Dan,

Glad to see some modern-day commentary from a dispensational perspective on the religious icon Billy Graham. Due to his age, health, and international stature it seems as if no-one is willing to be seen "criticizing" him in the interest of preventing "divisiveness" in the Body of Christ.

Despite his reputation for promoting love and ecumenical tolerance, I can honestly say that Graham's lack of discernment caused an extreme amount of discord in my own spiritual life as a young Christian. On the one hand, he promoted "assurance" of salvation but on the other failed to "rightly divide the Bible" by mixing Israel's Kingdom salvation requirements with "the gospel of the grace of God".

I remember two things specifically that he taught during his television crusades that perplexed me:

1. His demand that everyone in the stadium "come forward" publicly as an absolute requirement of "demonstrating" their faith, and then turning to the television camera and telling people that God would "accept them right where they are".

2. Saying that salvation was a "free gift" but then adding the additional requirement that people "repent of all their sins and turn their life completely over to God" as a "commitment requirement" for being justified.

J. Vernon McGhee used to call this kind of contradiction "commitment salvation", and today this kind of works salvation is referred to as "Lordship Salvation".

Even as a young believer trying to find some assurance of salvation, when I had literally NO bible knowledge, I recognized Billy Graham's message as completely confusing and contradictory.

To add insult to injury, he used to tell people at the conclusion of the television broadcasts to "make sure to go to church this Sunday".

Apparently, any type of church would do, but its impossible to say how destructive that bit of advice has been in the lives of millions of people. In my experience, most people have virtually no biblical discernment whatsoever, and tend to adopt the theological stance of their first significant pastor, bible study leader, or mentor in their early Christian lives.

Thus, the legacy of the Church above anything else is Biblical confusion and chaos despite the continual plea of Paul to "understand" what the will of the Lord is......and that God is "not the author of confusion".

By failing to rightly divide the Word, Graham has sown confusion in the Body of Christ. In my opinion, the gospel presentation was utterly experiential rather than the type of JUDICIAL presentation that Paul made in Romans.

The fact that our current generation is utterly obsessed with "feeling-oriented experience" above the biblical "faith-walk" (Colossians) can be traced to the obscure and confusing salvation message that Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism presented to the last three generations--"Un-Rightly Divided".

Also, I wonder how many Billy Graham converts are trusting a work for salvation?

I can hear them say "I went forward at a Billy Graham Crusade"...in answer to the question: "When were you saved"?

Going forward at a crusade doesn't save anyone, and NOT going forward doesn't indicate that that anyone is NOT saved.

Only personal volitional trust in Christ's Person (the virgin-born Deity) and Provision (the death, burial and resurrection) without works or human effort can save anyone.
[signed]