- Billy Graham (born in 1918) has
Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous disorder that has already made it
impossible for him to drive a car or write by hand. Graham, an ordained
Southern Baptist (SBC), heads a $100 million a year evangelistic empire, the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) (Graham is now paid $101,250 per
year with a $33,750 housing allowance.) The BGEA also operates a
Graham's magazine, Decision, reaches
1.7 million people, his column appears in more than 100 newspapers, his radio
program is on 700 stations worldwide, and several of his books have been
best-sellers. (Angels, published in 1975, sold one
million copies in just 90 days.) Graham has reportedly preached to over
200 million people and once claimed that precisely 2,874,082 of them have
stepped forward to "accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior" (
- In 1995, Billy Graham's prodigal son
Franklin, was named first vice chairman and eventual
successor to his father's crusade organization. Billy Graham will remain
chairman and head preacher as long as he is able.
Early in June 1996, Franklin Graham,
interviewed on CNBC, declared, "[W]hether it's the Roman Catholic Church ... the Orthodox
Church ...we'd all agree ... it's Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for
sin." That statement was tragically deceptive. Could
Franklin Graham is a chip off the old block,
and you may be sure that he will compromise as much or more than his father.
Look for little change from the current ecumenical stance of the BGEA once
- Norman Vincent Peale was the person who was
not only responsible for bringing "Christian" psychology into the
professing Church, but he also advocated such New Age and/or occult teachings
as visualization, pantheism, human potential, positive confession, positive thinking,
etc. Once on the Phil Donahue Show, Peale, a 33rd degree Mason, said, "It's not necessary to be
born again. You have your way to God, I have mine. I found eternal peace in a
Shinto shrine." (Shintoism is an ancient Oriental
religion that fuses ancestor worship with mysticism.) He also denied the
necessity of believing in the virgin birth.
Peale's false teachings apparently mattered
little to Billy Graham. Bible for Today quoted Graham as saying in a
speech at a National Council of Churches luncheon on
- One of Norman Vincent Peale's most
"successful" protégés is Robert Schuller. Schuller teaches that
there is no need for one to recognize his own personal sin, no
need for repentance, and no need for the crucifixion of self. Concerning
the latter point, Schuller teaches just the opposite philosophy -- that self is
to be exalted -- which is nothing less than an outright denial of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. (See Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, wherein Schuller
says, "Jesus knew His worth; His success fed His self-esteem. He suffered
the cross to sanctify His self-esteem and He bore the cross to sanctify your
self-esteem. The cross will sanctify the ego trip" [cf. Matthew
Yet, Graham endorses this apostate as well,
saying, "Robert Schuller is a great man of God, whose shoes I am not
worthy to stoop and loose" (cf. John the Baptist's statement when speaking
of Jesus in John
- Cooperation with a Graham crusade
will automatically necessitate fellowship with those who have denied the
fundamentals of the faith. For example, Graham not only has influential unbelievers
on his crusade platforms, but has also had, on a regular basis since at least
1972, Catholic counselors counsel with new Roman Catholic "converts,"
referring these new converts back to their own Catholic churches for follow-up.
In fact, Graham won't even hold a crusade in a city unless he is assured of
wide denominational support (i.e., ecumenical backing). The issue then is more
than the authenticity of Billy Graham's Christianity, but is instead the fact
that any involvement whatsoever with Graham and/or his organization means
"association for religious purposes with people who hold to another
gospel: in some cases a Roman Catholic gospel, in others a modernistic
gospel," and in others still, no gospel at all (R.J. Sheehan, C.H.
Spurgeon and the Modern Church, pp.97-98). [Graham's habit of referring
back to the Catholic Church can even be documented as far back as 1957! In a
Over the years, Catholic leaders have
learned they have nothing to fear from Billy Graham crusades. They use the
Graham crusades to retrieve non-practicing Catholics and even to gain
proselytes to Romanism. Graham's call to "receive Christ," or
"make the step of faith," or "come to Christ tonight," is
general enough to allow Catholic leaders to insert their sacramental gospel
into it. And the fact that Graham is working with the Catholic churches and
never sounds any warnings about Romanism gives people the idea that he accepts
their theology. Catholic priests simply teach the inquirers that they are born
again at baptism and repeatedly renewed in Christ through all sorts of
religious activities -- the mass, family duties, the rosary, even coming
forward at evangelistic rallies (Wilson Ewin, The Assimilation of Evangelist
Billy Graham Into the Roman Catholic Church, pp. 38-39):
"For some unexplainable or even
mysterious reason, Billy Graham is unable to discern the theological, moral,
and spiritual soul of Roman Catholicism. Likewise, he has failed to grasp, or
worse still, has chosen to ignore the historical character of the entire
["Early on in my life, I didn't know
much about Catholics. But through the years I have made many friends within the
Roman Catholic church. In fact, when we hold a crusade
in a city now, nearly all the Roman Catholic churches support it. And when we
went to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., for the crusade [last year], we saw St.
