Fundamental
Evangelistic Association
selected
articles from:
©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt
Costella,
Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor
Billy Graham, the Pope,
and the Bible
by M.H. Reynolds,
Jr.
[This resource, written approximately 10 years ago, is no longer available
in print.]
WITHOUT A DOUBT, the two best known and highly
respected religious leaders in the world today are Dr. Billy Graham and Pope John Paul II.
Both men have very attractive personalities which understandably leave most of those who
see and hear them with very favorable impressions.
Billy Graham's influence in the religious world is the
cumulative result of his national and international evangelistic crusades coupled with his
extensive radio, T.V. and publishing ministry extending over a period of some 35 years. He
is the undisputed leader of the world-wide evangelical movement.
On the other hand, Pope John Paul II's influence has been
of much shorter duration (he became pope in 1978). However, as head of the Roman Catholic
Church, he attained immediate status and influence with the millions of Roman Catholics.
And, since assuming his high office, he has become "the most traveled pope" in
the history of his church. These travels, widely covered by the news media (radio, TV,
newspapers and magazines) have given John Paul II an unprecedented opportunity to
influence millions of noncatholics, most of whom have been very favorably impressed by his
humble demeanor, gracious manner and personal warmth.
The purpose of this article is not to demean, belittle or
criticize either Billy Graham or Pope John Paul II personally. But, because of the
tremendous influence which both men exercise, it becomes absolutely essential to
scripturally analyze and evaluate what these two world religious leaders are saying and
doing. Should true Bible believers follow the leadership of either Dr. Graham or Pope John
Paul II? The correct answer to this question is of utmost importance!
There can be no question about the Pope's personal
magnetism. When he visited the USA in 1979, he received the broadest press coverage of any
news event since President Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
TIME MAGAZINE said, "Americans of all beliefs and
backgrounds teetered oh tip toe to get a glimpse of him and roar their approval."
NEWSWEEK added: "By his mere physical presence, he seemed sometimes to have
mesmerized the nation." TIME concluded that the Pope "has been received herewith
more applause than any other religious or secular leader in the world," and went on
to say, "HE WAS A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, ALL SITUATIONS, ALL FAITHS, A BEGUILING,
MODEST, SUPERSTAR OF THE CHURCH."
Indeed, Pope John Paul II has great "charisma."
His personal charm, his friendly smile, his apparently humble spirit and his ability to
say the right things at the right time to the right people all combined to make such a
favorable impression on most Americans that he could have said almost anything and gotten
away with it!
Of course, it is true that Pope John Paul II has made some
statements and taken some positions with which true Bible believers heartily agree. His
statements against abortion, divorce, euthanasia and homosexuality are certainly
commendable. On the other hand, his strong position against capital punishment and his
duplicity in regard to the menace of communism are deplorable.
Nevertheless, the basic question - the question which is
of supreme importance to every believer is this: "Does Pope John Paul II - does the
Roman Catholic Church - teach and preach the one true gospel of salvation by grace through
faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross and His bodily resurrection?"
Many Christians mistakenly believe that the Roman Catholic
Church since Vatican Council II has completely changed and must now be considered a truly
"Christian" church. The facts prove that such is not the case. The changes since
Vatican II and under the leadership of Pope John Paul II have been largely
"cosmetic" -changes in "attitude" rather than basic doctrines. The
evidence to support such a conclusion is voluminous! Although Protestants are now called
"separated brethren" or even "brothers in Christ" rather than
"heretics", the gospel of Roman Catholicism is still a false gospel based on
works, sacraments, confession, mass, penance, prayers, medals, relics, shrines,
indulgences, purgatory and the mediatorial ministry of the Church, the Priesthood, Mary
and the Saints.
During the Pope's visit to America, he said to the throng
in Chicago, "By the Sacrament of Baptism we have been truly incorporated into the
crucified and glorified Christ." While celebrating the Mass on the Washington Mall,
he prayed, "Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast we
celebrate today, may we come one day to the fullness of eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord, Amen."
