(This article was first published on the Christian Today website)
Have you ever noticed how anyone who dies is always a saint, especially when they are one of the idols of our society? They may have lived an immoral, selfish life but when they die they are everyone’s friend and hero, The angels in heaven are rejoicing at the sheer privilege of having such a wonderful person to make paradise even better.
Unless, that is, you are the most successful Christian evangelist in the history of the world.
Although there were many fine tributes to the life and testimony of Billy Graham, what struck me were the number of people and organisations who couldn’t even wait until his body was cold before they stuck the boot in. These reactions tell us a great deal about our culture and churches.
The Guardian pronounced that Billy Graham was ‘on the wrong side of history’ – a statement which is breathtaking in its arrogance. The liberal metro-elites, the culture vultures of the zeitgeist, just ‘know’ what the right side of history is. They believe society is progressing and they are the greatest evidence of that progression. Anyone who disagrees with them on any of their shibboleth issues has to be on ‘the wrong side of history’. They alone know ‘the right side’ and they will disparage, despise and denigrate anyone who disagrees. Even when they have just died.
Not to be outdone, Douglas Robertson in The Independent weighed in. ‘Surely Graham, far from being “an exemplar to generation upon generation”, is an example of how religion is so often successfully leveraged as a means of making bigotry appear somehow acceptable, even something to aspire to,‘ he said. Others wrote about how Graham spouted ‘incredible levels of hate in his time’, without offering any evidence for that. Despite being the most famous Christian in the world, whose every word was scrutinised, the only evidence they could come up with for this hyperbole is a conversation that he had with Nixon about the liberal Jews running New York – a comment of which he was ashamed and for which he apologised to Jewish leaders – and the fact that he was opposed to same-sex marriage. If after 99 years that was all that could be said about my stupid remarks, I would be very happy.
But it wasn’t just the bitter and militant atheists who took the opportunity to vent their prejudice and frustration. And it should be noted that many secular organisations and commentators made much more balanced, respectful and fair comments. Some Christians couldn’t resist the temptation to let us know what was wrong with Billy Graham, forgetting the maxim that there is a time to be silent.
On the ‘conservative’ side there were those who wanted to tell us how Billy Graham ‘denied Jesus’ and they had the edited YouTube clips to prove it. None of the ones I saw provided proof of that at all. Indeed watching Billy’s last message was a profoundly moving testimony to his faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus.
that Graham was basically a failed American evangelist whose fundamentalist gospel was wrong and had ‘little impact’. It was even suggested that Graham’s gospel was to be blamed for the decline of the Church of Scotland. The irony is that it was when Graham was in Scotland in the 1950s as part of the Tell Scotland campaign that the membership of the Church of Scotland reached its all time peak – 1.2 million. It’s now below 300,000 and declining at a rate of 20,000 per year. This is not because the Church has preached the gospel that Graham preached but rather because, as Johnstone Mackay stated, most rejected it.As for the accusation of him having ‘little impact’ – I had to smile at the lack of awareness involved in that comment. Since Graham’s death I have heard many stories of people who came to faith through Graham’s preaching and for whom it was not a short term emotional fix. From my own father to many people in my church including a woman who told me that her father worked with Graham in the slums of Peru, Graham was the catalyst.
The following is an example of the hundreds of thousands who can testify to his impact: ‘My dad became a Christian at a Billy Graham crusade in the ’50s which meant I was brought up in a Christian home. I’m also a follower of Jesus as are my two sons, and now the first of my young grandchildren has become a Christian. Our history is of “a goodly heritage”.’
Billy Graham preached to 215 million people – directly. He preached to billions through media. As a result there are millions today who are Christians because of him. If that’s ‘little impact’ I would love to see what a great impact would look like.
It strikes me that the negative comments about Graham have little to do with a sober and unbiased analysis of his impact (which only eternity will tell) but rather stem from a petty, mean and vindictive spirit.
As for being on the wrong side of history, I suspect that the same people would have said that Jesus was on the wrong side of history – after all he was killed on a cross. But it turns out that the cross is the pivot of history, not the end of it.
