| | BILLY GRAHAM
the POPE
and the BIBLE
by M.H. Reynolds, Jr.
Without a doubt, the two best known and highly respected
religious leaders in the world today are Dr. Billy Graham and
Pope John Paul 11. Both men have very attractive personalities
which understandably leave most of those who see and hear them
with very favorable impressions.
Billy Graham's influence in the religious world is the cumulative
result of his national and international evangelistic crusades
coupled with his extensive radio, T.V. and publishing ministry
extending over a period of some 35 years. He is the undisputed
leader of the world-wide evangelical movement.
On the other hand, Pope John Paul lI's influence has been of much
shorter duration (he became pope in 1978). However, as head of
the Roman Catholic Church, he attained immediate status and
influence with the millions of Roman Catholics. And, since
assuming his high office, he has become ''the most traveled
pope'' in the history of his church. These travels, widely
covered by the news media (radio, TV, newspapers and magazines)
have given John Paul 11 an unprecedented opportunity to influence
millions of non catholics, most of whom have been very favorably
impressed by his humble demeanor, gracious manner and personal
warmth.
The purpose of this article is not to demean, belittle or
criticize either Billy Graham or Pope John Paul 11 personally.
But, because of the tremendous influence which both men exercise,
it becomes absolutely essential to scripturally analyze and
evaluate what these two world religious leaders are saying and
doing. Should true Bible believers follow the leadership of
either Dr. Graham or Pope John Paul 11? The correct answer to
this question is of utmost importance!
There can be no question about the Pope's personal magnetism.
When he visited the USA in 1979, he received the broadest press
coverage of any news event since President Kennedy's
assassination in 1963.
TIME MAGAZINE said, 'Americans of all beliefs and backgrounds
teetered on tip toe to get a glimpse of him and roar their
approval,'' NEWSWEEK added: ''By his mere physical presence,
he seemed sometimes to have mesmerized the nation.''
TIME concluded that the Pope ''has been received here with more
applause than any other religious or secular leader in the
world,'' and went on to say, ''HE WAS A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, ALL
SITUATIONS, ALL FAITHS, A BEGUILING, MODEST, SUPERSTAR OF THE
CHURCH.''
Indeed, Pope John Paul 11 has great ''charisma.'' His personal
charm, his friendly smile, his apparently humble spirit and his
ability to say the right things at the right time to the right
people all combined to make such a favorable impression on most
Americans that he could have said almost anything and gotten
away with it!
Or course, it is true that Pope John Paul 11 has made some
statements and taken some positions with which true Bible
believers heartily agree. His statements against abortion,
divorce, euthanasia and homosexuality are certain ly commendable.
On the other hand, his strong position against capital punishment
and his duplicity in regard to the menace of communism are
deplorable.
Nevertheless, the basic question - the question which is of
supreme importance to every believer is this: "Does Pope John
Paul 11 - does the Roman Catholic Church - teach and preach the
one true gospel of salvation by grace through faith in the
finished work of Christ on the Cross and His bodily
resurrection?''
Many Christians mistakenly believe that the Roman Catholic Church
since Vatican Council 11 has completely changed and must now be
considered a truly "Christian'' church. The facts prove that such
is not the case. The changes since Vatican 11 and under the
leadership of Pope John Paul 11 have been largely ''cosmetic''
-changes in ''attitude" rather than basic doctrines. The evidence
to support such a conclusion is voluminous! Although Protestants
are now called ''separated brethren" or even ''brothers in
Christ'' rather than ''heretics'', the gospel of Roman Catholicism
is still a false gospel based on works, sacraments, confession,
mass, penance, prayers, medals, relics, shrines, indulgences,
purgatory and the mediatorial ministry of the Church, the
Priesthood, Mary and the Saints.
During the Pope's visit to America, he sald to the throng in
Chicago, ''By the Sacrament of Baptism we have been truly
incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ.'' While
celebrating the Mass on the Washington Mall, he prayed, ''Through
the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast we
celebrate today, may we come one day to the fulness of eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.''
