The Next Billy Graham

"The next Billy Graham probably will speak only Spanish or Arabic or Persian or Mandarin.  The man on the throne in heaven is a dark-skinned, Aramaic-speaking ‘foreigner’ who is probably not all that impressed by chants of ‘Make America great again.’” 

                     - Russell Moore

Billy Graham Statement on the 2012 Election

Hat Tip: Eric Metaxas

The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now

The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now - Interesting thought from Russell Moore:

The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now.

But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn’t just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus’ promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).

After all, while Phillip was leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, Saul of Tarsus was still a murderer.

Much more from Moore (pun intended) at the link above.

RIP John Stott

John Stott, World Famous Evangelical Leader, Dies at 90:

World-renowned evangelist and Biblical scholar John Stott died Wednesday at 3.15 p.m. local time in London (10.15 a.m. EST), according to John Stott Ministries President Benjamin Homan.

Homan has reported that Stott’s death has come following a few weeks of discomfort, and that the death was simply related to complications related to old age.

Stott, who died at 90, retired from public ministry in 2007 when he was 86 years old. He spent his retirement in the College of St. Barnabas, Lingfield, which is a residence for retired Anglican clergy.

The English Anglican leader is revered for his ministry life. The world famous evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham, described him as "the most respected clergyman in the world today."

RIP, Brother. You will be greatly missed.

"Confessions of a Beth Moore Convert"

Any Beth Moore fans out there?

At CT's "Her.meneutics" blog, Karen Spears Zacharias has published her Confessions of a Beth Moore Convert, subtitled "Why the Bible teacher with the big Texan hair may just be our female Billy Graham."

Her studies present the Scriptures in a straightforward fashion. She often concedes that there are different ways of considering the matter. "There is a big difference between a head full of knowledge and the word of God literally abiding in us," she warns. She’s funny but never demeaning (which can’t be said for many these days). "Everyday temptation and intentional demonic seduction are as different as a snowball and an avalanche." Anyone who has experienced the two, and survived, knows the truth and wry humor of that statement. Moore's workbooks have the same general theme in that they repeatedly point people to the Jesus who can and will, given the chance, completely transform their lives. I'd go as far to say she is the female Billy Graham, unabashedly falling on her face in prayer in front of the masses.

I have enjoyed some of Moore's books and videos (although her speaking style is not my cup of tea), but I can't agree with the "next Billy Graham" comment. There won't be a next Billy Graham, because he was and is a unique gift of God for one season in history. However, Beth Moore and her Living Proof Ministries have a lot of fans and have helped many to get into the Word more deeply. This article should please her fans and rankle her detractors (but maybe change a few minds).

Billy Graham on Aging, Regrets, and Evangelicals

From a Christianity Today interview, here's Christian elder statesman Billy Graham on aging, his regrets, and the future for Evangelicals.

1. What advice would you give to people who are aging?
First, accept it as part of God’s plan for your life, and thank him every day for the gift of that day. We’ve come to look on old age as something to be dreaded—and it’s true that it isn’t easy…

2. What would you say to children who have aging parents?
When we’re young we usually don’t think much about growing old, or about our parents growing old either—not until something forces us to think about it. But it will happen, if they live long enough. So the first thing I’d say to those whose parents are growing older is to be prepared for it, and to accept whatever responsibilities it brings you…

3. If you could, would you go back and do anything differently?
Yes, of course. I’d spend more time at home with my family, and I’d study more and preach less. I wouldn’t have taken so many speaking engagements, including some of the things I did over the years that I probably didn’t really need to do—weddings and funerals and building dedications, things like that. Whenever I counsel someone who feels called to be an evangelist, I always urge them to guard their time and not feel like they have to do everything.

I also would have steered clear of politics…

4. What are the most important issues facing evangelicals today?
But the most important issue we face today is the same the church has faced in every century: Will we reach our world for Christ? In other words, will we give priority to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel? Or will we turn increasingly inward, caught up in our own internal affairs or controversies, or simply becoming more and more comfortable with the status quo? Will we become inner-directed or outer-directed? The central issues of our time aren’t economic or political or social, important as these are. The central issues of our time are moral and spiritual in nature, and our calling is to declare Christ’s forgiveness and hope and transforming power to a world that does not know him or follow him. May we never forget this. read entire Q&A

Hat Tip: An Aged Billy Graham on Aging, Regrets, and Evangelicals

Learning From Your Critics

Billy Graham's grandson, Rev. Tullian Tchividjian, is the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida. This is the church founded and pastored for 50 years by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy.

That church has just gone through a leadership struggle. When discussing that situation, Tullian shared with Christianity Today Magazine a lesson his grandfather taught him about handling conflict and controversy. - Allow Your Critics to Teach You .