This is not the one true gospel. It is a false gospel upon
which God has pronounced a curse. (Galatians 1:6-9.) No amount of personal charm should be
permitted to obscure the fact that the Pope and the Church which he heads preaches a false
gospel which must be rejected and repudiated by all who will obey the Bible.
By contrast, Dr. Billy Graham has endeared himself to
millions around the world for more than three decades. He, too, has great personal
"charisma." I have never met or listened to a more likable person. Many have
come to know Jesus Christ as Saviour through his world-wide ministry and we rejoice in
this. At the beginning of his evangelistic crusades, he identified with and was supported
by many fundamentalists. His simple gospel message; his repeated references to "The
Bible Says"; his use of the old gospel hymns and his giving of a personal invitation
to receive Christ as Saviour, found a warm response in the hearts of all who love Christ
and desire to make Him known.
Graham began his evangelistic ministry in 1947 but it was
during his first crusade in Los Angeles in 1949 that he received nationwide publicity
through the Hearst newspapers. Requests for Graham to conduct crusades in other major
cities came quickly as reports of Graham's successful crusade in Los Angeles received
nationwide publicity. A question soon developed over local sponsorship of Graham's
crusades. At first, Graham said he would never permit theological liberals to be on his
local sponsoring committees. But, as the crusades grew in size and more and more churches
became involved, Dr. Graham completely reversed his position. Now, Billy Graham will not
hold a crusade in any city which cannot assure him of wide denominational support. This
means that theological liberals do serve on local crusade sponsoring committees and
crusade "converts" are referred to liberal churches.
When Billy Graham began his ministry, he had no hesitancy
in identifying Communism, Catholicism and Ecumenism as enemies of the gospel - and he
warned about them. But, with the passage of time, he has completely reversed his position
and attitude toward all three. Early in his ministry, when asked what he thought the World
Council of Churches would do at its forthcoming meeting, Graham replied tersely,
"Elect the antichrist as president." But, by the time of the Lausanne Conference
on Evangelism in 1974, when Graham was asked at a press conference about his relationships
with the WCC, he replied, "As far as I know, we have nothing but the warmest
relationships with the World Council of Churches." And, in 1 983, Dr. Graham sent a
cablegram to WCC General Secretary, Dr. Philip Potter, expressing regret that he could not
accept an invitation to speak at the WCC Sixth Assembly in Vancouver, B.C. because of
schedule conflicts. Dr. Graham's cordial attitude toward the iniquitous National Council
of Churches in the USA is also well known and includes his participation as a speaker at
one of their General Assemblies.
The drastic changes in Dr. Graham's attitude toward
Communism are also a matter of public record and should be of great concern, not only to
every true believer but to everyone who values freedom and recognizes the continuing
threat posed by the worldwide Communist conspiracy.
Early in his ministry, Dr. Graham said, "Today,
Communism is the medium through which he [Satan] operates to dupe, deceive and delude that
large segment of society which has chosen to believe a lie. ...Today, millions are
embracing the false religion of Communism." Graham called the Communists, "The
disciples of Lucifer, that in 30 years have slaughtered millions of innocent
persons." At that time, Graham had his facts about Communism straight.
But in 1977, following a five day visit to Communist
Hungary, Dr. Graham said he "regretted his former tendency to equate Christianity
with the American Way of Life and Communism with the work of the Devil." Since that
time, Graham has repeatedly made statements favorable to Communism - statements which the
Reds have been quick to use in their worldwide propaganda programs. Of course, Graham's
participation as a speaker at the Communist-sponsored, Communist-financed World Peace
Conference held in Moscow in May, 1982, represented a crowning climax to the Communist
efforts to use Graham's world-wide reputation as the top leader of Evangelicalism to
provide a "cover-up" for the continuing Communist use and abuse of religion
behind the Iron Curtain. Billy Graham's statement, made following his visit to Moscow,
was, "I saw no evidence of religious repression in Russia." This statement, used
by Communists around the world to disarm their critics, is one of Graham's greatest
contributions to the Communist cause to date. And, Graham's new, changed attitude toward
Communism as an "evangelical" deprives true believers of a most necessary voice
of warning about this anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Church, anti-Christian
system which has sworn to enslave the world.
