Last year in a Newsweek interview, Billy Graham was asked if Heaven will be closed to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and others who do not believe in Christ. This was his Osteenesque reply:

“Those are decisions only the Lord will make…I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have.”

 

Graham’s own words betray his theological disposition to the sort of universalism which is popular today among men such as Greg Boyd and Clark Pinnock.

Now I have spoken to many people about these statements. And those who love Billy Graham and who have loved his ministry remark that these statements do not change anything. “That still doesn’t make him a bad evangelist,” one friend told me. Another friend told me that we should overlook it due to Graham’s old age!

Well, last years statements may be attributed to Graham’s old age, but what about his interview with Robert Schuller from May 31, 1997, more than 10 years ago? Was he senile then?

Here is an excerpt:

Dr. Schuller: “Tell me, what is the future of Christianity?”

Dr. Graham: “Well, Christianity and being a true believer, you know, I think there’s the body of Christ which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think that everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the body of Christ. And I don’t think that we’re going to see a great sweeping revival that will turn the whole world to Christ at any time.”

“What God is doing today is calling people out of the world for His name. Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts they need something that they don’t have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they’re saved and they’re going to be with us in heaven.”

Did you hear that? According to Billy Graham, God is calling people out of the world for himself and not necessarily bringing them to Christ. Jews, Muslims, Buddists, as well as other non-believers are “going to be with us in heaven” even though they do not “know the name of Jesus.” Should we still respect Dr. Graham?

Dr. Schuller: “What I hear you saying is that it’s possible for Jesus Christ to come into a human heart and soul and life even if they’ve been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you’re saying?”

Dr. Graham: “Yes it is because I believe that. I’ve met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, have never heard of Jesus but they’ve believed in their hearts that there is a God and they tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived.”

Dr. Schuller: “This is fantastic. I’m so thrilled to hear you say that. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.

Dr. Graham: There is. There definitely is.”

Other related information can be found here.

Billy Graham has been known as one of the greatest evangelist’s of our day, though that point can be debated based on the evidence. His Evangelistic Association is all over the world with the message of the gospel. The statement of faith even declares:

*That all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, and need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through His shed blood on the cross.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association statement of faith, and even their response to an email sent by one concerned reader of the Schuller/Graham interview is completely irreconcilable with the statements of Dr. Graham, both then and now.

I can not help but be reminded of the recent Joel Osteen interview with Larry King. One expects this sort of thing from Osteen, but from Billy Graham. He’s an American icon. He’s the guy that an entire generation of Baptist preachers patterned their ministries after. What’s going on?

I do not think Billy Graham is senile. I think he is a heretic. He is as much a heretic as the late Mother Teresa, who was weak in her ideas regarding atonement. Does this make Billy Graham a bad evangelist? I say it makes him a bad person; a bad Christian. He, by in his own words has denied the fundamental truth of the gospel: that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 ESV). His statements deny the testimony of Jesus himself, namely, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6 (ESV).

It is no wonder that Schuller was thrilled with Graham’s statements. I’m sure other heretics are excited as well. I wonder what has caused Graham to cross the line? Whaever the reason, the words of Dr. Bob Jones III may be worth quoting:

Billy Graham “has done more harm to the cause of Christ than any other living man.”

I do not know if I would fully concur with Jones, but one has to think about the influence Graham has had on Christianity. His evangelistic methods have been questionable biblically, and has contributed to the rampant decisionism we see today in this country, a decisionism which gives people who have never repented a false hope and security regarding salvation, and then turns them out to live like the rest of the world.

The apostle Paul said,

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8 ESV).

Anytime one denies that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and that people can be a part of the body of Christ apart from the name of Christ has abandoned the true gospel and turned to another. Billy Graham’s ministry and preaching needs to be evaluated critically from a biblical perspective, and not from an emotional one. If, God forbid, John Piper were to say the same things in an interview with Larry King tomorrow I would have to say the same things about him (and I love John Piper).