Thursday, May 10, 2012

DOES BILLY GRAHAM ADVOCATE “CHRISTIAN SHARIA”?


Of all the attacks that have come against Rev. Billy Graham in his decades of ministry, a recent attack from gay activist Wayne Besen may be the most ridiculous yet. It was all because Graham took out a full-page ad in 14 North Carolina newspapers supporting the now-passed Marriage Amendment. How dare he!

The ad featured a large picture of Graham with these words: “At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage. The Bible is clear — God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. I want to urge my fellow North Carolinians to vote FOR the marriage amendment on Tuesday, May 8. God bless you as you vote.”

That’s it. A simple statement by the most respected Christian leader in America in the 20th century reaffirming what was never disputed until recent years, despite the presence of homosexual relationships in various societies for countless centuries: Marriage is between a man and a woman, and, for those who care to know, there’s not a syllable in the Scriptures that gives the slightest hint that marriage is intended to be anything other than the union of a man and a woman.

How did Besen respond to the ad? He called Graham a “onetime anti-Semite,” referred to him as “this fraud,” grouped him with other “totalitarian preachers,” and claimed that “Graham is now trying to jam his own church’s rules and doctrine down my throat” and that “he thinks I should be forced against my will to live by its rules.”

Besen asked, “Do we now make our civil laws based upon Christian Sharia? Do we all have to follow his version of the Bible or be punished by government? And if this is the case, are we really a free country? Are we really much different than Iran, or is it only by a matter of degrees or a matter of time until these so-called ‘Christian Supremacists’ get their paws on all of our laws?” (Yes, this is meant to be taken seriously.)

Besen continued: “I’m not sure who Billy Graham thinks he is. But it seems like he believes he is superior and his followers have a mandate to hijack civil law and decide for the rest of us how we live.” As for what the Bible says about marriage, Besen stated that Graham is “dead wrong about the Bible being clear.”

John Becker, a colleague of Besen, wrote, “It says a lot about the man’s true character that he selected for what may be his final public gesture an act of malice, divisiveness, and discrimination.” (Yes, you read that correctly: reaffirming natural, organic marriage is “an act of malice, divisiveness, and discrimination.”)

According to actor Michael Varrati, implicit in the “First Amendment is the separation of church and state, a basic principle that was championed by Thomas Jefferson to ensure that you could celebrate your faith peaceably without cr--ping all over someone else’s rights or beliefs.”

How do we respond to this? It’s certainly tempting simply to ignore these charges, but since there are many who actually believe them to be true, here’s a brief response:

1) Reaffirming marriage as the union of a man and a woman (the only thing the human race has known throughout recorded history until the last 11 years) is as far from Sharia law as Billy Graham is from Wayne Besen. And this has nothing to do with actions of “Christian Supremacists,” a derogatory term used by Besen but one that is totally foreign to the people themselves. (Using Besen’s own criteria, would he qualify as a “Gay Supremacist”?) This simply has to do with American citizens saying, “We really don’t want an activist judge to redefine marriage in our state, so we’re going to secure that in our constitution.” For many of these citizens, this has nothing to do with the Bible.

2) To encourage Christians to vote based on their religious and moral convictions is not hijacking civil law or trying to jam church rules or doctrines down anyone’s throat. It’s called democracy in action. Ironically, when gay activists want to push their agenda or goals or religious convictions on everyone else, it’s called America at her best, a great example of equality and freedom.

3) This has nothing to do with someone’s “version of the Bible.” Every Bible in every language says the same thing regarding God’s intent about marriage. Read the words of Jesus himself in Matthew 19:4-6 if you have any doubt. Read them in any translation or in the Greek. They all say the same thing.

4) The “separation of Church and state” which Jefferson championed was meant to keep the state out of the church’s business, not to keep the church out of the state’s business. Once again, though, it is ironic that those who want to keep conservative Christians from being a political force – in the name of the separation of Church and state – strongly encourage liberal Christians to influence politics and government based on their interpretation of the Bible. Besen himself called for a “spirit of rebellion” that “should begin with mainstream Christians who should be absolutely livid and incensed.”

The bottom line is this: It would be one thing if conservative Christians in America wanted to pass laws that called for the hanging of gays or the beheading of adulterers (as still takes place in countries like Iran or Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia). It’s another thing entirely when they say, “We don’t believe God intended a man to marry a man, and we will vote accordingly.” To call that Christian Sharia is to admit that you have nothing of substance to say. 

23 comments:

  1. Matthew 19:4-6: And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

    ReplyDelete
  2. ROMANS 9:29
    It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."

