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  • Billy Graham bows out at 99

    Billy Graham bows out at 99

    •Without spiritual monarchy, televangelist’s life leaves legacy for Nigerian Christian leaders

    In a world where perversion reigns and many who claim to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ are caught in vices, contrary to the word of God, there lived an evangelist who preached for about 80 years without a whiff of scandals. If anyone could be described as faithful to his calling, it was Billy Graham whose lessons are engraved on stone for Christian leaders all over the world.

    Early enough, he realised the need to start with principles and values that would drive his ministry. In 1949, his team met at Modesto in California to work out the now famous Modesto Manifesto, a testament of sorts. The Manifesto was anchored on four cardinal values: Honesty in all things, including in reporting attendance at crusades; Humility as the evangelist was not carried away by the fame he garnered over the years; Purity as he and his partners chose to resist the devil by ensuring that none held discussions or counselling with women privately; and Integrity in realisation that money is a great tempter with its love declared as the root of all evil in the Bible, Graham ensured that he lived on a well-advertised, modest salary beyond which all financial matters were handled by the Board of Directors.

    The evangelist who obtained the title, the American Pastor as a result of a great influence that saw him pray for 12 presidents of the great country, never sought to appropriate the influence for personal gain. He was not tempted to institute a spiritual monarchy. At all times, he gave all glory to the Lord, asserting that, ‘’I’m not a great preacher…I’ve heard great preaching many times and wished I was one of the great preachers. I am an ordinary preacher just communicating the gospel in the best way I know.’’

    Coming from a man who wrote 30 books and is believed to have preached in 185 countries, including Nigeria, his style should be a model to the flamboyant Nigerian pentecostal ministers who have become synonymous with their ministries and tend to compete with the image and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Graham stayed true to his calling for the 99 years he lived, left the stage for the younger generation when the incapacitating hold of old age sought to knock him out, thereby forestalling the bitter succession struggle that attend the demise of such charismatic leaders. Today, he is gone, but his disciplined lifestyle remains a model to all who claim to have been called to the ministry of proclaiming the gospel.

    As a society in dire need of progress and development, and with the hold religion has on the people, Christian leaders should learn from Billy Graham the need for ecumenism. He remained a member of the Southern Baptist Convention all life and would not be tempted to branch out. His Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) reached out to, and collaborated with, many churches and ministries. Nigerian ministers could borrow this virtue, realising that in the face of assaults from the enemy, they are better united. Resources, materials and spiritual, become more formidable when they are pooled together.

    His resolve to avoid partisan politics while relating with earthly authorities, only praying for them is another lesson, in view of Nigeria’s recent history that saw Christian leaders chose to swim or sink with political leaders, receiving gratification, compromising values, attempting to serve God and mammon, forgetting that God cannot be mocked.

    The attempt last year to introduce Governance Code for the Churches readily comes to mind. The ferocious attacks from modern-day Pentecostal missions are an indication that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) have a lot to do in mobilising their members for internal regulation. Otherwise, external regulation might become inevitable someday.

    Billy Graham, soldier of Christ, your light shall continue to shine even as you have inevitably bowed out of the stage here.

  • Farewell to Billy Graham (2)

    Farewell to Billy Graham (2)

    When the journalist and author of the book ‘A Case for Faith’, Lee Strobel, interviewed Charles Templeton in Toronto, Canada, the former evangelist turned agnostic was 83 years old. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and the ravaging ailment, which gradually robs its victims of their memory and personal identity until it takes their lives, only deepened Templeton’s antagonism against God. His wife, Madeleine, thought he was too ill for the interview but Charles insisted on having it. He spoke frankly and bravely about his impending inevitable death and demanded to know how “a compassionate God could allow such a ghastly disease to torture its victims and their loving ones”. Templeton told Strobel that it was impossible for him “to believe that there is anything or person or being that could be described as a loving God who could allow what happens in our world daily”.

    When asked about his view of his former friend, Billy Graham’s evangelistic career, Templeton was gracious and generous in his praise of Graham saying “Billy is pure gold…There’s no feigning or fakery in him. He’s a first rate human being. Billy is profoundly Christian…He sincerely believes – unquestionably. He is as wholesome and faithful as anyone can be”. But the highpoint of the interview was when Templeton was asked what he thought about Jesus. He described Jesus as the greatest human being who ever lived; a moral genius with a unique ethical sense. He, however, thought Jesus was not a very good preacher because “What he said was too simple. He hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t agonized over the biggest question there is to ask. Is there a God? How could anyone believe in a God who does, or allows, what goes on in the world?”

