is not a tolerant, neutral, positive-only type of Book.
WHEN DID GRAHAM’S COMPROMISE BEGIN?
Billy Graham’s compromise and disobedience began very early in his ministry. He was born in 1918 into a Presbyterian home. He claims to have been saved under the preaching of Baptist evangelist Mordecai Ham in 1934. He graduated from high school in May 1936 and attended Bob Jones College (which later became Bob Jones University) in the fall. He switched to Florida Bible Institute after only one semester, because he did not like the strict discipline. He notes in his biography that "one thing that thrilled me [about Florida Bible Institute] was the diversity of viewpoints we were exposed to in the classroom, a wondrous blend of ecumenical and evangelical thought that was really ahead of its time" (Graham, Just As I Am, p. 46). It was during his time in Florida that Graham felt the call to preach. In late 1938, he was baptized by immersion into a Baptist church; and in early 1939, he was ordained to preach by a Southern Baptist congregation. Graham graduated from the Florida Bible Institute in May 1940, and started at Wheaton College that September, graduating from there in 1943. Graham pastored the Western Springs Baptist Church during the last year at Wheaton and for about a year after his graduation. In May 1944, he began preaching for the newly formed Chicagoland Youth for Christ, and in January 1945, he was appointed the first full-time evangelist for Youth for Christ International. He was president of Northwestern Schools (founded by W.B. Riley) from December 1947 to February 1952, though he continued to travel and preach for Youth for Christ and then independently. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association was formed in 1950 and the Hour of Decision radio broadcasts began that same year. Graham conducted his first citywide crusade in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September 1947. His October 1948 crusade in Augusta, Georgia, marked the beginning of an openly ecumenical program. It was the first one that was sponsored by the city ministerial association. The Graham organization began demanding broad denominational support for his crusades. During Graham’s 1949 Los Angeles crusade, his ministry began to receive national press coverage. Graham’s final rift with most Fundamentalist leaders did not occur until 1957, though. This was brought about by the open sponsorship of the liberal Protestant Church Council in New York City. The Graham crusade committee in New York included 120 Modernists who denied the infallibility of Scripture. The wife of Modernist Norman Vincent Peale headed up the women’s prayer groups for the Crusade. Modernists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sat on the platform and led in prayer. In the National Observer, Dec. 30, 1963, King said the virgin birth of Christ was "a mythological story" created by the early Christians. In Ebony magazine, January 1961, King said: "I do not believe in hell as a place of a literal burning fire."
THE COMPROMISE BEGAN MUCH EARLIER THAN 1957, THOUGH. AS EARLY AS 1944, BILLY GRAHAM WAS BEFRIENDED BY ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CATHOLIC LEADERS IN AMERICA, FULTON SHEEN. When Sheen died in December 1979, Graham testified that he had "known him as a friend for over 35 years" (Religious News Service, Dec. 11, 1979). Fulton Sheen was a faithful son of Rome. In his book Treasure in Clay, Sheen said that one of his spiritual secrets was to offer Mass every Saturday "in honor of the Blessed Mother to solicit her protection of my priesthood." Sheen devoted an entire chapter of his biography to Mary, "The Woman I Love." He said, "When I was ordained, I took a resolution to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist every Saturday to the Blessed Mother ... All this makes me very certain that when I go before the Judgment Seat of Christ, He will say to me in His Mercy: ‘I heard My Mother speak of you.’ During my life I have made about thirty pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and about ten to her shrine in Fatima" (Fulton J. Sheen, Treasure in Clay, p. 317).
In his autobiography, Graham describes the first meeting with Sheen, though he doesn’t give the exact date. He says he was traveling on a train from Washington to New York and was just drifting off to sleep when Sheen knocked on the sleeping compartment and asked to "come in for a chat and a prayer" (Graham, Just As I Am, p. 692). Graham says: "We talked about our ministries and our common commitment to evangelism, and I told him how grateful I was for his ministry and his focus on Christ. … We talked further and we prayed; and by the time he left, I felt as if I had known him all my life." Thus, Graham claims now that he accepted Fulton Sheen’s sacramental gospel as the truth even in those days. There is a serious problem with this, though. There was a deception in this. While Graham was meeting with Fulton Sheen and befriending him as a fellow evangelist, Graham was assuring fundamentalist leaders, such as Bob Jones Sr. and John R. Rice, that he was opposed to Catholicism and that he was a separatist and a Fundamentalist. It is obvious, though, that Billy Graham never was committed to that in his heart.