    And so it becomes Sodom & GAmerica the pitiful.
    One thing is for sure we are going to pay a heavy price for this and pushing this perversion onto others around the world.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Church SHOULD HAVE STOOD UP LONG AGO on these issues of life & death morality. ... now: there must be chastisement before there is (hopefully) real restoration. ... we must be prepared to lay down our lives for Christ and His Kingdom. His Kingdom (as you well know) is based upon MORAL RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH. - without *that*, - there is only pretense & hypocrisy. thanks for your strong moral stand on these issues, without anger or rancor. GOD bless.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I understand the concern of this issue amongst the brethren. Where does it say in the Bible to go out to the "heathen" and force them to live and believe as we do? All throughout scripture it states that God's children must repent before he can bless us. Am I missing something that states we must change the mind of the "heathen" or "Rome"? Our broken land is a result of the church not the lost sinners. Please advise. 2 Chronicles 7:14.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Following your logic, then, we should have no laws at all, right?

      Delete
    2. No that is not what I am saying. I have been struggling with this logic for some time. As for marriage if it is ordained by God why should I need the state involved with my relationship with my wife? The state is involved way too much. It seems Jesus was much more concerned for the lost and then teach his commands. How does it affect our life (the believer) if a lost government sanctions a lost relationship? Rome does not care about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit nor the laws they have set for us. If society is lost and set on a path to eternal destruction it seems to me God would only care about one thing. Their soul. It appears the burden of our land is on the few that believe. Thoughts?

      Delete
    3. The prohibition against murder is also ordained by God, and our civil laws reflect that. Also, if there are no laws, there will be total chaos, and people's souls will be utterly lost and the human race destroyed. God cares about all these issues, and ultimately about eternity -- but it is not either or. Also, if marriage is redefined, your children will be indoctrinated in school and the Church will lose its religious freedoms. This matters greatly!

      Delete
    4. I am not trying to trivialize the destruction that is taking place on our land. The laws do exist to protect us. The laws that are written by God is of no consideration to a person that does not believe in God. Hence the murder rate. Jesus never said petition to Rome to change society. All through the scriptures Jesus is very clear to change yourself to change the world. The sermon on the mount is a very good example. The laws do not protect us from anything eternal. He fulfilled the law. If an unsaved person wants to marry same sex they are not living in any greater sin. If a saved person wants to marry same sex then they will have major issues. The Bible was written for you and me the believer. It is also open for all who want to read but those letters were written to God's children. His chosen. I am struggling with what my stance should be Biblicaly concerning the laws of Rome. You may be able to steer me in the proper direction. Is it anywhere in the Bible that God demanded his children to force his laws on the lost to win them to salvation? Thank you for your time and correspondence.

      Delete
    5. We are not forcing laws on anybody; we are simply voting as citizens of our country, which is a stewardship God gave us. And Jesus called us to be salt and light. It's pretty simple to me.

      Delete
    6. So the actions of our culture is not connected with 2 Chronicles 7:14? It seems clear in the scriptures that if we the believers repent and turn our ways then these type of issues disappear. Soddom and Gomorrah was destroyed because there were not 10 righteous people. Just 10 righteous and all the homosexuals could have continued to live in their perversion. With 10 righteous I am sure there would have been less perversion. It seems pretty simple to me as well.

      Delete
    7. I'm really baffled by your posts. Who says this is either-or? I have spent most of my life calling the church to repentance and seeking to live out 2 Chr 7:14 as well as calling sinners to repentance. I also seek to live as salt and light and be a positive moral influence in society as God's ambassador. In fact, when we stand for moral righteousness, we also call sinners to repent. It's both-and, and I would encourage you to embrace that. (Time won't permit me to post much more on this, but I do hope you see the point.)

      Delete
    8. I get your point very well and I appreciate your candor. I am just saying that the stronghold of Satan on our land is because of the lack of righteousness in our own homes and churches. Until this gets fixed by the brethren nothing you say or do will fix the problems in our land. Going to the heathens isn't going to fix any of these issues if the church does not wake up. I am not saying by waking up and screaming at people or loving them to death. I am saying by getting on our knees before our Holy Father and begging him for mercy for all the compromises we as a church have made in our lives. I have just started following you and I am complete agreement with your stance on homosexuality. I just think the greater indictment is on us at the moment. I hope to get some time to listen to your theology on the church.

      Delete
    9. Yes, get to know me and my message better, and you will find that my first and foremost message is repentance in God's house, but once more, to restate, it is not a matter of either or.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous,
      Scripture says we ought to pray for our leaders, so that we can live in peace and in all seriousness - this is in the same vein as that verse of Scripture: ensuring the peaceable state of society they live in through the influence which has been delegated to them by the country they live in.

      Delete
  5. This verse in context is referring to not only the sanctity of marriage but also the permanence of it. Taking a strong stance against homosexual marriage is one thing, but I feel we should be just as aggressive in salvaging marriages from divorce, especially among believers in Christ. Where is our divorce rate in comparison to the worldly average?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, of course, we must also work to preserve our own marriages and expose the damages of no-fault divorce in particular. We have preached this and stood for this for many years. Agreed!