Billy Graham preached Christ, and he preached the cross of Christ. He may have been on ‘the wrong side of history’ from the perspective of those who think they know what that is, but he is now on the right side of eternity where I’m sure he has already heard the words that all believers long to hear: ‘well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your Lord. (Matthew 25:21).
Billy Graham and the BBC | Quantum 120
And this again was spot on from the BabylonBee
The media thinking Rev. Graham was from another time, brought to mind Jeremiah’s words to his wayward nation to look for the “ancient paths.”
David, as Rev Johnstone Mackay has had nothing but a negative effect on faith, his opinion can be totally discounted. Thankfully there is only one gospel and what Rev Mackay preaches is ‘no gospel at all’. B
I first came across Johnstone Mackay when I attended a wedding that he was conducting. I was just completing my studies at the Univ. of Glasgow, prior to being licensed as a minister of the Word – in the Church of Scotland. His wedding service was, to say the least, uninspiring. However, it was at the reception that I wondered if I was entering the right profession (in spite of a very clear call). His ‘jokes’; his language; and his consumption of alcohol; were not, to this (then) relatively young divinity student, a witness that I wanted to emulate. Sadly, it would seem that the years have not brought about any real improvement.
I guess if you are a Christian then Graham’s passing is notable in some respects.
America’s odd fixation on Christianity has spawned a vast array of preachers; I suppose Graham stands out because of his longevity, his links to a succession of presidents and the attendance numbers at his rallies.
I can understand how Christians might wax lyrical about how many people he recruited to the religion he preached. Maybe Benny Hinn will catch up to him.
The rest of us glance at the headline, think “Oh yeah that guy” and get on with things.
Benny Hinn, John?
Get a grip.
Billy Graham, who has died, made an early decision to stay loyal to the Bible and to the message of the Cross.
It has always been the case that people ‘getting on with things’ have been stopped in their tracks by the simple communication of the Gospel. As he would have acknowledged, it was never about Billy Graham; it was always about Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Yours,
John/.
So Johnstone Mackay doesn’t like the idea of judgement. Probably quite wise of him in the circumstances. He’ll like the reality of it even less.
Here’s a comment about Billy Graham from a Catholic priest, Fr Dwight Longenecker:
“During all his years Billy Graham maintained complete integrity in his relationships, his finances and his witness. He put safeguards in place financially so that he received a simple salary from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. That’s it. When he travelled he was never in a room with a woman alone. Although he was friends with politicians he kept to what he did–praying with people and preaching the gospel. Therefore, apart from being the most famous evangelist of our age, he was also a model of Christian ministry. As such he is a model for all priests, pastors, popes and bishops.
Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2018/02/catholic-priest-pays-respects-billy-graham.html#uDYvf7OJscjhABSf.99
And from another Catholic website:
“The affinity between John Paul II and Billy Graham actually dates back to before Karol Wotjyla became pope. As a matter of fact, Cardinal Wotjyla invited Graham to preach a mission in Krakow in 1978. Wotjyla had to cancel his own appearance at the rally, however; he’d been called to Rome on account of the death of Pope John Paul I. In 1979, shortly after Wotjyla was raised to the papacy, Graham appeared on the Phil Donohue Show, and when asked about the new pope, Billy referred to him as a man of “real authority” who didn’t “pull any punches.”
After his election as pope, John Paul II had the opportunity to meet with Graham on three separate “official” occasions. According to Graham, the Holy Father told him, “we are brothers.” And in 1984, Graham’s spokesperson said that Billy had played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan’s establishment of diplomacy with the Vatican, which would eventually lead to the takedown of Communism in Eastern Europe.”
https://chnetwork.org/2018/02/21/billy-graham-catholic-church/
The greatest service that anybody can do for other people is to help bring them to a love for Jesus Christ. Probably nobody in modern times did that more successfully than Billy Graham. Time to ignore the small-minded people who see nothing good in him. Except to pray for them that they will see the light and not the darkness.