When Billy Graham stands before the judgement seat of God, he may finally realize how badly he failed his country, and perhaps his God. On civil rights and the environmental crisis, the most important issues of his lifetime, he championed the wrong policies.
Graham was on the wrong side of history.
The world’s most famous evangelist let his apocalyptic anticipation of the coming kingdom of God blind him to the realities of living in this world.
For Graham, the Bible had a clear message for Christians living in what he believed were humans’ last days on earth. Individuals alone can achieve salvation; governments cannot. Conversions change behaviors; federal policies do not.
These convictions shaped the evangelist’s views on civil rights.....SNIP....................A different kind of last days may soon be upon us. Racial tensions are rising, the earth is warming, and evangelicals are doing little to help. That may be Graham’s most significant, and saddest, legacy.
I like you tend to agree with this though I'll throw in Jersey Girl's point.
Jersey Girl wrote: Not many folks live that level of commitment and I admire it.
I admire his commitment just not what he was committed to, and I have no admiration for his biblical interpretation. I am also convinced he was instrumental in the creation of "Roy Moore" christians.
Jersey Girl wrote: That is to say, he taught directly from the Bible (like my own childhood pastor did) and encouraged folks to follow along with him. He was took folks directly into scripture instead of paraphasing like I've seen others do. That is the difference between teaching and preaching. Whenever I was looking for a new church home, that open Bible teaching was what I looked for first and if I'd never had that in my life, I wouldn't know my way around scripture like I do today.
I was blown away by expository preaching. I really had not experienced true expository preaching [unless I wasn't paying attention] until an adult. It makes sense to me now in light of Romans 10:14. It is only through the word (spoken, written, Jesus the word), the means by which God saves persons. I've realized recently how I need to be a better steward of my use of Scripture. I think people over the past few decades have tried to make Scripture "relevant" by topical presentation, and trying to support the topic by use of verses they feel support their topic. I have concluded that the word rightly presented is relevant to all people for all times.
I was raised up on it, nobody, I don't know it any other way though I have seen otherwise and I don't think it serves folks well. Back in the day ;-) we sometimes had sword drills in worship service, I was all over that, and Memory Verse contests as well. Lots and lots of expository teaching, combined with sword drills, memory verses, going through chapter by chapter in SS, those strengthened my ability to reference/cross reference and that type of teaching gave scripture itself a deeper meaning so far as life application goes and if it's not about life application, then what is it for?
I have seen churches where scripture is almost like an accompaniment instead of the centerpiece. Again, I don't think that serves us well.
I read your comment that your Daddy made it home. Prayers up for you and yours, nobody. <3
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
Jersey Girl wrote: Thanks nobody! Wouldn't you agree that he was a type of Paul?
by the way, I saw in another post that you had no smilies. You have to enable them to use them, but we do have them.
Yes, I would agree that he was a type of Paul. I've returned to BSF http://www.bsfinternational.org last year and this year. Romans is the study this year. I've noted during this study of Romans that while Paul would recall his activities before his conversion, after his conversion, he did not wallow in his past life, but looked to his future in which he already possessed.
I didn't know you had to enable smilies. i must admit in the other thread where I mentioned the smilies, I was tempted to do row upon row of rolling smilies for old time sake. Then, I figured there probably was a limit to the number you could use in one post. Looks like mine are already "on." Guess I've just been typing mine in the old fashioned way.
I looked through the BSF website. Do you know if there are any online classes like that? I couldn't find any on there. Or can you think of a New Testament study guide that's good? I am planning on going through the New Testament as a refresh, and I wouldn't mind having a study guide.
Let me know if you have a good resource, okay? Slip it to me in PM's if you want. Either way is fine with me.
Nah, you can create a small army of smilies if you want.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
"The qualities of temper and judgment that made Billy Graham so singularly successful are almost entirely lacking in his son, who now imperils his father’s legacy. Thanks to Franklin Graham and his cronies on the Religious Right, American evangelicalism has now become first and foremost a political rather than a spiritual enterprise. The life of Billy Graham helped build it up. And his death may well have ensured its demise."
Much Biblical scholarship would challenge much of the evangelical theology. I wonder what he would have thought of Peter Enn's The Bible Tells Me So where he writes that some of the story of the exodus and conquest is myth.
Hilary Clinton " I won the places that represent two-thirds of America's GDP.I won in places are optimistic diverse, dynamic, moving forward"
I looked through the BSF website. Do you know if there are any online classes like that? I couldn't find any on there. Or can you think of a New Testament study guide that's good? I am planning on going through the New Testament as a refresh, and I wouldn't mind having a study guide.
I don’t know if any. Here is the like to a former BSF leader’s website with good information. I especially like the notes.
"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19 ESV