Paul, which is largely Catholic, and Minneapolis, which is largely Lutheran,
both supporting the crusade. That wouldn't have happened 25
years ago" (Billy Graham interview with Promise Keepers New Man
magazine, March-April 1997).]
- The Billy Graham Crusade held 9/92
in the
Fellowship with the Catholic Church was not
the only worldliness at the Crusade. The
After the Crusade was over, the
"Graham's message is for people to
return to God and their churches. ... Graham offered special praise for the
Catholic Church, saying, 'We're delighted that the Roman Catholic Church now
cooperates with us wherever we go ...'"
- Graham even finds it difficult to
take a truly Christian position on moral issues. When in
"I find it is emotional, with strong
arguments on both sides of the issue. I intend to stay out of national and
local politics while here. God loves all people whatever their ethnic or
political background or their social orientation. ... Christians take opposing
views on many issues ... those on both sides of the issue must love each other.
... I never speak against other groups" (
On the
Concerning the issue of
abortion, a year earlier on ABC's "Good Morning America" (GMA) (
In an interview in TV Guide (
"I don't get involved in the
abortion thing. I agree with the Pope, whom I know well, on abortion. But I
just don't take extreme positions. I preach to unite people. There is a great
division in the religious community today. God loves homosexual as much as
anyone else. I think homosexuality is a sin, but no greater than idolatry and
adultery. In my judgment, it's not that big."
- In 1948, Billy Graham was asked: "What do you
expect the World Council of Churches (WCC) to do this August when they visit
Graham's collaboration with apostate
ecumenical leaders (such as with those in the WCC), his refusal to expose the
unscriptural position upon which their search for "Christian unity"
is based, and his willingness to cooperate with apostate religious leaders, was
demonstrated once again in his reported cordial visit with Konrad Raiser,
General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. The EPS report said,
"Raiser reported that he and Graham had a friendly, informal and
wide-ranging conversation. Graham recalled his attendance at the earlier WCC
general assemblies and talked about many of his current activities, Raiser
said. An assistant to Graham later expressed hope that WCC efforts to develop
ties with Graham and other evangelicals would continue, Raised said, and
reported that he had invited Graham to visit WCC headquarters in Geneva
whenever he could do so."
- The Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association held its North American Conference for Itinerant Evangelists
in
- In 1952, and again in 1958, Billy
Graham made sound statements concerning the separation from those who teach
false doctrine. For example, in 1952 he wrote to Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.: "We
have never had a man on our [crusade] committee that denied the virgin birth,
the vicarious atonement, or the bodily resurrection." In 1958, Graham
stated in Eternity magazine: "If a man blatantly denies the deity
of Christ or that Christ has come in the flesh, we are not to even bid him godspeed. Thus, the Scriptures teach that we are to be
separated from those who deny the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. ... I am to
treat him as an Anti-christ and an enemy of the cross." Yet, as early as
1963, Graham had United Methodist Bishop, Gerald B. Kennedy, as his Los Angeles
Crusade Chairman. Kennedy wrote in one of his books (God's Good News, p.
125): "I believe that the testimony of the New Testament taken as a whole
is against the doctrine of the deity of Jesus. ..." Yet Graham said of
Kennedy in 1963, "Bishop Kennedy is one of the ten greatest Christian
preachers in
- Perhaps most dramatic is Graham's
change regarding false religions. In 1948, he said: "The three gravest
menaces faced by Orthodox Christianity are Communism, Roman Catholicism, and
Mohammedanism." By 1973, however, Graham had changed his tune. He said
that Communist Mao Tse-Tung's "eight precepts are basically the same as
the Ten Commandments," he praised the Roman Catholic mass as a "very
beautiful thing" (see later item), and said Mohammed Ali's beliefs in
Islam "are something we all could believe."
Even earlier, in 1966, Graham said, "I
find myself closer to Catholics than the radical Protestants. I think the Roman
Catholic Church today is going through a second Reformation" (
- Graham's gospel and Roman
Catholicism's gospel are, in reality, no different. In 1978, McCall's Magazine
reported Dr. Graham's "updated" understanding of the way of
salvation:
"I used to think 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 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."