When Graham met Sheen in 1944, it was three years before his first citywide crusade. Graham had started preaching for Youth for Christ in 1944 and was an unknown young man. Why would a man as famous as Fulton Sheen go out of his way to befriend an insignificant young fundamental Baptist preacher like Billy Graham? Graham was only eight years out of high school at the time.
Boston’s Archbishop Richard Cushing also "exercised a special influence over Billy Graham beginning in 1950. Cushing printed ‘BRAVO BILLY’ on the front of his diocesan paper during the January 1950 campaign. In an interview in 1991, Graham referred to this as one of the highlights of his ministry:
"Another significant thing happened in the early ‘50s in Boston. Cardinal Cushing, in his magazine, The Pilot, put ‘BRAVO BILLY’ on the front cover. 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" (Bookstore Journal, Nov. 1991).
By the end of 1950, Graham had formed a permanent team of staff members who arranged his meetings. Willis Haymaker was the front man who would go into cities and set up the organizational structure necessary to operate the crusades. One of his duties even in those early days was as follows: "He would also call on the local Catholic bishop or other clerics to acquaint them with Crusade plans and invite them to the meetings; they would usually appoint a priest to attend and report back. This was years before Vatican II’s openness to Protestants, but WE WERE CONCERNED TO LET THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS SEE THAT MY GOAL WAS NOT TO GET PEOPLE TO LEAVE THEIR CHURCH; rather, I wanted them to commit their lives to Christ" (Graham, Just As I Am, p. 163).
In his 1997 autobiography, Graham acknowledged that he began to draw close to Rome very early in his ministry:
"At that time [March 1950], Protestantism in New England was weak, due in part to theological differences within some denominations, the influence of Unitarian ideas in other denominations, and the strength of the Roman Catholic Church. In spite of all that, a number of Roman Catholic priests and Unitarian clergy, together with some of their parishioners, came to the meetings along with those from Evangelical churches. With my limited Evangelical background, this was a further expansion of my own ecumenical outlook. I now began to make friends among people from many different backgrounds and to develop a spiritual love for their clergy" (Graham, Just As I Am, p. 167).
Need I remind my readers that the Catholic and Unitarian and Modernist "clergy" that Graham learned to love in the late 1940s and early 1950s were men who denied the very faith that Graham claimed to believe. The Catholic clergy that Graham loved denied that salvation is through the grace of Christ alone by faith alone without works or sacraments and they denied, further, that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice. The Modernist clergy that Graham loved denied that the Bible is the infallible Word of God and questioned or openly denied the virgin birth, miracles, vicarious atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Unitarian clergy that Dr. Graham loved were men who denied the Godhead and blood atonement of Jesus Christ and who scoffed at the infallibility of the Holy Bible. Why did Graham not rather love those who were in danger of being deceived by these wicked false teachers enough to warn them of these men? Why did he not rather love God’s Word enough to stand against its enemies? Why did he not rather love the Christ of the Bible enough to reject those who had rejected Him? Graham’s love was motivated in the wrong direction. He loved the false shepherds, but he did not love the sheep that were led to eternal ruin by these shepherds.
It is obvious that false teachers like Fulton Sheen and Richard Cushing had a strong influence on the young evangelist. He was also influenced by theological Modernists. In a lecture to the Union Theological Seminary in February 1954, Graham testified that the year previous he had locked himself into a room in New York City for an entire day with Jesse Bader and John Sutherland Bonnell, that he might ask them questions and receive their counsel. By this action, Graham was actually locking himself into a room with the Devil, because these men were certainly the Devil’s ministers (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Bader and Bonnell were both rank liberals who denied many doctrines of the New Testament faith. Bader was secretary of the radical National Council of Churches. In an article in Look magazine (March 23, 1954), Bonnell stated that he and most other Presbyterian ministers did not believe in the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, a literal heaven and hell, and other doctrines.
