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to the National Press | 6/22/05
Dr.
Paul Schenck, chairman of Faith and Action, is seen here greeting Billy Graham
in 1988 when he hosted the evangelist during his Greater Niagara Crusade in New
York. By Rev. Rob Schenck This weekend I will
attend what looks like it will be Billy Graham's last full-scale crusade. This
will be a bittersweet experience for me. Dr. Graham has been a role model for
all 25 years of my ministry career. It's hard to watch his sun set. But you can
see in his face and hear in his voice that this unparalleled evangelist to the
nations is tired. His preaching has spanned over six decades and has reached the
ears of over 200 million people. I guess that qualifies him for what is sure to
be only semi-retirement. There is so much to say in praise of this man.
He has been consistent and utterly devoted in his calling to proclaim the Gospel
of salvation in Jesus Christ. I heard him say in person that while he was tempted
over the years to stray from his simple message, he knew that God had called and
equipped him to be only an evangelist. Entering into any other territory, he noted,
would have resulted in failure. Billy Graham also knew his weaknesses, as
much as his strengths. I sat in on a rather intimate session with him while attending
the first International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam, Holland
in 1983. During the question and answer period, Dr. Graham was asked by an Indian
evangelist, "Why have you been so successful all these years? You are a simple
preacher. I can preach better than you!" Without flinching, Dr. Graham pointed
to his longtime executive vice president, the late George Wilson, and said, "Because
of this man and his excellent business skills. You are right. If it were just
me, I would still be a simple preacher moving from little church to little church.
But this man was gifted by God to help us build this organization." Billy
Graham had a realistic assessment of himself and he has never played the celebrity.
He has eschewed the trappings of world renown, insisting on being driven to and
from the giant stadiums that are his venues in common, American-made cars. At
that same conference I attended in Amsterdam, when one of his associates came
up with the idea of deploying all 3000 of us onto the streets of this highly secular
and immoral city, Dr. Graham did not exempt himself. There he was, in the streets,
with dark glasses and a funny hat pulled down over his eyes, sharing the Gospel
with passers-by just like the rest of us. Billy Graham is also a man of
integrity in his personal and private lives. He set the gold standard for all
of us in the peculiar world of itinerant preachers, but at the same time he also
raised the bar for every religious leader. He assiduously avoided scandal by demanding
the most ethical and professional conduct of himself, his associates and his organization.
When he made a faux pas, he learned from it and quickly adjusted to avoid it ever
happening again. Every aspect of his finances and business dealings has always
been public and regularly audited and reported. Notwithstanding my great
admiration for this man, I do have a realistic appreciation for Dr. Graham's weaknesses
as well. We are all human and have our downsides, and so does he. For example,
Dr. Graham was slow to order the integration of his southern crusades. He did
eventually do it before laws said that you had to, but he also tolerated separate
seating sections for a period of time. And, while he met with Martin Luther King,
Jr., he didn't march with him. That's disappointing to me. Dr. Graham hasn't
always been clear on the other great moral issues of our day either. He has sometimes
made room for abortion under certain circumstances and would not enter the debate
over same-sex marriage. He never issued an opinion on the judicial killing of
Terri Schiavo. I understand these sides to Billy Graham, though. He was
a product of his times. Today's Christian leaders don't have the luxury of avoiding
these highly controversial issues. We do not have the excuse of pre-Roe v. Wade
ignorance about the unborn child. Homosexuality is fully out of the closet and
into the mainstream, including classrooms and prime-time television. The Pledge
of Allegiance to the flag of one nation, "under God," is under assault.
The leader that takes Billy Graham's place, if there ever is one, will have to
offer clarity on these crucial issues that affect our spiritual and temporal lives
in ways they did not during Dr. Graham's reign. Yet, here I am on Capitol
Hill in Washington, D.C., enjoying the strength of working with a White House
occupied by a president who is himself an Evangelical as a result of Billy Graham's
influence. I interact with two leaders of Congress that are Evangelical Christians
representing majorities in both houses that are largely sympathetic to the concerns
of Evangelicals. And when I announce that I am an Evangelical leading an Evangelical
organization, I instantly have their attention and the attention of the media,
my "other pulpit." All of this can in large part be credited to Billy
Graham who was almost singularly used by God to bring about a resurgence of Evangelicalism
in the United States. Here's to you, Billy Graham, faithful Christian, humble
servant, great evangelist, brave leader, model American: God bless and preserve
the fruit of your life and ministry!
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