Every Christian Should Be A Berean
4 Sep 2005
I just received an email from a dear friend, one whose opinion I greatly respect. He questioned our inclusion of the article “Preaching a Celebrity Gospel” in our ministry’s current newsletter. This article addresses the willingness of preachers to compromise the Gospel in order to achieve or sustain celebrity status. It uses Dr. Billy Graham and Rev. Joel Osteen as a couple of current examples.
According to the article, both Graham and Osteen were recently interviewed separately by Larry King. In both interviews, King asked if adherents to other religions would go to heaven, despite the fact that they reject Jesus Christ as the only way to God. In response, neither Osteen nor Graham were willing to clearly state the unpopular Scriptural truth that the consequence of rejecting Christ is the forfeiture of one’s immortal soul. Dr. Graham’s answer, “That’s in God’s hands. I can’t judge,” appears to call into question the Gospel of Jesus Christ, since the Gospel plainly proclaims that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
Although my friend apparently had no problem with the article’s use of Joel Osteen as an example of a preacher compromising the Gospel for celebrity status, he did take strong exception to the article’s use of Billy Graham. My friend wrote: “Billy Graham has been driven throughout his life, not by the seeking of any celebrity status, but by the command of Jesus to make the Gospel known. Jesus taught us that only a good tree bears good fruit. The Graham family looks like good fruit to me…Before I would defame another Christian preacher, especially one like Billy Graham, I would consider how many thousands of souls I have led to our Savior.”
Although I share my friend’s admiration for Dr. Graham’s past service to our Master, as well as readily admit that our meager ministry pales in comparison to Billy Graham’s—a ministry that has been miraculously used by God through the years to reach thousands for Christ—I don’t feel Dr. Graham’s past performance justifies some of his recent comments. Furthermore, to let them go unchallenged is to fail in our responsibility as the stewards and guardians of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When someone like me misspeaks or misrepresents the Gospel, the damage is somewhat minimal; however, when someone like Billy Graham, the world’s most famous evangelist, sounds an uncertain sound (1 Corinthians 14:8), many souls are imperiled. Therefore, contrary to popular opinion, Billy Graham should be as closely scrutinized, if not more so, as any other preacher. If the Bereans were commended for checking out the preaching of the Apostle Paul with the Word of God (Acts 17:11), don’t you think it’s okay for us to check out the preaching of Billy Graham with God’s Word?
Don Walton
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