But it is the complete "about-face" in Billy
Graham's attitude toward Roman Catholicism that presents the greatest and most deceptive
danger to the cause of Christ and the preaching of the one, true Gospel, After all,
Communism is admittedly atheistic and Ecumenism is broad enough to include those who deny
the very basic doctrines of the Christian faith. But Catholicism claims the title of
"Christian" because it professes to believe in and teach such basic scriptural
doctrines as the Deity and Virgin Birth of Christ; His death on the cross for our sins;
and His bodily resurrection. Yet, the history of Roman Catholicism and its present
teachings clearly prove that their "gospel" is "another gospel" a
false gospel which has blinded the minds and hearts of millions of people and still holds
them in the chains of spiritual darkness.
The change in Billy Graham's attitude toward Roman
Catholicism was gradual but continually escalating. At first, Catholics were warned by
their leaders not to attend the Graham crusades, but, as Graham's attitude toward
Catholicism softened, Catholic opposition to his crusades diminished. It wasn't long
before some Catholic leaders spoke approvingly of the Graham crusades, especially when he
began referring Catholic "converts" back to their own churches for follow-up.
In 1972, Dr. Graham received the Catholic International
Franciscan Award for "his contribution to true ecumenism" and his "sincere
and authentic evangelism." In that same year, the official Vatican view of Graham's
ministry was set forth in the following words of Rev. Charles W. Dullea, Superior of the
Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome: "Because he [Graham] is preaching basic
Christianity, he does not enter into matters which today divide Christians. He does not
touch on Sacraments or Church in any detail. This is, for us Catholics, a loss. But from
another point of view it is a gain. For he is preaching basic Christianity, not
Protestantism per se. True, he implicitly assumes certain Protestant positions in his own
preaching, assuming for example the 'Bible as the sole rule of faith' and ‘private
interpretation of Scripture' but these assumptions are not obtrusive and in fact influence
the main thrust of his sermons little, if at all. The Catholic will hear no slighting of
his Church's teaching authority, nor of Papal or Episcopal prerogatives, no word against
the mass or sacraments or Catholic practices. Graham has no time for that; he is preaching
only Christ and a personal commitment to Him. The Catholic, in my opinion will hear
little, if anything, he cannot agree with. Perhaps occasionally a too literal
interpretation of Scripture will be heard or a too rigorous stricture on gambling or
drinking or smoking, but nothing against his faith."
By 1983, Billy Graham was not merely referring crusade
decision cards to Roman Catholic churches but in the Orlando, Florida Crusade, 150
Catholic lay people from that area were trained to assist in the follow-up of Catholics
who made "decisions." THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC, published in Orlando, Florida,
revealed this information, stating that the Catholic lay people had been specially trained
by a member of the Graham Team, Mr. Rick Marshall, who explained the format of a special
Graham Bible Study booklet which he encouraged them to use in their follow-up. Mr.
Marshall was quoted as saying, "The study was presented topically, not doctrinally
and therefore would not conflict with the theology of a given church." It was later
reported that 650 Catholics made "decisions" at this crusade. The time may not
be too far distant when the Graham Crusades will have full Roman Catholic participation at
every level.
Billy Graham, who has often been called the world's
greatest evangelist, must now also be recognized as one of the world's greatest
compromisers. By his own example and words he is leading millions to believe that three of
Christianity's greatest enemies - Communism, Catholicism and Ecumenism are not really
enemies at all, but friends. In recent years, Graham's public statements regarding all
three of these enemies of the Gospel have been used to improve their images as
"angels of light" instead of revealing their true identity as the
"messengers of Satan."
In September, 1984, Pope John Paul II will be traveling to
Vancouver, B.C. as part of a planned visit to major Canadian cities. In October, a Billy
Graham Crusade is scheduled for the same city. The Pope's visit will be the biggest event
of the year for Vancouver with over 250,000 expected to participate in a huge outdoor mass
and additional thousands expected to see the Pope as he travels throughout the area in his
bullet-proof "popemobile." Roman Catholic Archbishop James Carney has announced
that during his visit the Pope will appeal for "ecumenism and church unity" and
predicts that "the common desire for unity will be reflected in the presence of
leaders of other churches at the events."
