Evangelist Billy Graham, who exploded onto the American evangelical scene in 1949 with his Los Angeles Crusade, passed away this past week at the age of 99. He preached to millions via crusades and TV. He counseled presidents and monarchs, and he became, in some ways, the conscience of the nation. He was known and loved by many (and despised by some). As fundamental, Bible-believing Baptists, what do we make of “America’s Pastor?”
Well, Dr. Graham was a dynamic preacher who proclaimed a message of salvation by grace through faith. He told huge audiences that “ye must be born again!” For nearly 6 decades, that message has penetrated hearts, and it’s not unusual to find people who were saved under Dr. Graham’s ministry in any church across America. The number of people who have come to Christ under the sound of his preaching is impossible to calculate, but very few if any will ever again approach it. We can rejoice in the souls that were saved because Billy Graham preached the Gospel.
There is, however, another side to the coin. Billy Graham partnered with a wide variety of religious leaders across the theological spectrum in order to expand the reach and influence of his evangelistic efforts. From evangelicals (his base) to Roman Catholics to liberal mainline denominations – they were all welcome. And, the converts from his crusades were often directed back to those same churches where they would likely never receive the discipleship they needed. In addition, he sometimes made confusing public statements about the validity of other paths to salvation besides the plain Gospel. The ecumenical nature of his ministry was disturbing to us.
It doesn’t diminish the multitudes of salvation decisions, and we heartily praise the Lord for those. That is a huge part of his legacy. But his legacy also contains the confusion he generated about who is genuinely “Christian” and what constitutes legitimate local church ministry.