    Nevertheless, Templeton admitted that “Everything good I know, everything decent thing I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus” even stressing that “I know it may sound strange, but I have to say…I adore him!” Let Strobbel continue the story here in his own words: “Abruptly, Templeton cut short his thoughts. There was a brief pause, almost as if he was uncertain whether he should continue. “Uh…but…no,” he said slowly, “he’s the most…” He stopped, then started again. “In my view”, he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed”. That’s when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way”, he said as his voice began to crack, “I …miss…him!” With that, tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulder bobbed as he wept”.

    That emotional breakdown was, however, only a brief intermission as it were. According to Strobel, “Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn’t like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: “Enough of that”. Lee Strobel and his wife, Leslie, who accompanied him to the interview, left the Templeton’s home sober, subdued and shaken by the experience. Charles Templeton certainly was a good, decent, well-meaning and intellectually honest man who truly admired Jesus Christ but could not rationally reconcile the existence of an all powerful and good God with the pain and evil that is so rampant in our world. It is a moral, spiritual and intellectual dilemma that I am utterly unqualified to address.

    But Billy Graham himself was not immune from pain and sickness. It was just that his response to these afflictions was radically different from Templeton’s. Graham suffered from Parkinson’s disease for many years of his long and active life. He had to endure a broken hip that restricted his movement for some time. He underwent brain surgery. But all these seemed to draw him closer towards rather than away from God. In Bill Adler’s fascinating book, ‘Ask Billy Graham’, a 239-page compilation of the evangelist’s simple, honest and frank answers over several years to questions he was asked about life’s most important questions, which was published last year, Billy Graham speaks among others on illness, pain and death.

    On June 2, 1999, for instance, Graham was asked ‘Why does God make us ill’? His simple response was: “God sends illness to keep us from depending on ourselves. It makes us put total dependence on God”. And on June 29, 2002, the evangelist was asked: “What did you think about when you were going in and out of hospitals, your health deteriorating and you thought you might die soon?” Graham replied: “I’ve had a great deal of illness in the past two years…I haven’t been able to live a normal life. It’s been a difficult time. I thought I was dying…My whole life came before me. I didn’t say to the Lord, ‘I’m a preacher. I said, ‘Oh Lord, I’m a sinner. I still need the cross”.

    On September 22, 1996, Graham was asked: “Do you ever have moments of doubt about going to heaven?” His response: “If I were depending on myself, I would have lots of doubts, I really would, but I’m depending on scripture. I’m not going to heaven because I am good. I’m not going to heaven because I preached to a lot of people. I’m going to heaven because of God’s grace and mercy in Christ on the cross”.  In several quotations in Bill Adler’s book, Billy Graham expresses regrets that he did not study more and develop himself better intellectually.  His limited intellectual gifts notwithstanding, he retained his gratitude and faith in God to the end despite severe health challenges. Charles Templeton was infinitely more gifted than Graham. He was a man of high intellect and was a successful newspaper editor, cartoonist, author and broadcaster while also making some impact in politics. Yet he lost faith in the existence of God. Who then lavishly endowed him with his talents and mental gifts? It is a grand irony.

  • Farewell to Billy Graham (1)

    I have had his autobiography, ‘Just As I Am’ on my bookshelf for some years now but never got round to reading more than a few paragraphs of the opening chapter. I refer to the world renowned US evangelist, Mr. Billy Graham, who passed on to the eternal destination he had made it his life’s mission to prepare men and women across the world for on Wednesday, February 22, at the age of 99. His was a long, eventful and impactful life. He preached in perhaps more countries and reached more human beings with the message of salvation through faith in Christ than any other missionary of his generation – some say than any other man in history.

    What I find most remarkable about Billy Graham’s Ministry is that he never claimed the power to perform miracles, to raise the dead, to open the eyes of the blind or turn paupers into instant millionaires. It was his simple message of the good news of salvation through Christ that drew millions to his crusades across the world in a preaching Ministry that lasted over seven decades. It was not his oratory, eloquence or intellect either. If those were the factors that defined his success, Nobel laureates, politicians, film stars and other celebrities of this world would readily trump him. Yet, his message resonated with both the poor and the rich; the weak and the powerful; he was as influential and impactful with drug addicts, the homeless destitute and desperate prostitutes on the streets as with the powerful, wealthy and influential classes of this world.

    What exactly could have been on Billy Graham’s mind as the end drew near? Did the words of his venerable predecessor, St. Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 come to him? As the famous Apostle put it in those verses as he neared the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”. How different this serenity, this confidence and peace at the approach of death in comparison to the famous atheist who, approaching the nadir of his life, declared that life is without purpose and man is nothing but a dark horse braying across a meaningless universe.

