Good morning,
Your message, “One Human Condition”*, was so good! I’m hanging on to that last sentence,
“So, hang in there, fellow sojourner. How things are in this world is not how things will always be.”
I watched a Billy Graham documentary just last night, and I learned just how political he was. I thought he just served as a “prayer advisor” for the presidents (from Truman to the second Bush), but that wasn’t it, at all. He was very involved in politics and preached on the evils of communism and how important it was to vote, etc. He even made political commercials for Nixon. During the early 70s, they had a big Billy Graham Day in Charlotte (his birthplace). Businesses and schools closed so they could have a big parade for him, and Nixon rode with him in the car during the parade. The whole event was all contrived just for Nixon to get exposure in the south and help him get re- elected.
They said that Billy Graham had been called “the most famous preacher on the planet” during the height of his preaching. Last night, I saw more than ever that it was all just a big performance on a stage. His first big preaching series when he went out on his own was in Los Angeles. He was a friend to many of the movie stars. One guy compared Mr. Graham to Frank Sinatra. He said he had met both of them, and they both had the same charisma (which was probably the truth). But in Christianity, Billy Graham was, and still is, considered a hero! He is the face of Christianity.
I remember watching his specially televised sermons with Mama when I was a little girl in the 60s and early 70s. I thought he must be a man of God. He was such a powerful speaker, and all of those people would go down for the altar call at the end. I had no idea that it was all a performance. Another Hollywood show.
I really saw it last night. They showed a few clips of his sermons, and they were so empty. There was nothing said of substance. He would tell them if you feel badly for your sins and want to turn your life around, come down here and ask Jesus to come into your life. That was it. I imagine all of those thousands of people who went down there, felt a little relief at the hope of getting some relief, but then what? Unless they received the One Hope, they were back to business as usual within a few hours. I know that because I’ve answered those altar calls myself. I cried and felt real conviction, and wanted something to help me change, but within a day or two, I was right back where I started. Those kind of “sermons” without the Holy Ghost really are “clouds without rain”.
Anyway, this is timely, that I would wake up to see what should be the rest of that documentary in this writing. It’s such a mess in all of that political world, and Christianity is a big part of that world. I felt it last night as I was watching that. I was so thankful I know the truth and can see Billy Graham and Christianity for what it is! I’m relieved to know I don’t have a part with any of it.
Lee Ann
*See post March 6, “One Human Condition”, by Pastor John Clark, Sr.)