This, of course, is a false gospel (cf. Jn.
14:6) -- and one that condemns the one who preaches it (cf. Jn. 14:6; Gal. 1:8,9)! [It's difficult to know what Graham really believes
about hell. One thing for sure, to Graham it's not literal: "The
only thing I could say for sure is that hell means separation from God. We are
separated from His light, from His fellowship. That is going to hell. When it
comes to a literal fire, I don't preach it because I'm not sure about it. When
the Scripture uses fire concerning hell, that is
possibly an illustration of how terrible it's going to be -- not fire but
something worse, a thirst for God that cannot be quenched." (
- In 1985, Graham affirmed his belief
that those outside of Christ might be saved.
In 1993, Graham repeated this philosophy in
an interview with David Frost:
"And I think there is that hunger
for God and people are living as best they know how according to the light that
they have. Well, I think they're in a separate category than people like Hitler
and people who have just defied God, and shaken their fists at God. ... I would
say that God, being a God of mercy, we have to rest it right there, and say
that God is a God of mercy and love, and how it happens, we don't know" (The
Charlotte Observer, 2/16/93). [As reported in Evangelicals
and Rome, by David Cloud.]
- In 1948, Graham called Roman
Catholics "one of the three gravest menaces facing orthodox
Christianity." Today, he works arm in arm with them, having become an
all-out supporter. He has received numerous Catholic awards, and is one of Pope
John Paul II's greatest admirers and boosters, as evidenced by his full support
of a 1989 Charismatic plan to award the Pope the "Prince of Peace
Prize" (which the Pope subsequently turned down), and by his having
referred to the Pope as, "the greatest religious leader of the modern
world," and as a "statesman, a pastor, and an evangelist." Here
is a brief history of Graham's papal overtures:
1963: Upon the death of Pope John XXIII, Graham said from
1973: Graham recommended Roman Catholic literature in the ecumenical Key '73
meetings held across North America; he especially recommended a biography of
the Pope John XXIII containing hundreds of pages of devotion to Mary and the Saints, worship of
the host (wafer) at the Mass, and his [the Pope's] trust in the sacraments as
the means of salvation. Graham advertised this book as "a classic in
devotion" (2/86, The Gospel Standard; Key '73: Congregational
Resource Book).
1979: Billy Graham appeared on the Phil Donahue show on 10/11, and in
discussing Pope John Paul II's visit to the
Graham said elsewhere: "The visit of
Pope John Paul II to the
1980: "Since his election, Pope John Paul II has emerged as the
greatest religious leader of the modern world, and one of the greatest moral
and spiritual leaders of this century ... The Pope came [to America] as a
statesman and a pastor, but I believe he also sees himself coming as an
evangelist. ... The Pope sought to speak to the spiritual hunger of our age in
the same way Christians throughout the centuries have spoken to the spiritual
yearnings of every age -- by pointing people to Christ" (Saturday
Evening Post, Jan.-Feb. 1980). [In this same article, Graham was quoted as
saying, "Recently I learned the word 'Pontiff' comes from the Latin words
which originally meant 'bridge builder.' ... Pope John Paul II [is] indeed a bridge
builder, and that is something our divided world desperately needs."
Historically, "pontiff" does not mean bridge-builder, but
refers to the papal title of Pontifex Maximus, which was handed down to
the early popes from the high priests of ancient heathen religion in the Roman
Empire; "Pontiff" in Italian and Latin means "bridge," and
clearly points to the Pope's blasphemous claim that he himself is that bridge
between man and God.]
1981: Graham met with Pope John Paul II on 1/13 and was reported in the Religious
News Service as saying, "We had a spiritual time," and that the
intense conversations lasting about two hours were "very private, intimate
conversation. He [the Pope] was extremely warm and interested in our work"
(
1984: On coming to
1989: Graham spoke about a meeting with Pope John Paul II: "There was a
pause in the conversation; suddenly the Pope's arm shot out and he grabbed the
lapels of my coat, he pulled me forward within inches of his own face. He fixed
his eyes on me and said, 'Listen Graham, we are brothers'" (
1990: After meeting with the Pope, Graham said that it is particularly
evident in the Pope's speeches that his attitudes and decisions,
"are based on his great personal spiritual life. ... he
bases his work and messages and vision on biblical principles" (Ewin, The
Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham Into the Roman Catholic Church,
1992, p. N).
