Thoughts on Evangelism and Billy Graham

I would like to comment on the documentary about Billy Graham (available SBS on demand for 3 months). But first I wish to share my thoughts on evangelism in general.

Evangelism and the Bible

Many years earlier, I saw some (news reports, textbooks on social sciences, church history, etc.) classify some Christian denominations and churches as evangelical. I thought to myself how could this be? The Great Commission is meant for EVERY Christian (Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”) How could some Christian churches or denominations be evangelical while others are not? I gradually appreciate what this means. Some have more emphasis on evangelism and some less so. (Or some are not serious Christians.)

So what does the Bible say? In the sermon of the Mount, Jesus said: (Matthew 5) 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. How to put this teaching into practice? This is the next topic.

Light to the World and in Christ

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

It is essential that you keep yourself in Christ. This is true for whatever you do and especially true for evangelism. John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. Do not think what you do but I do in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” All things we do, we must do them in Christ. You are not judged by how many people you convert but whether you are faithful to the Bible and follow the Holy Spirit. Consider Robert Morrison, an early Protestant missionary to China. It took him more than 10 years (?) to baptize the first Chinese. Yet his work is widely praised and remembered. As long as we do things in Christ and agrees with the Bible, God will credit them and ultimately that is what counts.

Evangelical Gifts

Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. So evangelism needs special gifts from God. Not everyone has such gifts. However, everyone should be light to the world and do evangelical work when the chance presents itself.

How to Spread the Gospel?

Knowing that you are light in Christ, you are ready to do God’s work. Pray for God’s wisdom. 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, This verse contains a lot of wisdom. It is important to be bold, as Jon shared in a previous sermon. Also, Billy Graham demonstrated boldness in several of his decisions. On the other hand, it is also important not to turn non-believers off. Many nonbelievers know what they want but do not know what they need. Many only consider God when they are in trouble or until they are desperate. It is important to make friends. Try to know your non-believers, whether co-workers or friends, and develop empathy for them. Gently mention Christ and keep the communication channels open. When the time is right you can be bold.

Comments on The Billy Graham Documentary

When I first learned about the Billy Graham documentary I was not too keen because I had heard some negative comments earlier. One or two were related to politics, which I will address below. In addition, I learned quite a lot about Billy Graham through David Aikman’s book: "Great Souls: Six Who Changed a Century", Lexington Books, 2003. (Incidentally, I learned about David Aikman through his book "Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Changing the Global Balance of Power", Regnery Publishing, 2003. Both these books are good.)

I read the chapter on Billy Graham in Great Souls. I remember David Aikman asked Billy Graham how he could last so long without a downfall. In the US, talented preachers might become famous, then corruption follows. If I remember correctly, Billy Graham said three g’s to avoid: gold, glory, girls. These terms should be clear in themselves.

This film is objective and good. It is good to learn about Billy Graham’s religious background, denomination et al. The keys to Billy Graham’s success are several. First, he could articulate ordinary people’s concerns and then connected such concerns to biblical teachings. This requires evangelical gifts from God, especially toward a huge audience. Second, he was not afraid of difficult decisions. There were times when opportunities were presented to him and he was able to take the opportunities. Third, he has the audience in mind. To address a large audience is no easy task. You always need to know what interests them.

Two critical comments of the film should be mentioned. One was by H. Richard Niebuhr who was a prominent professor at Yale Divinity School and the author of the influential book Christ and Culture (I have not read it but plan to in the future). He said something like that Billy Graham’s message of salvation was oversimplified. I think that he might have a valid point. However, comments in a documentary like this are often taken out of context. It is hard to say unless we know more about the context. In any event, 1 Conrithians 3:5-7 Paul planted the seed Apollos watered it but God made it grow. So at least Billy Graham played his role well.

A more serious problem was his friendship forged with former American Presidents, especially Richard Nixon. First, some of us try to avoid difficult problems. Politics is, or can be, a difficult topic. However, man by nature is a political animal (from Aristotle). Religious tendency is also part of human nature. Discussion of politics and religion cannot be avoided completely. Such discussions present challenges as well as opportunities. We need wisdom to deal with such issues. More serious challenge is political power. I am pretty sure when Billy Graham tried to access American presidents, his main objective was to let the gospel reach a wide audience or to be more effective, not in vain glory. Recall the 3g mentioned earlier. However, power corrupts. So the lesson for us is to be aware of possible corruption (not only politics but other powers too) and always ask God for wisdom.