Billy Graham

[futurehope]

I've always heard different groups say both good and bad about Billy Graham. What I have noticed here on OB is that many are very quick to either uphold him entirely or throw him quickly to the chopping block. So.......I'm am curious who will share appropriately and tastefully their personal thoughts and beliefs about Billy Graham and be willing to share both the things they like and dislike about him. I hope to bring up several different people in threads to come, but will start with him.

[HappyChristian]

I've always heard different groups say both good and bad about Billy Graham. What I have noticed here on OB is that many are very quick to either uphold him entirely or throw him quickly to the chopping block. So.......I'm am curious who will share appropriately and tastefully their personal thoughts and beliefs about Billy Graham and be willing to share both the things they like and dislike about him. I hope to bring up several different people in threads to come, but will start with him.

I think he started out very well. With his conferences, he had the ability to reach vast audiences, especially when they began being televised. I think he was a good speaker.

But...he made some comments that I disagree with:

Upon returning from a visit to Russia, he made the statement that we could coexist with communism. That is an absolute untruth!

After many years of preaching, he said there was no real flame in Hell. Again an untruth, as God's Word says the fire doesn't die.

In his conferences, he would invite those who wanted to commit to Christ to come forward. Good. But (now, I didn't listen to every conference, but I did listen to many) I don't recall him ever mentioning repentance - he could have had his workers do so, though.

Also, after his conferences, he wasn't real concerned about the kind of church the converts went to, as long as they got into church. He even advocated getting into church - but never specified that it should be one that aligned with scripture.

I did a Bible study through him years and years ago. Don't remember much - it was just a one time thing, but I do believe it was doctrinally accurate.

[futurehope]

Thanks LuAnne. I am definitely on that agrees that he has had doctrinal issues on some areas over the years.

[JerryNumbers]

I would not recommend anyone to go listen to him nor his son, and I would discourage anyone from buying one of his books. I would not allow him behind the pulpit of our church.

He once made the statement that there would be people in heaven who never heard of the name Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

That just does not line up with the Bible.

I might add, he is just nearly like a father to the liberal Baptist of modern America.

[Jerry]

He is pro-catholic, teaching the Pope is the world's greatest evangelist, states he preaches the same Gospel as a Jesuit Seminary, has openly stated that you do not need to believe in Jesus to be saved, is ecumenical to the hilt, waters down doctrine in his books, waters down the Gospel to agree with Catholics. I have no respect for the man - he is a traitor to Bible faith and the true Gospel, regardless of how he might have started out.

[Madeline]

Scott Johnson has a sermon on Billy Graham and exposes his true colors. Here is a summary of his sermon.

Billy Graham is on public record supporting homosexuality, abortion, his disbelief in a literal hell, his support and practice of infant baptism to save children, his support for the Catholic Church's worship of Mary (yet he calls himself a Christian). He has repeatedly praised infidels and apostates as great Christians. He would not challenge the idea that the Bible is mythology, when directly questioned. Rev. Graham (a self proclaimed Democrat) said Bill Clinton would be a good Christian evangelist and that Hillary should 'run the country', in expressing his long-standing devotion to both Bill and Hillary Clinton. It's plainly the case that Graham loves the world. At a crusade in San Francisco--Sodom and Gomorrah reborn--Graham announced to the homosexuals, 'Whatever your background, whatever your sexual orientation, we welcome you tonight.' Earlier, at a news conference, the famed evangelist thrilled the cockles of the homosexual's perverse hearts when he snapped to a reporter that he was tired of people trying to get him to criticize gays. 'It's not the biggest of sins,' Graham said. Billy followed this up by telling the smiling and happy liberal media: 'What I want to preach about in San Francisco is the love of God. People need to know that God loves them no matter what their sexual orientation.' Graham also proudly confided: 'I have so many gay friends, and we remain friends.' And much more.

Billy Graham

Love,
Madeline

[trc123]

I don't believe most of the myths concerning what Billy Graham is supposed to have said. I'm not saying he didn't I just know how things get repeated and repeated again (even by preachers) and taken out of context and the next thing you know what he was supposed to have said is very different from what he said. I'd be interested to see actual documented references to the things he's supposed to have said; not just the recitation by someone who says they heard him say and their memory is such and such. Again, I'm not defending anything that the man truly said that is against Scripture, I'd just like to know what is true and what is he said, she said, etc.

[amblivion]

While Billy Graham started out very strong and firm in his beliefs, he has slowly compromised. I do not advocate Billy Graham at all. I searched him out awhile back and this video pretty much sealed it for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ord1wA5SXgA

Make sure you watch all of it because there is another video after the Larry King one. If I find more videos I will post them, but right now this is the only one that really came to mind after researching him.

[Jerry]

Go to http://wayoflife.org and do a search for Billy Graham. David Cloud documents all his quotes, so they would be very easy to verify. The statement that someone doesn't even need to know Jesus to be saved was made on the ROBert Schuller show, and the transcript is a matter of public record. The statements about the Pope being a man of God and the world's greatest evangelist are quoted in the Reader's Digest article on Billy Graham. I think it was about 1995 that it came out.

[trc123]

Go to http://wayoflife.org and do a search for Billy Graham. David Cloud documents all his quotes, so they would be very easy to verify. The statement that someone doesn't even need to know Jesus to be saved was made on the ROBert Schuller show, and the transcript is a matter of public record. The statements about the Pope being a man of God and the world's greatest evangelist are quoted in the Reader's Digest article on Billy Graham. I think it was about 1995 that it came out.

Will do Jerry, thank you for point out some resources to look to.....

[Pastorj]

One word "ecumenical"

I will tell you that his ministry did an unbelievable jOB in Mississippi after Katrina. We would never have been able to build the houses that we did without their assistance.

[Jerry]

But they also could have done more to reach the souls of men. His son sent relief out -specifically without Gospel Tracts or Bibles - so as to meet their physical needs. What about their spiritual needs? This was a time when they would have been more open to consider where they stood with God and to think about their own mortality.

[JerryNumbers]

I don't believe most of the myths concerning what Billy Graham is supposed to have said. I'm not saying he didn't I just know how things get repeated and repeated again (even by preachers) and taken out of context and the next thing you know what he was supposed to have said is very different from what he said. I'd be interested to see actual documented references to the things he's supposed to have said; not just the recitation by someone who says they heard him say and their memory is such and such. Again, I'm not defending anything that the man truly said that is against Scripture, I'd just like to know what is true and what is he said, she said, etc.

Check them out, its quite easy to find these truths about Mr. Graham.

By the way, we on OB do not post lies nor myths.

[trc123]

Not intentionally I'm sure. But some do repeat things they've heard and they may have been told a lie or myth and not honestly know it.

[amblivion]

While some people may mistakenly post information that is false, it is pretty hard to beat hard video evidence. Many people have mentioned the incident with ROBert Schuller and that is the video that I posted. When I first discovered the video, I was in a bit of denial to be honest. I still wanted to defend Billy Graham. I finally decided that after the mountain of evidence gathered against him; I could not.