God warned Graham to mark and avoid those who teach contrary to apostolic truth (Rom. 16:17). He warned him that error is like a canker (2 Tim. 2:16-18) and like a leaven (Gal. 5:9), that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33), but he ignored the warning.
By 1950, Billy Graham had so fallen under the power of Catholicism that he turned to it for solace during an illness. During his 1950 New England campaign, Graham fell sick for several days in Hartford, Connecticut. Executive Secretary Gerald Beavan "stayed at his bedside and read to him from Bishop Fulton Sheen’s Peace of Soul" (Wilson Ewin, The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham into the Roman Catholic Church). We have seen that Sheen was a great lover of Mary and was certain of God’s mercy only because of his devotion to Mary. Why would a young fundamental Baptist preacher turn to the writings of such a man for comfort?
Graham began holding citywide meetings in 1948. As early as 1950 there were rumors that Graham was cooperating with Catholics.
In 1950 Dr. Robert Ketcham of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches came across a newspaper article indicating that Graham expected Catholics and Jews to cooperate in a revival in Oregon and another which reported that Graham had turned over decision cards to Roman Catholic churches. Ketcham promptly sent a letter of inquiry to Billy himself. His letter brought him a strong rebuke from Graham’s executive secretary, Jerry Beavan. Part of Beavan’s reply was as follows:
‘For example, you asked if Billy Graham had invited Roman Catholics and Jews to cooperate in the evangelistic meetings. SUCH A THOUGHT, EVEN IF THE REPORTER DID SUGGEST IT AS HAVING COME FROM MR. GRAHAM, SEEMS RIDICULOUS TO ME. SURELY YOU MUST KNOW THAT IT IS NOT TRUE. ... FURTHER, THAT YOU SHOULD GIVE ANY CREDENCE TO THE IDEA THAT MR. GRAHAM WOULD EVER TURN OVER ANY DECISION CARDS TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEMS INCONCEIVABLE’ (John Ashbrook, New Neutralism II).
Graham was soon openly doing what Mr. Beavan labeled "ridiculous" and "inconceivable." On Sept. 6, 1952, reporter William McElwain, writing for the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, remarked on Graham’s ecumenical activities with Rome:
Graham stressed that his crusade in Pittsburgh would be interdenominational. He said that he hopes to hear Bishop Fulton J. Sheen at one of the Masses at St. Paul’s Cathedral tomorrow. Graham said, ‘Many of the people who have reached a decision for Christ at our meetings have joined the Catholic church and we have received commendations from Catholic publications for the revived interest in their church following one of our campaigns. This happened both in Boston and Washington. After all, one of our prime purposes is to help the churches in a community.’
It doesn’t sound to me that Dr. Ketcham’s aforesaid questions were ridiculous. Graham publicly admitted he was already turning seekers over to the Catholic Church in the early 1950s.
In an interview with the Religious News Service in 1986, the 67-year-old Billy Graham admitted that his ministry was deliberately ecumenical even in the early days. He told the interviewer that one of his "very close advisers and friends" was Dr. Jesse Bader, a liberal Disciples of Christ clergyman who was secretary of the radical National Council of Churches (Christian News, March 31, 1986).
Since then, Graham has moved ever closer into fellowship with Roman Catholicism and Modernism. As John Ashbrook, author of New Neutralism II: Exposing the Gray of Compromise, notes, "Compromise takes a man farther than he intends to go." The Bible warns that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).
How have Graham’s ecumenical relationships affected him? The January 1978, issue of McCall’s magazine contained an interview with Graham by James Michael Beam. Graham admitted his change in thinking:
"I am far more tolerant of other kinds of Christians than I once was. My contact with Catholic, Lutheran and other leaders--people far removed from my own Southern Baptist tradition--has helped me, hopefully, to move in the right direction. I’ve found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics, for instance. They believe in the Virgin Birth, and so do I. They believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and the coming judgment of God, and so do I. We only differ on some matters of later church tradition."
This is strange talk. The errors of the Roman Catholic Church are not mere matters of "later church tradition." Roman Catholicism is the utter perversion of the gospel and of the New Testament church by the intermingling of biblical truth with paganism and Judaism. Rome’s false sacramental gospel of grace plus works requires that we label it cursed of God (Gal. 1:6-10); but Dr. Graham long ago determined to look upon Roman Catholicism as true Christianity, and he has led multitudes astray by that decision.