This is not the one true gospel. It is a false gospel upon which
God has pronounced a curse. (Galatians 1:6-9.) No amount of
personal charm should be permitted to obscure the fact that the
Pope and the Church which he heads preaches a false gospel which
must be rejected and repudiated by all who will obey the Bible.
By contrast, Dr. Billy Graham has endeared himself to millions
around the world for more than three decades. He, too, has great
personal ''charisma.'' I have never met or listened to a more
likeable person. Many have come to know Jesus Christ as Saviour
through his world-wide ministry and we rejoice in this. At the
beginning of his evangelistic crusades, he identified with and
was supported by many fundamentalists. His simple gospel message;
his repeated references to ''The Bible Says''; his use of the old
gospel hymns and his giving of a personal invitation to receive
Christ as Saviour, found a warm response in the hearts of all who
love Christ and desire to make Him known.
Graham began his evangelistic ministry in 1947 but it was during
his first crusade in Los Angeles in 1949 that he received
nationwide publicity through the Hearst newspapers. Requests for
Graham to conduct crusades in other major cities came quickly as
reports of Graham's successful crusade in Los Angeles received
nationwide publicity. A question soon developed over local
sponsorship of Graham's crusades. At first, Graham said he would
never permit theological liberals to be on his local sponsoring
committees. But. as the crusades grew in size and more and more
churches became involved. Dr. Graham completely reversed his
position. Now. Billy Graham will not hold a crusade in any city
which cannot assure him of wide denominational support. This
means that theological liberals do serve on local crusade
sponsoring committees and crusade ''converts'' are referred to
liberal churches.
When Billy Graham began his ministry, he had no hesitancy in
identifying Communism, Catholicism and Ecumenism as enemies of
the gospel - and he warned about them. But, with the passage of
time, he has completely reversed his position and attitude toward
all three. Early in his ministry, when asked what he thought the
World Council of Churches would do at its forthcoming meeting,
Graham replied tersely, ''Elect the antichrist as president.''
But, by the time of the Lausanne Conference on Evangelism in
1974, when Graham was asked at a press conference about his
relationships with the WCC, he replied, ''As far as I know, we
have nothing but the warmest relationships with the World Council
of Churches." And, in 1983, Dr. Graham sent a cablegram to WCC
General Secretary, Dr. Philip Potter, expressing regret that he
could not accept an invitation to speak at the WCC Sixth Assembly
in Vancouver, B.C. because of schedule conflicts. Dr. Graham's
cordial attitude toward the iniquitous National Council of
Churches in the USA is also well known and includes his
participation as a speaker at one of their General Assemblies.
The drastic changes in Dr. Graham's attitude toward Communism are
also a matter of public record and should be of great concern,
not only to every true believer but to everyone who values
freedom and recognizes the continuing threat posed by the
worldwide Communist conspiracy.
Early in his ministry, Dr. Graham said, ''Today, Communism is the
medium through which he [Satan] operates to dupe, deceive and
delude that large segment of society which has chosen to believe
a lie. ...Today, millions are embracing the false religion of
Communism.'' Graham called the Communists, ''The disciples of
Lucifer, that in 30 years have slaughtered millions of innocent
persons.'' At that time, Graham had his facts about Communism
straight.
But in 1977, following a five day visit to Communist Hungary, Dr.
Graham said he ''regretted his former tendency to equate
Christianity with the American Way of Life and Communism with the
work of the Devil." Since that time, Graham has repeatedly made
statements favorable to Communism - statements which the Reds
have been quick to use in their worldwide propaganda programs. Of
course, Graham's participation as a speaker at the Communist-
sponsored, Communist-financed World Peace Conference
held in Moscow in May, 1982, represented a crowning climax to the
Communist efforts to use Graham's world-wide reputation as the
top leader of Evangelicalism to provide a ''cover-up'' for the
continuing Communist use and abuse of religion behind the Iron
Curtain. Billy Graham's statement, made following his visit to
Moscow, was, ''I saw no evidence of religious repression in
Russia.'' This statement, used by Communists around the world to
disarm their critics, is one of Graham's greatest contributions
to the Communist cause to date. And, Graham's new, changed
attitude toward Communism as an ''evangelical'' deprives true
believers of a most necessary voice of warning about this
anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Church, anti-Christian
system which has sworn to enslave the world.
