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| More than one minister confessed to me that he wanted to preach with a big open Bible, but each one was afraid he would drop it. |
Someone asked me about Billy Graham and Universalism. The issue reminded me of C. S. Lewis and some other figures. In the Evangelical realm, celebrities become untouchable and beyond all criticism - like CFW Walther. Not as bad as Walther worship, but close.
The academic dean at Ecclesia College pushed back any criticism of Andy Stanley, the sad-faced son of Charles Stanley, the heresiarch of the South - a Napoleon Hill and David (nee Paul) Y. Cho disciple. Stanley - celebrity - untouchable.
I am not sure of Graham's doctrine. With an organization that big, the message tends to be watered down to please as many as possible. One LCMS pastor said Graham ruined his synod; I offered my Walther graphic as an alternative cause. Another UOJ pastor publicly praised Graham. Confusion reigns there.
One reader wanted me to know that Hearst's order to "puff Graham" (a newspaper term for all-out promotion) made the man famous. That is no secret, because I heard Graham say it himself, and it was mentioned from time to time by the organization.
The Washington Post just published a hate piece on Graham, to mark his death. I read through it, because I know the story fairly well. It read like a new journalism graduate discovered "Graham. Was. Human. Oh no!"
When I read National Review, long ago, I was at first irritated then impressed by William F. Buckley's memorial notices. (Don't start on WFB - I agree.) Those who were sworn enemies of conservatism were given proper respect for the positive aspects of their lives. I was so impressed by them that I read every one, often because I did not know the good or bad person, and I enjoyed the information and style of the post-mortem. Some of them were collected in a book, and I was tempted to buy it. They were that good.
When someone has just died, it is important to recognize his impact rather than pick at his faults. Did Graham transition America to TV evangelists who were complete frauds? I do not blame him. The ancients among us may remember the time when the mainline denominations owned the public media - getting free or cheap time to broadcast whatever they wished. I looked forward to The Lutheran Hour. Roman Catholics remember Bishop Fulton Sheen - someone who is still remarkable in his own way - on YouTube tapes of his performances. He was quite the performer. When asked to comment on Easter, he gave an oration. He finished saying, "You just heard my Easter sermon." A voice in the back said, "They just heard mine too." Gales of laughter followed.
The mainline denominations abandoned TV and radio, cursing those who filled in afterwards. I was in the LCA when most pastoral meetings covered how evil D. James Kennedy and others were - ministers whose annual parish income equaled the LCA's, $30 million or more. How dare they fill the void left by the mainlines!
I recall the LCA's Word and Witness tape where the speaker's voice trembled with rage, because the "Evangelicals did not have a spark of grace in them." He meant - "They do not teach Universal Objective Justification."
When I was at Mequon, I recall several students of Valleskey piping up about D. James Kennedy - verbatim. "He is an Arminian, so he does not teach a limited Atonement." Much later I realized they were appropriating him, as part of the cloud of witnesses to claim everyone was already forgiven and saved.
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| Fingerprint evidence proves they were all at Fuller - and loving it. |
Post-Fuller America
The nostalgic among us remember a pre-Fuller America where the basic confessions were easily observed:
- Traditional Lutherans - The Lutheran Hour
- Traditional Catholics - Bishop Sheen
- Traditional Baptists - Billy Graham.
In Phoenix, ELCA had a Community of Joy congregation dedicated to entertainment. They left ELCA and dissolved when the Fuller-trained pastor finally got tired of running a religious Ed Sullivan show. The Assemblies of God took over everything.
Now everyone goes to Fuller, and all the denominations are failing. It is like going to a fake doctor's office to get a deadly disease, and getting charged a pretty penny for it too. And yet the Gadarene stampede continues.
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| Why Fuller? Everyone goes to Fuller for a promotion! |
The "conservative" Lutheran leaders cannot even teach the Gospel of Paul, and they rejoice in their agreement with the dogma of ELCA. Kenda would say, "Why are the conservative seminaries emptying out with the same haste as ELCA's? Do they have something in common with ELCA?"
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| False teachers send themselves, as Luther wrote. |
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| Mein Leben in Rose |
La Vie en Rose is a movie too.