GRAHAM WAS WARNED MANY TIMES
Some of my readers have asked if I have personally warned Billy Graham about his disobedience. The answer is no, I have not. I have no means of doing so. All of Graham’s correspondence is filtered through his massive organization. I do not have the ear of Billy Graham. I don’t need to warn Graham, though. That has been done repeatedly by men who have had the opportunity to do so. We need to state emphatically that Dr. Billy Graham has been warned many times for his disobedience to God’s Word. In the early days of his compromise, Graham was warned repeatedly by prominent Christian leaders such as Bob Jones, Sr., John R. Rice, Robert Shuler, G. Archer Weniger, James Bennet, Carl McIntire, Bryce Augsburger, Charles Woodbridge, and Robert Ketcham.
IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT BILLY GRAHAM WAS PLAINLY IDENTIFIED AS A FUNDAMENTALIST WHEN HE BEGAN PREACHING. As already noted, he attended the staunch Fundamentalist Bob Jones College and counted himself one of Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.’s preacher boys. Graham associate Cliff Barrows was a Bob Jones graduate. Graham interviewed Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., on his Hour of Decision radio broadcast in December 1951, and concluded by saying: "It’s wonderful in these days of secular and materialistic education to see a great University that stands for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not only old-fashioned Americanism that we so desperately need today, but is injecting into our society your men and women that take their stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Graham, who has been called "Mr. Facing Two Ways," was already moving in a completely different direction from Bob Jones even as he was uttering this effusive praise. Graham was also on the Cooperating Board of Dr. John R. Rice’s The Sword of the Lord. From December 1947 to 1952, Graham was also president of Northwestern Schools (founded by famous Fundamentalist leader William Bell Riley) and was editor of that school’s Fundamentalist publication, The Pilot, the masthead of which boldly proclaimed a "militant stand against Modernism in every form." During his early years, Graham was awarded honorary doctorates from Northwestern and Bob Jones.
Consider some of the men who personally pleaded with Graham to turn from his unscriptural path:
JAMES BENNET was a prominent New York attorney and Bible teacher who knew Graham from the time he graduated from Wheaton. He encouraged Graham during the early years of his ministry, but when Graham began openly yoking together with Modernists and Catholics, Bennet attempted to turn him from this error. He met with Graham in New York City before the 1954 crusade and pleaded with him not to proceed with his ecumenical plans. When Graham refused to obey the Word of God, Bennet resigned from the campaign invitation committee and wrote a public warning about the direction Graham was pursuing (James E. Bennet, "The Billy Graham New York Crusade: Why I Cannot Support It," A Ministry of Disobedience, Collingswood, NJ: Christian Beacon Press, May-September 1957).
James Bennet lovingly warned Billy Graham.
DR. JOHN R. RICE, editor of the influential Sword of the Lord weekly Fundamental Baptist paper, also supported Graham during his early years. In fact, Graham was on the Cooperating Board of the Sword. Dr. Rice was a very loving and gracious Christian gentleman, and he pleaded with the young Billy Graham to turn from his ecumenical adventures. In her biography of John Rice, Viola Walden, who was Rice’s faithful secretary for 46 years, testified that Dr. Rice greatly loved Graham and repeatedly tried to reason with him (Walden, John R. Rice, pp. 164-167). Graham and Rice met in Scotland in 1955, and Graham assured the elder evangelist:
"I have promised God I will never have on my committee working in an active way in any of my campaigns men who do not believe in the virgin birth of Christ, who do not believe in the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, who do not believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible--these men will never be on my committee. I have promised God" (Graham, cited by Pastor Roland Rasmussen, Reasons Why I Cannot Support Billy Graham, chapel message delivered at Bob Jones University, Feb. 15, 1966).
As it became obvious that Graham was not following his own counsel but was pursuing the ecumenical course, Rice met with him again and urged him to obey the Bible: Dr. Rice referred to this occasion in an article a couple of years later: "I visited Dr. Graham in his own home in Montreat, North Carolina, by his invitation, and we talked earnestly on such matters" (John Rice, Sword of the Lord, June 20, 1958).
