A Billy Graham-ism

At the close of Billy Graham’s first London Crusade a Church of England clergyman said that Billy had set Christianity back a hundred years. Hearing of this Graham said, “I am disappointed. I had hoped to set it back two thousand years.”

(HT: Wade Burleson)

Happy Birthday, Billy Graham

Today is Billy Graham’s 90th birthday. The BGEA has been celebrating with a campaign to get testimonies across the globe related to Graham’s ministry. His health has been deteriorating, not surprisingly, over the last few years, but at present there is nothing critical in his health condition. His beloved wife, Ruth, married for 63 years, died last year.

Here are a couple posts I have done on Rev. Graham:

Billy Graham among the theologians

Billy Graham, contra fundamentalism

For those not familiar with Billy Graham, especially his work within evangelicalism against fundamentalism and intellectual sectarianism, then you should read The Surprising Work of God: Harold John Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the Rebirth of Evangelicalism (Baker Academic 2008) by Garth Rosell, Professor of Church History at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Rev. Ockenga helped establish Fuller Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Seminary, the National Association of Evangelicals, and (with Graham) Christianity Today.

Billy Graham among the theologians

 

For those who know the theologies of Barth and Brunner, and Brunner’s admiration for the American free church model and evangelical personalism, then you will find this very amusing:

“The great Swiss theologian Karl Barth once stood in the rain to hear Graham preach in Basel. When he told Graham that the sermon from John 3:3 was good but should not have stressed the must in ‘you must be born again,’ Graham begged to differ (and was soon gratified to hear another great theologian, Emil Brunner, affirm his position). But then Graham closes this account concerning Barth with these words: ‘In spite of our theological differences, we remained good friends.’” (Mark Noll, American Evangelical Christianity: An Introduction, Blackwell 2001, p. 47)

Another important theologian, Helmut Thielicke, also attended a Billy Graham crusade, but with certain preconceived notions which put Thielicke in an ill disposition toward the popular preacher. However, after coming under the preaching of Graham, Thielicke experienced an awakening of sort. He explained in a letter to Graham, ”The evening was a profound ‘penance’ experience (poenitentia) for me. … When I have been asked now and again about your preaching, I have certainly not been too modest to make one or two theological observations. My evening with you made clear to me (and the Holy Spirit will have helped in doing so!) that the question should be asked in the reverse form: What is lacking in me and in my colleagues in the pulpit and at the university lectern, that makes Billy Graham so necessary?”

In Thielicke’s autobiography, Notes from a Wayfarer, he recounts the situation:

Billy Graham, contra fundamentalism

One of the many reasons why I love Billy Graham:

I thought the Reinhold Niebuhr reference at the end was interesting. For those who don’t know, Niebuhr criticized Graham for preaching a too simplistic gospel and not in tune with modern sensibilities. Well, I’m glad to see that Union Seminary has done so much good for the health of the church in America (note: that was sarcasm).

Also of interest, Billy Graham was subject to gross libel from Christopher Hitchens on C-SPAN last year. Here’s an adept rebuttal from TIME magazine with great insight into the character of Rev. Graham:

“Why Christopher Hitchens Is Wrong About Billy Graham”