"I have talked to him about it on numerous occasions. His encouragement to me is, 'Simply, by God's grace, I've weathered many storms just like this, and if you submit to what God is trying to teach you, he will make you wise and humble and useful.'

In other words, don't become proud and self-righteous. Be teachable. And God will make you useful.

Don't become bitter, in other words. Allow even your most vocal critics, who may criticize you unjustifiably, to become tools in God's hands to teach you something. Emerge from this more of a gospel man, more of a God-centered man."

Wise words from the good Dr. Billy.

Billy: A Book Review

(See my book review policy here).

The first free book I received through Thomas Nelson Publishers blogger review program was Billy: The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith that Almost Changed Everything by William Paul McKay and Ken Abraham, published in 2008.

Billy was written as an accompanying volume to the recent theatrical film release by the same name. Both the movie and the book tell the story of a young Billy Graham in his formative years as a preacher and evangelist. Both frame that story with the deathbed remembrances in 2001 of Charles Templeton, a friend of Graham’s during those formative years and, at that time, an even more famous evangelist than the future world figure. Templeton, in both the book and real life, began to doubt the truth of the Bible and turned away from Christianity, abandoning his ministry. He later became well known as a famous sceptic.

Although Templeton is an actual historic figure, the framing scenes in the book involving a television producer attempting to obtain some form of dirt or scandal on Dr. Graham from his dying, pathetic old friend are surely contrived. I should say that they are contrived, yet effective for dramatic purposes.

The pivotal scene in the book is a night in California in 1949, just prior to Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade which catapulted him to international fame. Templeton has mocked Billy for his continuing belief in the Bible as a trustworthy source of truth, telling him that it would be intellectual suicide to continue to believe and preach the Bible as true. With his life-long characteristic modesty and integrity, the young evangelist began to question his faith himself. While wandering down a forest trail he finds a stump that serves as an altar of prayer. Billy Graham knelt at that stump and wrestled that night with his doubts. In retrospect, the significance of that night for his future career cannot be overstated. He ultimately decided in that forest clearing that he believed the Bible to be the Word of God, and that even if he could not explain away all the questions, he would take the Word by faith and stand on the Bible as his solid foundation. He recommitted his life to the Christ revealed in the Scriptures. For the rest of his life Dr. Graham confidently pronounced his characteristic phrase “the Bible says” with full conviction and unerring faith. From what I have read in other biographies of Dr. Graham, this story is basically accurate.

Is this a great book? No. Is this the best work written on Dr. Graham’s life? Of course not. But is Billy a good book? Yes it is. It would be very hard to write a bad book about such a good man. Greatness is its own literary inspiration.

I had wanted to see the movie when it appeared in theaters earlier this year. Unfortunately for me, ratings and profits were apparently so poor that it disappeared form our local theater before I could see it. I must say that the book Billy has accomplished one thing for me that should be the goal of any movie tie-in book: It increased my desire to see the movie. I fully intend to obtain a copy once the film is available for purchase on DVD.

Celebrating "Daddy Bill" - Billy Graham's Birthday

Friday is Billy Graham's 90th birthday. Let's all remember him in prayer and thank the Lord for this man's testimony of faithfulness and integrity.

Here's a tribute from Dr. Graham's grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, at Help Me Celebrate Daddy Bill

On Friday, my grandfather turns 90. Many newspapers, magazines, and TV news programs are featuring celebrations of his long life and fruitful ministry. I had the opportunity recently of being interviewed about what his remarkable life has meant to me personally. Obviously, it would take more than one interview for me to appropriately express my gratitude to God for the way my grandfather has loved me and impacted my life. But here are some things I said I’ve learned from him:

1) Humility: Daddy Bill has always been keenly aware that God is God, and he is not. He has always been conscious of his smallness and God’s bigness, his imperfection and God’s perfection.

2) A love for the Gospel: Daddy Bill has always had a deep sense of his own sin, which has led him to a deep love for his Savior. He has always exemplified the sweet reality that you can never know Christ as a Great Savior until you first know yourself to be a great sinner. God’s amazing grace still amazes him — and that amazes me!

3) Faithfulness: Although he has had the opportunity to do many things, he has never wavered concerning God’s call on his life to be an evangelist. He knows he’s not a scholar or a theologian; he’s never tried to be. He has always remained true to God’s calling.

4) Never show favoritism: I have been with Daddy Bill in numerous places with numerous people, and I have never, ever seen him show favoritism. He treats all people the same, whether they are rich or poor, weak or powerful, socially significant or socially insignificant.

5) Be real: Daddy Bill is normal! He gets mad; he gets sad; he’s fun to be around. His favorite restaurant is Morrison’s Cafeteria. His favorite movie is “Crocodile Dundee.” His favorite drink is orange juice, and he loves catfish. He’s just another man with all of the limitations and idiosyncrasies that the rest of us have — and I love him for it!