1993: At a 7/12 interview by Joan Lunden on ABC-TV's "Good Morning
America," Graham said: "I'm delighted the Pope is coming [to
- On
- Graham was instrumental in paving
the way for
- On
"a great
loss to the nation and both the Catholic and Protestant churches. He broke down
walls of prejudice between Catholics and Protestants. ... I mourn his death and
look forward to our reunion in heaven" (
But Sheen's hope was in Mary, not in
Christ's completed atonement. Unless he repented and turned wholly to Christ on
his deathbed, there is no reason to believe Sheen will be in heaven (David
Cloud, Flirting With Rome, Vol. I: Billy
Graham, p. 31). [Of course, why not Fulton Sheen in
heaven if Elvis is going to be there? -- In an article in the 4/16/92
issue of USA Today, Graham stated that he "expects to spend
eternity with God, the great, and the good -- including Elvis Presley."]
- Graham once said: "It is my
opinion that we ought not to contrast the 'nurture of grace' and the 'grace of
conversion' as many have tried to do. I am convinced that there are both, and
happy is the man who by the nurture of grace is brought to the grace of
conversion." Anyone familiar with Roman Catholicism knows that their
"nurture of grace" refers to the grace of the seven sacraments. Thus,
Graham has both learned and accepted
We should not be surprised, then, to learn
that Graham also holds to
"I do believe that something happens
at the baptism of an infant, particularly if the parents are Christians and
teach their children Christian truths from childhood. We cannot fully
understand the mysteries of God, but I believe a miracle can happen in these
children so that they are regenerated, that is, made Christians through
infant baptism. If you want to call that baptismal regeneration, that's all
right with me" (
Bockelman said, "One would assume that,
as a Baptist, Dr. Graham would be opposed to infant baptism." Bockelman
not only found this not to be the case, but that Graham's wife, Ruth, and all
their children but the youngest, were baptized as infants. (Reported
in the Summer 1991 Dorea, pp. 9-10.)
- Graham has said that the virgin
birth of Christ is NOT an essential part of the Christian faith. In an
interview with a United Church of Canada publication in 1966 ("Billy
Graham Answers 26 Provocative Questions," United Church Observer,
Q. Do you think a literal belief in the
Virgin birth -- not just as a symbol of the incarnation or of Christ's divinity
-- as an historic event is necessary for personal salvation?
A. While I most certainly believe that
Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, I do not find anywhere in the New Testament
that this particular belief is necessary for personal salvation.
In his zeal to appease the apostates in the
United Church of Christ (its current moderator, Bill Phipps, denies that Jesus
Christ is God), Graham tells an absolute lie. How would it be possible for a
saved person to deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ were not
virgin born, He was a sinner; and if He were a sinner, He could not have died
for our sins. Further, if Christ were a sinner, and if He were not virgin born,
He was a liar for making such claims and the Bible that records those claims is
a blatant and wicked lie, and the Bible-believing Christian is a deceived and
foolish person whose faith has no authoritative foundation. Therefore, apart
from the virgin birth, there is no Gospel and no Salvation and no authoritative
Bible. The virgin birth of Christ is "fatal" doctrine, meaning it is
crucial for salvation. The entire Gospel stands or falls on the virgin birth (Evangelicals
and Rome, by David Cloud).
- A recent interview on CNN's
"Larry King Live" television broadcast once again reveals just how
far Graham has fallen from the orthodox teaching of Scripture. King interviewed
Graham for a full hour on Christmas Day, 1998. During the course of the
interview, King questioned Graham about the afterlife soon after Graham had
mentioned he was not afraid to die since he knew he would be with God (italics
added):
GRAHAM: I'll know Him. He'll know me. He
will receive me. I believe the moment that I die, an angel comes and takes
my hand and leads me into His presence.
KING:In your
body or through a soul?
GRAHAM: Both -- maybe both, because we
have been resurrected. Remember, this body's coming back together again.
Nothing ever disappears ...
KING: All right. You'll meet Jesus and
then what will it be like? What will paradise be like?
GRAHAM: It's going to be like paradise. It'll
be the -- everything that you ever wanted for
happiness will be there. People say that the Bible teaches there's no sex
in Heaven. If sex is necessary for our happiness and fulfillment,
it'll be there. And then, if certain other things that we think are pleasurable
will -- it'll be there.