But it is the complete ''about-face'' in Billy Graham's attitude
toward Roman Catholicism that presents the greatest and most
deceptive danger to the cause of Christ and the preaching of the
one, true Gospel. After all, Communism is admittedly atheistic
and Ecumenism is broad enough to include those who deny the very
basic doctrines of the Christian faith. But Catholicism claims
the title of ''Christian'' because it professes to believe in and
teach such basic scriptural doctrines as the Deity and Virgin
Birth of Christ; His death on the cross for our sins; and His
bodily resurrection. Yet, the history of Roman Catholicism and
its present teachings clearly prove that their ''gospel'' is
''another gospel'' a false gospel which has blinded the minds and
hearts of millions of people and still holds them in the chains
of spiritual darkness.
The change in Billy Graham's attitude toward Roman Catholicism
was gradual but continually escalating. At first, Catholics were
warned by their leaders not to attend the Graham crusades, but,
as Graham's attitude toward Catholicism softened, Catholic
opposition to his crusades diminished. It wasn't long before some
Catholic leaders spoke approvingly of the Graham crusades,
especially when he began referring Catholic ''converts'' back to
their own churches for follow-up.
In 1972. Dr. Graham received the Catholic International
Franciscan Award for''his contribution to ecumenism'' and his
''sincere and authentic evangelism.'' In that same year, the
official Vatican view of Graham's ministry was set forth in the
following words of Rev. Charles W. Dullea, Superior of the
Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome: ''Because he [Graham] is
preaching basic Christianity, he does not enter into matters
which today divide Christians. He does not touch on Sacraments or
Church in any detail. This is, for us Catholics, a loss. But from
another point of view it is a gain. For he is preaching basic
Christianity, not Protestantism per se. True, he implicitly
assumes certain Protestant positions in his own preaching,
assuming for example the 'Bible as the sole rule of faith' and
'private interpretation of Scripture' but these assumptions are
not obtrusive and in fact influence the main thrust of his sermons
little, if at all. The Catholic will hear no slighting of his Church's
teaching authority, nor of Papal or Episcopal prerogatives, no word
against the mass or sacraments or Catholic practices. Graham has no
time for that; he is preaching only Christ and a personal commitment
to Him.The catholic,in my opinion will hear little, if anything, he
cannot agree with. Perhaps occasionally a too literal interpretation
of Scripture will be heard or a too rigorous stricture on gambling
or drinking or smoking, but nothing against his faith.''
By 1983, Billy Graham was not merely referring crusade decision
cards to Roman Catholic churches but in the Orlando, Florida
Crusade, 150 Catholic lay people from that area were trained to
assist in the follow-up of Catholics who made ''decisions.'' THE
FLORIDA CATHOLIC, published in Orlando, Florida, revealed this
information, stating that the Catholic lay people had been
specially trained by a member of the Graham Team, Mr. Rick Marshall,
who explained the format of a special Graham Bible Study booklet
which he encouraged them to use in their follow-up. Mr. Marshall
was quoted as saying, ''The study was presented topically, not
doctrinally and therefore would not conflict with the theology of
a given church.'' It was later reported that 650 Catholics made
''decisions'' at this crusade. The time may not be too far
distant when the Graham Crusades will have full Roman Catholic
participation at every level.
Billy Graham, who has often been called the world's greatest
evangelist, must now also be recognized as one of the world's
greatest compromisers. By his own example and words he is leading
millions to believe that three of Christianity's greatest enemies
- Communism, Catholicism and Ecumenism are not really enemies at
all, but friends. In recent years, Graham's public statements
regarding all three of these enemies of the Gospel have been used
to improve their images as ''angels of light'' instead of
revealing their true identity as the ''messengers of Satan.''