Graham, of course, did not listen, and John Rice publicly disassociated himself and the Sword from the young evangelist in 1957. Viola Walden notes that far from having a mean attitude toward Graham, Dr. Rice "prayed regularly [for Graham] even long after denouncing his compromise" and "rejoiced over the many saved in Dr. Graham’s crusades" (Walden, pp. 166,167).
John R. Rice lovingly warned Billy Graham.
DR. BOB JONES, SR., first met Billy Graham when the elder evangelist came to Charlotte, North Carolina, for an evangelistic meeting during Graham’s senior year in high school. Billy’s father, Frank, was impressed with Jones and wanted his son to attend Bob Jones College in Tennessee. (The school moved to Greensville, South Carolina, in 1946, and the name was changed to Bob Jones University.) Billy did attend Bob Jones the fall after he graduated from high school (1936), but he did not fit in well with the strict disciplinary atmosphere and he soon moved on to the Florida Bible Institute and then to Wheaton in 1940 (from whence he graduated--with a degree in anthropology!). Dr. Bob Jones supported Graham during his early years, and Graham even wrote to Jones to say that he got his evangelistic burden at Bob Jones College and he wanted to be called one of Dr. Jones’s "preacher boys" (Bob Jones, Sr., letter to a supporter, March 6, 1957). As Graham began to launch out on his career of yoking together with false teachers, Dr. Jones corresponded with him and reproved him for his compromise. At first, Graham claimed that he had no intention of working with Modernists or Catholics. On June 3, 1952, Graham told Jones, "The modernists do not support us anywhere." It was not long, though, before Graham openly practiced what he privately denied. His 1954 New York Crusade included 120 Modernists on the committee.
Bob Jones, Sr. lovingly warned Billy Graham.
DR. CHARLES WOODBRIDGE was another prominent Christian leader who attempted to correct Billy Graham. Woodbridge was a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and a member of the National Association of Evangelicals before he rejected the New Evangelicalism that was taking over in that day and separated himself from this false philosophy. Woodbridge was a highly educated Presbyterian, with an MA from Princeton, a Ph.D. from Duke, and further studies at Berlin and Marburg Universities in Germany and the Sorbonne in Paris. In his classic book The New Evangelicalism, Woodbridge relates a visit that Graham made to his home in 1958:
"Dr. Graham came to my home in Altadena, California, in 1958 to chat with me about these things. We talked for two hours. I pointed out to him Romans 16:17. I did my best to persuade him to come out from among unbelievers, so far as the conduct of his campaigns was concerned. But to no avail" (Woodbridge, The New Evangelicalism, 1970, p. 44).
Charles Woodbridge lovingly warned Billy Graham.
JACK WYRTZEN, founder of Word of Life, also warned Graham. The following testimony is from a pastor who witnessed one of the meetings in which Fundamentalist leaders tried to correct Billy Graham:
"In 1957, I sat in a meeting where Jack Wyrtzen and Dr. Woodbridge spoke face to face with Billy Graham about his compromise and the direction he was heading away from Fundamentalism. Billy Graham was at Word of Life Inn for two days of meetings near Schroon Lake, New York. That fall was the 'great New York Crusade.' It was following that meeting that both Dr. Woodbridge and Jack Wyrtzen stopped all support and fellowship with Billy Graham. Dr. Wyrtzen spoke to the staff of WOL regarding his reasons for pulling away from Graham. I was a young Christian at the time (saved at Word of Life on June 24, 1956, at 19 years of age.) It was the next year that Dr. Woodbridge broke fellowship with Dr. Graham for the same reasons" (E-mail dated Feb. 27, 1999, from Pastor Bob Welch, D. Min, Collegegate Baptist Church, Anchorage, Alaska).
Jack Wyrtzen lovingly warned Billy Graham. (Later, Wyrtzen would travel the ecumenical path himself.)
