June marked a turning point in America’s spiritual consciousness. New York City saw the last crusade of the Rev. Billy Graham, the most effective evangelist of the 20th century.
“The Big Tent,” a fascinating article by Peter J. Boyer in the Aug. 22 issue of The New Yorker, provides a deep look into the formation of modern day evangelicalism.
The evolution of evangelicalism from yesterday to today as symbolized by the differences between Billy and Franklin Graham should be of concern to not just the Christian faithful but to all who care about the spiritual health of this nation.
The New Yorker’s title for the article, “The Big Tent,” is a dead-on summation of Billy Graham’s ministry. He extended his reach everywhere: judging no one, loving everyone. He had a simple, consistent message that he repeated ad infinitum: “God loves you. He sent his son to die for you. He wants a relationship with you.”
It seemed like Billy Graham was friends with everybody. Democrats, Republicans, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Mormons — they didn’t receive judgment from Billy Graham, they got an open hand. He knew that judgment was up to God, not him. With this kind of inclusive approach, Billy’s message was accessible to almost everyone.
His son is a different matter. Franklin Graham proclaimed that Islam is “wicked, violent and not of the same God [as Christianity].” He’s also said the United Nations will fail because it’s a “godless enterprise.” During the Lewinsky scandal, he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal judging and condemning Bill Clinton.
Suddenly, that tent doesn’t seem quite so roomy. Muslims and Democrats might wonder how welcome they would be at one of Franklin’s crusades.
This radical change is a testament to the tragedy that is the politicizing of evangelical Christianity that we’ve seen over the past 25 years. Many, many Christians see our nation and its woes and wish to heal it. The method so many of them have chosen is political action — working to legislate this country into Christian goodness. Their hearts are in the right place, but I think they’re misguided. The fact that Billy Graham has tried to steer clear of the political world is evidence that he might concur.
If the objective is a more Christ-like nation — and that’s a great goal that mystic-occultist-libertine-deviant David Swindle endorses — there seems to be a much easier, more loving, more practical solution. Don’t push for more Christian, Biblical-based legislation. Instead, try to make more Billy Graham-style Christians.
I’ve got strange bedfellows in this opinion, though. Recently, conservative pundit Cal Thomas wrote, “Too many Christians think if they shout loud enough and gain political strength, the world will be improved. That is a false doctrine. I have never seen anyone ‘converted’ to a Christian’s point of view [and those views are not uniform] through political power. I have often seen someone’s views changed after they have experienced true conversion and then lived by different standards and lived for goals beyond concern over which political party controls the government.”
Hopefully, Thomas and I agreeing on something isn’t a sign of the apocalypse. I’m still an optimist holding out hope that a nation with more Billy Graham Christians is more than just a dream.
Write to David at
swimminginbrokenglass@gmail.com
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