In September, 1984, Pope John Paul 11 will be traveling to
Vancouver, B.C. as part of a planned visit to major Canadian
cities. In October, a Billy Graham Crusade is scheduled for the
same city. The Pope's visit will be the biggest event of the
year for Vancouver with over 250,000 expected to participate in
a huge outdoor mass and additional thousands expected to see the
Pope as he travels throughout the area in his bullet-proof ''
pope mobile.'' Roman Catholic Archbishop James Carney has announced
that during his visit the Pope will appeal for ecumenism and church
unity'' and predicts that ''the common desire for unity will be
reflected in the presence of leaders of other churches at the events.''
When Billy Graham arrives in Vancouver for his crusade, the crowds
will be much smaller but will involve dozens of churches and
pastors and hundreds of professed Christians from a great variety
of churches. Will any of these dare to warn about the dangers of
Catholicism and Ecumenism? The answer to that question is an
obvious ''no'' since Billy Graham is one of Pope John Paul lI's
greatest admirers and boosters. When Graham comes to Vancouver so
soon after the Pope's visit, he would have an ideal opportunity
to warn God's people about the false doctrines of Romanism.
Instead, unless he completely reverses his present position, he
may be expected to praise the Pope once again as he has in the
past, giving the impression that there is not really too much
difference in their theological positions.
Shortly before Pope John Paul lI's visit to the United States in
1979, Dr. Graham said that the Pope's coming ''could start a new
wave of spiritual revival in our nation which we desperately
need. In the short time he has been pope, John Paul 11 has become
the moral leader of the world. My prayers and the prayers of
countless other Protestants will be with him as he makes his
journey. His uncompromising moral stand and his warm human
personality have won the admiration of many from different
religious backgrounds and his visit will be of great significance
for all Americans as well as the world.'' If the Pope preaches a
false gospel (and he does), how could be possibly start a
''genuine spiritual revival?''
Following Pope John Paul lI's visit, Graham praised the Pope as a
''statesman, a pastor and an evangelist.'' Graham said that the
Pope was ''pointing people to Christ,'' and he called John Paul
11 "the greatest religious leader of the modern world.'' Graham
gave not one word of warning about the false gospel Roman
Catholicism and the Pope preach - not Gne waming about the
continuing efforts of Romanism toward spiritual and political
control of the world!
These and many other statements made by Billy Graham concerning
the Pope and Roman Catholicism indicate that Graham is deceived
and, in turn, is deceiving others. Those who have been truly
saved and delivered from the bondage of Roman Catholicism will
attest to that!
In July and August, 1983, the World Council of Churches held its
6th Assembly in Vancouver, B.C., where it once again demonstrated
conclusively that it is a tool of Satan rather than a testimony
for Christ. At Vancouver, the WCC program clearly revealed that
it's perimeters are so broad that even raw, heathen worship is
not only tolerated but welcomed and featured. Yet, both Billy
Graham and Pope John Paul 11 sent warm personal commendations and
greetings to the WCC. And now, with the scheduled coming of both
Graham and the Pope to the very same city, who could fail to see
that unscriptural bridges of fellowship are being encouraged
between Roman Catholicism, Ecumenism and Evangelicalism? Who can
fail to see that Billy Graham's changed, compromised position is
serving as a catalyst in the formation of the one-world, Harlot
Church described in the Book of Revelation?
It is not an easy or pleasant task to take a public stand against
the positions held by the world's two best known and loved
religious leaders, Dr. Billy Graham and Pope John Paul 11. But,
if we are to be true to God's Word, the Bible, we dare not remain
silent when they say and do that which is absolutely contrary to
the Scriptures.
The Bible commands believers to ''Have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them.'' Ephesians
5:11. Billy Graham insists on having fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness (Catholicism, Communism, Ecumenism)
and will not reprove them. Thus, Billy Graham is disobeying the
Word of God and those who follow his leadership are likewise
disobedient.
Pope John Paul 11 is preaching a false gospel. He is not "abiding
in the doctrine of Christ.'' Those who bid him ''God speed'' as
Billy Graham and many other evangelical and Charismatic leaders
do, are disobeying the Word of God. 2 John 9-11.
Fellow-believer, what will you do? Will you follow Billy Graham,
the Pope, or the Bible? May God help us to say with the apostles
of old, ''We ought to obey God rather than men!''
FUNDAMENTAL EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 6278 - LOS OSOS, CA 93412../ |