DR. ROBERT KETCHAM was the leader of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches in 1950 when he saw some news clippings stating that Graham was working with Jews and Catholics in his meetings and was turning decision cards over to Catholic parishes. Ketcham wrote immediately to Graham and asked if the reports were true. The reply from Graham’s executive secretary, Jerry Beavan, included the following:
‘For example, you asked if Billy Graham had invited Roman Catholics and Jews to cooperate in the evangelistic meetings. SUCH A THOUGHT, EVEN IF THE REPORTER DID SUGGEST IT AS HAVING COME FROM MR. GRAHAM, SEEMS RIDICULOUS TO ME. SURELY YOU MUST KNOW THAT IT IS NOT TRUE. ... FURTHER, THAT YOU SHOULD GIVE ANY CREDENCE TO THE IDEA THAT MR. GRAHAM WOULD EVER TURN OVER ANY DECISION CARDS TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEMS INCONCEIVABLE’ (John Ashbrook, New Neutralism II).
It was not long until Beavan’s reply was proven a deception. Graham was intent upon working with Modernistic and Catholic and Jewish leaders, and he was intending to turn decision cards over to the same. The point here, though, is that Dr. Ketcham approached Billy Graham directly about this matter.
Robert Ketcham lovingly warned Billy Graham.
Another Christian leader who warned Graham was the late WILSON EWIN, longtime missionary to Roman Catholic-dominated Quebec. Graham cannot say that Ewin did not understand Roman Catholicism or Catholic evangelism. Unlike Graham, who travels from place to place and preaches largely in formal, organized settings, then returns to the seclusion of his hotel suite, Ewin lived among Roman Catholics and worked with them as a pastor and evangelist day by day, month by month, decade after decade. He dedicated his book You Can Lead Roman Catholics to Christ to "the salvation of dear Roman Catholics whom I love and for whom our Saviour died and shed His Blood."
"For twenty years, I have watched the crusades and ministry of Dr. Billy Graham. In fact, Ruth [Ewin’s wife] and I sang in the choir and were counselors in one of the Graham crusades. Many letters were written to Billy expressing grave concern about his illicit affair with the Roman Catholic system. I even visited his evangelistic headquarters in Minneapolis to alert the Graham Organization about its overt compromise with Roman Catholicism. Graham has indeed allowed the truth to fall into the street through his ecumenical ministry" (Wilson Ewin, prayer letter announcing his book The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham into the Roman Catholic Church, January 1993).
Wilson Ewin lovingly warned Billy Graham.
These are only a few of the men who have attempted to reprove Graham for his error. In fact, Graham mentions these warnings in his biography.
"Much more painful to me, however, was the opposition from some of the leading fundamentalists. Most of them I knew personally, and even if I did not agree with them on every detail, I greatly admired them and respected their commitment to Christ. Many also had been among our strongest supporters in the early years of our public ministry. Their criticisms hurt immensely, nor could I shrug them off as the objections of people who rejected the basic tenets of the Christian faith or who opposed evangelism of any type" (Graham, Just As I Am, p. 302).
Graham goes on to call the criticism "harsh." He also claims that the men who criticised him demonstrated "a lack of love," but the disobedient always say that no matter how tender and loving the rebukes are. They always confuse correction with persecution. It is human nature to do that, and it raises a smokescreen to hide the real issues. Reproof is never an easy thing to receive (nor to give!), and it always seems to be unloving to those who refuse to accept it. Further, one can always find some fault in the reprover, because he or she is also a sinner. Proverbs teaches that one’s attitude toward biblical reproof exposes the condition of the heart.
"He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth" (Prov. 10:17).
"The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getting understanding" (Prov. 16:32).
Billy Graham does not have a good attitude toward biblical reproof. He has refused to turn from the path of plain disobedience, and he slanders those who have loved him and God’s Word enough to attempt to correct him.
Billy Graham was warned. He has had many opportunities to repent. Sadly, he has clung steadfastly to the course of disobedience to God’s Word.
![[Question]](graemlins/question2.gif)
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
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barrykind
Advanced Member
Member # 35
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posted
Amen Brother BHL>
quote:
Bill Graham can not be a brother, and teach that there is salvation in other ways other than the BLOOD of Y’SHUA. The WORD is absolute on that.
You may be a Calvinist, or you may be Armenian or you may be in the middle but you have to preach SALVATION IN Y’SHUA (JESUS) NAME, for there is no other way by which man may be saved. I hope we agree here.
PS 105:15 [Saying], Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
When I first came into the “church” this was driven into my heart by GODS WORD, I do not say this about Billy Graham with light heartedness. But I say to Billy Graham as I would say to anyone else “repent” from your evil ways before it is to late, so that you may enter into eternal life with the LORD Y’SHUA.