    In his book, ‘The Case for Faith’, the award winning Christian writer, thinker and journalist, Lee Strobel, gives us very interesting insights into the relationship between Billy Graham and one of his closest friends and co-workers in the vineyard of Christ, Charles Templeton, at the beginning of their careers in the 1940s that were later to diverge widely and irretrievably. Templeton had given his life to Christ early in life. As Strobel tells the story “After abandoning journalism for the ministry, Templeton met Graham in 1945 at a Youth for Christ rally. They were roommates and constant companions during an adventurous tour of Europe, alternating in the pulpit as they preached at rallies. Templeton founded a church that soon overflowed its 1,200 –seat sanctuary. His friendship with Graham grew. “He’s one of the few men I have ever loved in my life,” Graham once told a biographer”. Indeed, it was widely believed that Templeton would be the greatest and most talented and influential evangelist of his era. Alas, things didn’t turn out way.

    Before long, Templeton’s reason began to challenge his faith in the basic tenets of the Christian faith. How could there be so much pain and suffering in the world if there was really a God who was truly all loving and all powerful was one question that bothered him? Templeton was soon to abandon the Christian faith and become an agnostic, commentator and novelist in Canada. He exerted all the pressure he could to get Billy Graham to join him in abandoning a Christian faith he had ceased to believe in. At a point, Templeton seemed to be winning. Billy Graham had no answers to the philosophical and psychological questions that Templeton and other scholars were raising.  But there was another influence in Billy Graham’s life, a Christian educator, Henrietta Mears, who continually assured him that the Christian scriptures were trustworthy and dependable. After a heart-rending tug of war, Billy Graham decided he was going to accept the Bible as the word of God telling himself “I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts”. That made all the difference in his life. A disappointed Templeton expressed pity for Graham whom he claimed had “committed intellectual suicide by closing his mind”. The lives of the two friends, according to Strobel, began to diverge.

    Several years later, when Lee Strobel interviewed Charles Templeton for his book, ‘The Case for Faith’ in Toronto, Canada, Graham had become one of the world’s best known and impactful evangelists who was then staging his Indianapolis crusade. Templeton was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease but had just completed his latest book: ‘Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith”. It was a dramatic, emotional and heart-rending encounter.

    To be continued next week

  • CAN President mourns Billy Graham

    CAN President mourns Billy Graham

    Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President, Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) has described Evangelist Billy Graham as the most humble and influential religious leaders well known in the world.

    Ayokunle made the remark in an interview in Abuja, while reacting to the death of the renowned evangelist.

    The president noted that Graham’s departure, no doubt had left a big vacuum in the church at large, adding that he came, saw and conquered for the kingdom of God.

    He said that the deceased was too humble that he prayed for so many people around the globe and gave hope to generations.

    “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go to the family of the foremost Evangelist of the century, Billy Graham, on his transition to glory.

    “We give God the glory for a life well spent. He has fought the good fight, has finished the race and has kept the faith,’’ Ayokunle said.

    Graham was a Christian and a pastor in North Carolina. He took his evangelism crusades around the country and globe.

    He wrote so many books and preached to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries.

    Graham who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s like symptoms, died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, at the age of 99.

    NAN

  • Memorable quotes by Billy Graham

    Memorable quotes by Billy Graham

    William Billy Graham, an American evangelical Christian evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister, died on Wednesday at age 99.

    He was one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century.

    He held large indoor and outdoor rallies with sermons which were broadcast on radio and television.

    Graham is popularly known for his preaching of the message of Christ’s freedom and forgiveness around the world.

    Reverend Billy Graham has preached God’s Word with so much passion and conviction for over 60 years. We recall some of her memorable quotations.

    “Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”

    “Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to him in trust and confidence.”

    “Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity!”

    “Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

    “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”

    “God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’’

    “A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.”

    “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”

    “Christ not only died for all: he died for each.”

    “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.”

     

     

  • American preacher Billy Graham dies at 99

    American preacher Billy Graham dies at 99

    Celebrated American preacher Billy Graham is dead.

    The evangelist, whose voice changed the lives of millions, died on Wednesday at his home in Montreat, North Carolina at 99.

    His spokesman Jeremy Blume confirmed his death to CNN, which describes the deceased as “a confidant to presidents, a guiding light to generations of American evangelicals and a globe-trotting preacher who converted millions to Christianity.”

     

    The skinny preacher with the booming voice reportedly evangelized to nearly 215 million people over six decades and prayed with US presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.

    Several presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, relied closely on his spiritual counsel.

    People across the world, including President Donald Trump have mourned Graham’s death.

    Trump said in a tweet that “the GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man.”