When Billy Graham arrives in Vancouver for his crusade,
the crowds will be much smaller but will involve dozens of churches and pastors and
hundreds of professed Christians from a great variety of churches. Will any of these dare
to warn about the dangers of Catholicism and Ecumenism? The answer to that question is an
obvious "no" since Billy Graham is one of Pope John Paul II's greatest admirers
and boosters. When Graham comes to Vancouver so soon after the Pope's visit, he would have
an ideal opportunity to warn God's people about the false doctrines of Romanism. Instead,
unless he completely reverses his present position, he may be expected to praise the Pope
once again as he has in the past, giving the impression that there is not really too much
difference in their theological positions.
Shortly before Pope John Paul II's visit to the United
States in 1979, Dr. Graham said that the Pope's coming "could start a new wave of
spiritual revival in our nation which we desperately need. In the short time he has been
pope, John Paul II has become the moral leader of the world. My prayers and the prayers of
countless other Protestants will be with him as he makes his journey. His uncompromising
moral stand and his warm human personality have won the admiration of many from different
religious backgrounds and his visit will be of great significance for all Americans as
well as the world." If the Pope preaches a false gospel (and he does), how could be
possibly start a "genuine spiritual revival?"
Following Pope John Paul II's visit, Graham praised the
Pope as a "statesman, a pastor and an evangelist." Graham said that the Pope was
"pointing people to Christ," and he called John Paul II "the greatest
religious leader of the modern world." Graham gave not one word of warning about the
false gospel Roman Catholicism and the Pope preach - not one warning about the continuing
efforts of Romanism toward spiritual and political control of the world!
These and many other statements made by Billy Graham
concerning the Pope and Roman Catholicism indicate that Graham is deceived and, in turn,
is deceiving others. Those who have been truly saved and delivered from the bondage of
Roman Catholicism will attest to that!
In July and August,1983, the World Council of Churches
held its 6th Assembly in Vancouver, B.C., where it once again demonstrated conclusively
that it is a tool of Satan rather than a testimony for Christ. At Vancouver, the WCC
program clearly revealed that it's perimeters are so broad that even raw, heathen worship
is not only tolerated but welcomed and featured. Yet, both Billy Graham and Pope John Paul
II sent warm personal commendations and greetings to the WCC. And now, with the scheduled
coming of both Graham and the Pope to the very same city, who could fail to see that
unscriptural bridges of fellowship are being encouraged between Roman Catholicism,
Ecumenism and Evangelicalism? Who can fail to see that Billy Graham's changed, compromised
position is serving as a catalyst in the formation of the one-world, Harlot Church
described in the Book of Revelation?
It is not an easy or pleasant task to take a public stand
against the positions held by the world's two best known and loved religious leaders, Dr.
Billy Graham and Pope John Paul II. But, if we are to be true to God's Word, the Bible, we
dare not remain silent when they say and do that which is absolutely contrary to the
Scriptures.
The Bible commands believers to "Have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:1 1.
Billy Graham insists on having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness
(Catholicism, Communism, Ecumenism) and will not reprove them. Thus, Billy Graham is
disobeying the Word of God and those who follow his leadership are likewise disobedient.
Pope John Paul II is preaching a false gospel. He is not
"abiding in the doctrine of Christ." Those who bid him "God speed" as
Billy Graham and many other evangelical and Charismatic leaders do, are disobeying the
Word of God. 2 John 9-1 1.
Fellow-believer, what will you do? Will you follow Billy
Graham, the Pope, or the Bible? May God help us to say with the apostles of old, "We
ought to obey God rather than men!"
FOUNDATION Magazine is available from the Fundamental Evangelistic Association. Click
here 
to go to the ordering form / price list.
Return to FOUNDATION
Magazine Index Page