      Delete
    2. Brother you are right in this. Homosexuality, divorce, adultery, abuse....These are all symptoms of the much larger problem of disobediance to GOD. To confront it. It must be confronted as a whole, and not any one single part, otherwise those we intend to save view our attempts to reach them as singling them out. Putting a target on them, while ignoring every other sin. Always when attention is drawn to one sin it is viewed as an attack and provokes an attack in response. For homosexuals this especially true. I've had better responses from them, when I explan that it isn't all about them. That the problem is disobediance to GOD. We all have choices. Either we follow and live safety or we don't and destroy ourselves. We all have urges, impulses, or thoughts. But it is upon us whether we follow those impulses leading to sin or refrain from them remaining obedient to GOD.

      Delete
  6. Iniquity as preached by my 17 year old son yesterday at his school's chapel service, to put it succinctly is crooked paths or patterns. John the Immerser said make straight the paths of the Lord, ( turn from iniquity ), from works that bring death to faithfulness to God. ( I was very proud of him)
    Yeshua built the bridge from our iniquity to God I hate knowing how many times I have crossed back over it to the old haunts and tombs of death. I thank the Lord that I as result of chastisement and love I am welcomed back with open arms after sincere repentance. Love i have learned is a better motivator than fear but both shoud work together. When we turn from going our own way He is there to restore. The trips the wrong way are fewer and the stays shorter, I can't bear the stone I feel in my heart. I can't do religion it feels like pretending. It's all or nothing for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here is how I see it Anonymous,

    There are things that go completely against what we as followers of Jesus stand for. Things that completely contradict what God's word says we are to stand against. Not in a violent way but in love and with compassion as we are not fighting against flesh and blood.

    It is quite possible that someday when we tell people that God has a better way for them, whether they are homosexuals or drug addicts or pedaphiles or even unbelievers in general, they can say we are engaging in hate speech. For simply telling them that God has a better way for them.

    So someday it might get to the point when we will be told that to preach what we believe is a crime. I talk to a lot of people and a lot of them say no way. But as a kid I never would have thought people would be redefining marriage either.

    Sin is sin and we are to be salt and light. When people want to encourage sin whatever it may be, we are to stand for truth. We are to stand for what God's word says and to do anything less is simply compromising what we know we should do.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Dr. Brown. Thank you for exposing the attack on Rev. Billy Graham. Like you he and his son Franklin are on the front lines of the battle against our faith. It is a reminder that we should be praying for all of our leaders on the front lines and that we should be supporting them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Interesting summary paragraph, where our commitments of military involvement for mentioned as contrasting intolerant nations' defense have been present in all those three nations at certain times in history, Americans died in two of three of those lands while in US military service--yet at no time did we insist on locals conforming to what were at the time our values. Now, it seems, the man unsettled by Billy Graham's ad respecting choice is indeed insisting on his agenda, as flipped from the other side of his coined remarks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't think Christians should expect the world to understand their beliefs since the natural man knows not the things of God. However, the natural man knows enough about nature that homosexuality is perverse to it.
    I have a homosexual brother-in-law and my wife's best friend is also homosexual. My question is: How can we show God's love for all people and the truth that Christ died for the sins of the world while making homosexuals feel banished from God?
    I know the Scripture concerning homosexuals and adulterers and others who will not inherit the kingdom of God.Like cowards! This confuses me as well.
    I am not accusing you because I understand that this Scripture is towards those who come to Christ who must live according to the word of God. I would think the Holy Spirit would be convicting these people anyway.
    So, I understand what people say when they say they are "good with Jesus" but, on the other hand, I think they are also struggling within and don't want to be talked down to.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous, I struggle with being "fearful and unbelieving," and I think that you have raised a very valid point here. The verse about who will inherit the kingdom of Heaven is very specific, and I am on that list as well. All I can day is that it is my thorn, my cross to bear, and that I daily surrender it to God. I think the distinction is that I recognize it as a sin that distances me from God and the practicing homosexual refuses to believe his or her lifestyle IS sinful. And I can't say that I blame them for that. They are being told their bodies are telling them to do something sinful. Who am I to say otherwise? I mean, my body doesn't tell me that. How can I even relate? I can't. And yet, there are verses in the Bible that are very clear that tell us homosexual practices are sinful. What their bodies are telling them is normal is not normal. It is sinful. Let's all think about that for a minute. That is NOT an easy thing. No one accuses or blames me for being afraid or faithless sometimes. They encourage me to press on. But let someone know you are in a homosexual relationship, and they head for the hills or get really incensed and at best lecture you. At worst, ridicule or yell at you to repent or go to hell. I can understand how painful that must be. Compassion and truth are key. No agendas, hidden or otherwise. Just Jesus and Him crucified. And love.

    ReplyDelete