If you love with GOD’S LOVE you will pray for Billy Graham and any other person that is in error. Try to each them by letter or phone or any other way.
Amen> God help us.. ![[help]](graemlins/1zhelp.gif)
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The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27
Posts: 3529 | From: Orange, Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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becauseHElives
Advanced Member
Member # 87
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posted
Hello everyone,
Good to see this discussion,
True GOD’S WORD will not return unto HIM void, but will accomplish that which HE has sent it to accomplish. Even if HE as to use a donkey.
But we are still to know those that labor among us.
1THESS 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
GOD never intended on these mega “churches” and mega “evangelist” ,
The trouble is, in America we like being entertained,
and we are like Moses, we say I can not do it GOD I am slow of speech, let Aaron do it. But GOD has called us all into the field to work, not just the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, and Pastor, Teacher.
We all our brothers keeper.
Bill Graham can not be a brother, and teach that there is salvation in other ways other than the BLOOD of Y’SHUA. The WORD is absolute on that.
You may be a Calvinist, or you may be Armenian or you may be in the middle but you have to preach SALVATION IN Y’SHUA (JESUS) NAME, for there is no other way by which man may be saved. I hope we agree here.
PS 105:15 [Saying], Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
When I first came into the “church” this was driven into my heart by GODS WORD, I do not say this about Billy Graham with light heartedness. But I say to Billy Graham as I would say to anyone else “repent” from your evil ways before it is to late, so that you may enter into eternal life with the LORD Y’SHUA.
If you love with GOD’S LOVE you will pray for Billy Graham and any other person that is in error. Try to each them by letter or phone or any other way.
EZEK 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
EZEK 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
EZEK 33:3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
EZEK 33:4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
EZEK 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
EZEK 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
EZEK 33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
EZEK 33:8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
EZEK 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
EZEK 33:10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins [be] upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
EZEK 33:11 Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
EZEK 33:12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his [righteousness] in the day that he sinneth.
EZEK 33:13 When I shall say to the righteous, [that] he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
EZEK 33:14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
EZEK 33:15 [If] the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
EZEK 33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
EZEK 33:17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
EZEK 33:18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. EZEK 33:19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
EZEK 33:20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/fbns/fbns15.html
This can not be taken lightly.
becauseHElive
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
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Member # 15
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posted
That is a good point ray, but what is more than enough money?
I don't buy that you have to be poor to follow Christ though; I know several monitarily wealthy people that are good stewards of the blessings God has given them, and they live modestly and give a great deal to advancing the kingdom... storing up treasures in heaven.
God gives us the power to get wealth, but it is for His purpose. I do not think he blesses us so we can wallow in our fleshly lusts but so that we can bless others.
Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
I don't know much about the lifestyle of the Grahams but I think that Samaritains purse who is run by Franklin does a great deal of good.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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ray
Advanced Member
Member # 264
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posted
This was definitely a worthwhile question. I don't worry much about the Grahams as the things I need are found in the bible. My inquiring was what people think about making more than enough money from the bible and its Word. Obtain what you need and do not store up treasures. I see many "preachers" in a position that makes me wonder at the mindset and commitment to the word and faith in Jesus.
Posts: 22 | From: minnesota | Registered: Aug 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
Susan you hit the nail on the head.
Test the word; follow Christ not man.
We spend so much time evaluating the preaching of men; but we need to be studying the word.
If we study the word, know the word, have the word written on our hearts the lies will be exposed.
I have seen many spend their time evaluating this man or that man. But that can become a distraction in which we spend our days vehemently condeming a man and not preaching the truth. The motivation is right, but the focus is wrong.
I recently heard a man speak and he spent the entire time ranting about what this one said on Tv and what that one said at this meeting or that meeting, and how this one was divorced and that one had an affair and married his secretary.
Hardly a word about what the Bible does say.
Teach that the Bible says Jesus was sinless...a perfect lamb and His work was finsihed on the cross; then people will understand he didn't go to hell suffer punishment at the hand of devil. They will no the lie when they hear the man who preaches it speak it.
Teach 2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
And people will know when they here a man on TV say..."dont even talk to me about doctrine" that the man is fool and his words are not of God.