Once again, Graham's theology is completely
contrary to Scripture. God's Word never teaches that whatever is necessary for
physical human happiness will be the believer's lot in heaven. On the contrary,
the believer will rejoice in praising God and fulfilling His will, not the
desired will of the individual. The believer's physical body, while on the
earth, is still wrestling with the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life
that are certainly pleasurable to the earthly saint. But heaven will be a place
where the believer will fulfill the will of the Savior and honor and glorify
Him throughout all eternity. To give the impression that heaven will be a type
of hedonistic paradise is dangerous, false theology. (Excerpted
and/or adapted from the Jan-Feb 1999, Foundation.)
- Graham also believes that men can be
saved apart from the Name of Christ. (Source: 5/31/98
television interview with Robert Schuller, as reported in the
May-June 1997, Foundation magazine.)
SCHULLER: Tell me, what do you think is
the future of Christianity?
GRAHAM: Well, Christianity and being a
true believer -- you know, I think there's the Body of Christ. This comes from
all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I
think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they're conscious
of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ. [How can anyone love Christ
or know Christ and not be conscious of it (Rom. 8:9,16;
SCHULLER: Well, what I hear you saying,
that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and
life, even if they've been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the
Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you're saying?
GRAHAM: Yes, it is, because I believe
that. I've met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations, that they have never seen a Bible or heard about
a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that
there was a God, and they've tried to live a life that was quite apart from the
surrounding community in which they lived.
SCHULLER: [R.S. trips over his tongue for
a moment, his face beaming, then says] This is
fantastic! I'm so thrilled to hear you say that! There's a
wideness in God's mercy!
GRAHAM: There is. There definitely is.
What Graham is actually saying here is:
"Sinners can be saved by their good works and that a personal relationship
to Jesus Christ by being born again is NOT necessary to salvation." This
statement also directly agrees with the Roman Catholic universal catechism, page
224; para. 847:
"Those who, through no fault of
their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his church, but who nevertheless
seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do
his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, those too
may achieve eternal salvation."
Thus, Roman Catholicism, and Billy Graham, have said that if you never hear about Christ you can be
saved by being the best person you can be. This directly contradicts Acts
- Graham refuses to defend the Bible
as the inerrant Word of God. Newsweek magazine,
"Billy Graham, for one, clearly is
not. 'I believe the Bible is the inspired,
authoritative word of God,' Graham says, 'but I don't use the word
"inerrant" because it's become a brittle divisive word.'"
Graham avoids controversy at any cost. He
knows that Modernists and unbelieving Evangelicals are willing to call the
Bible "authoritative and inspired" even while denying that it is the
infallible and inerrant Word of God. Graham aligns himself with this
unbelieving camp. If the Bible is not the inerrant Word of God, who can
dogmatically determine which part is and which part is
not inerrant? If the Bible is not inerrant, it is not authoritative (Source: Evangelicals
and Rome, by David Cloud).
- Never mind that the Catholic
sacrament of the Mass is the greatest attack ever on the finished work of
Christ (cf. Heb.
"This past week I preached in the
great Catholic cathedral a funeral sermon for a close friend of mine who was a
Catholic, and they had several Bishops and Archbishops to participate. And as I
sat there going through the funeral Mass, that was a very beautiful thing, and
certainly straight and clear in the gospel. There was a wonderful little priest
that would tell me when to stand and when to kneel and what to do" (O Timothy,
Vol. 10, Issue 9, 1993, pp. 16-17).
There you have it. Billy Graham kneeling and
worshiping the Mass wafer! It evidently matters not to Graham that the Mass
destroys the Biblical teaching of Christ's atonement, and thereby, the very
Gospel itself.
- 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
- 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
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
"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" (
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
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
- Graham first preached in
"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
- 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
- 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" (
- In 9/93, Graham held a crusade in
"You're too good, you don't need
evangelism. ... In fact, that's what kept us from coming [to
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" (
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" (
- In a five-day visit to
"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
- 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
- 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
Like what? Putting homosexuals in the
military or helping to abort your neighbor's baby? Or perhaps
Graham attended a 1993 prayer breakfast in
which
[On the
- More evidence of Graham's ecumenism
is his statement in U.S. News & World Report (
"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
"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
- 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]" (
- In
"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
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
[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
- 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
Fritz Springmeier of
- William Martin, a sociologist at
(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
- 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
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
Billy Graham's love affair with the
Charismatic movement continues today. He sent his greetings and blessing to the
hyper-charismatic gathering at the "
"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
- 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
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
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
- 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).
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
(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,
(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.