Teach 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
And people will know we do not pray to Mary so that our prayers are heard better by God.
Teach Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
and
Ephesians 2:12 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
And people will know this is a lie when they hear it : "I used to believe that pagans in far-off countries were lost—were going to hell—if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that. … I believe that there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God—through nature, for instance—and plenty of other opportunities, therefore, of saying ‘yes’ to God."
Knowledge of the Truth will set men free. Preach the TRUTH.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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Susan
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Member # 131
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posted
Now this is interesting. I personally don't trust the man. In my opinion, but not judgemental, his preaching tickles the ears so that he has a large following.
I too have had experience with hearing a certain thing that made me very uncomfortable.
I'm sure he has turned sinners to Jesus which is a good thing! But he is far from perfect. We all are. I wouldn't go to listen to him speak. But I do pray for all those TV evangels that God will enlighten them where needed.
Another on TV and well known, just the other day told a lie outright! He took a joke that has been cirulating around the net for years and told it using his own family members as the players.
He was not joking. He told it and then had everyone praising God over the blessing of it.
WRONG!
God said to test every spirit to be sure they follow the standards set out in the Bible for teaching, preaching, counciling.... etc.
No matter who is teaching or preaching, test it against God's word!
Man in falliable. God's Word is not.
Posts: 141 | Registered: Jul 2002
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4Hislove
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Member # 265
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posted
I personally don't follow him as I would like, but I do know he is well liked and respected!
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Your Sister In Christ,
Christine
Posts: 50 | From: Bloomfield, Ky. | Registered: Aug 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
I think that what ever Billy Graham's motivations are or what his theological misunderstandings are God will be the judge of and his works will either burn like the chaff of the wheat or it won't.
Recently I have read quotes from graham in respected publications that certainly bring light to the fact that his doctrine is not all sound.
However, we cannot discount that God has used Billy Graham to bring many to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
God uses who he pleases to accomplish his work. He used the pagan Persian Cyrus and the money of persia to build the temple; He used the Pharoh in Egypt to provide food for his people during the famine; He used Nebudchadnezzar to bring judgement on Judah , and He used Shalmannzer to end idol worship among the 10 tribes of Israel.
I have heard only good of Franklin Graham. He contibutes a great deal to the poor with Samaritans purse, and He speaks for Jesus without hesitation or compromise.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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john_powell
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posted
I love and respect Billy Graham. But I do not agree with his decision to have certain music groups perform at his recent crusades, including the Charlie Daniels Band a couple of years ago. Before I moved from Georgia last year, Charles Daniels performed at a nightclub called "Whiskey River," a local bar know for its heavy drinking and partying. I'm in Arizona now, and an ad was in the recent Sunday paper for Charlie Daniels coming to Cliff Castle Casino. Having a country music group at your crusade just because they put out an album of gospel songs sends a mixed message that you can live for the world and for Christ too. And the Bible clearly says that you cannot.
"Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean." -Ezekiel 22:26
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." - James 4:4
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." -1 John 2:15
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art
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posted
Ray
I do not believe that was accurate about Billy talking about money, for I believe he volunteers an audit at any time. I could be wrong but he has been faithful in presenting the gospel to the lost. I do not elevate him in any way, I do not like his association with the Roman Catholics but other than that his ministry seems quite legitamate to me.
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Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
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posted
Hey Ray, ![[Kiss]](graemlins/Kiss.gif)
I have always admired Billy Graham, And I really like Franklin alot. I can say nothing bad about them.
I believe they are men of God, not perfect but who is?
I believe Billy Graham has helped alot of souls find Christ.
I have a lot of respect for them both.
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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ray
Advanced Member
Member # 264
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posted
Good Evening to everyone! My question is does everyone think Billy Graham(also Franklin)is for real? My thinking is that he uses the preaching of Jesus and the bible to gain great wealth. What are your thoughts on this. I base my thinking on my great aunts first hand account after attending one of Billy's crusades. She had seats beside the steps to the platform and overheard him asking about the haul from the crowd that night. She was a big time follower and immediately left and stopped going. She is still a firm believer but I was just wondering!!! Ray
Posts: 22 | From: minnesota | Registered: Aug 2002
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