Church of Christ guy? Same people who say Billy Graham was a fraud include "C.S. Lewis was New Age, blah, blah, blah."
Only God knows his own anyway. Spend your time obeying Jesus (and leave his other servants alone.)

Graham wrote this. It looks pretty solid to me. What confuses some is that Jesus said 'knock and the door will open'. If you seek God, you will find him. How does a person in darkest Africa seek God if he's never heard of Jesus? We're not told but we are told that Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. In some untold manner, Jesus goes to anyone who seeks. It's not through Allah. It's not through Bhudda. It's through Jesus and ONLY Jesus. God knows their hearts and they will find him.


Have You Heard the Good News of Salvation?
By Billy Graham • July 27, 2010 •
Nothing can compare with all that is ours in Christ when we find salvation. Forgiveness. Justification. Adoption. Eternal life. What a glorious life the Gospel offers to those who are searching for purpose and meaning or to those who have found that materialism and sensual pleasure are not the answer to the deepest yearnings of the heart.

The crowning glory of salvation is promised when we enter into the presence of the King. We have a home in heaven reserved for us and awards that await us. No wonder the Gospel is “good news.”

Unfortunately, many people today have distorted the meaning of salvation, saying that it means only political, social and economic liberation in this life. Certainly, Christians should be concerned about injustice and do what they can to promote a more just world. But lasting and complete liberation from social injustice will come only when Jesus Christ returns to establish His Kingdom. Biblical salvation is far deeper, because it gets to the root of our problem–the problem of sin. Only Christ can change the human heart and replace greed and hate with compassion and love.

Do you understand God’s plan of salvation?
There are certain points we all need to understand about the heart of the Good News of Christ.

First, all are sinners and stand under the judgment of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV). We might believe that we are good enough to win God’s favor or that we can perform certain religious acts to counterbalance our bad deeds. But the Bible states that we are all condemned, for “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10, NIV).

Second, we need to understand what Christ has done to make our salvation possible. God loves us, and Christ came to make forgiveness and salvation possible. What did He do? He died on the cross as the complete sacrifice for our sins. He took upon Himself the judgment that we deserve.

Third, we need to respond to God’s work. God in His grace offers us the gift of eternal life. But like any gift, it becomes ours only when we take it.

We must repent of our sins. Repentance carries with it the idea of confession, sorrow, turning and changing. We cannot ask forgiveness over and over again for our sins and then return to those sins, expecting God to forgive us. We must turn from our practice of sin as best we know how, and turn by faith to Christ as our Lord and Savior. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV). Christ invites us to come to Him, and God has promised, “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, NIV).

Fourth, we must understand the cost of coming to Christ and following Christ. Jesus constantly called upon those who would follow Him to count the cost. A person must determine to leave his sins behind and turn from them. Some people may be unwilling to do so. And there may be other costs as well when we decide to follow Christ. In some cultures, a person who turns to Christ may be disowned by family, alienated from social life, imprisoned or even killed.

The ultimate cost of true discipleship is the cost of renouncing self: self-will, self-plans, self-motivations. Christ is to be Lord of our lives. Jesus declared, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23, NIV). Jesus does not call us to a life of selfish comfort and ease–He calls us to a battle! He calls us to give up our own plans and to follow Him without reserve–even to death.

Yes, it costs to follow Christ. But it also costs not to follow Christ. It cost the Apostle Paul the prestige of a high-level position in the Jewish nation. But he declared, “whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:7-8, NIV). Christ calls men and women not only to trust Him as Savior, but also to follow Him as Lord.

Fifth, salvation is intimately linked to the cross. The man who hung there between two thieves was without sin. His virgin birth, by the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit, meant that He did not inherit a sinful human nature. Neither did He commit any sin during His lifetime. Mary gave birth to the only perfect child. He became the only perfect man. As such, He was uniquely qualified to put into action God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

Why was Calvary’s cross so special, so different from hundreds of other crosses used for Roman executions? It was because on that cross Jesus suffered the punishment for sin that we all deserve. He was our Substitute. He suffered the judgment and condemnation of death that our sinful nature and deeds deserve. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV).

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, NIV). Paul knew there was a built-in power in the cross and the resurrection.

I remember a meeting early in my ministry when I walked away from where I was preaching, disheartened and disappointed. A businessman who was with me asked me if I knew what was wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it until he told me. “Billy,” he said, “you didn’t preach the cross!”

He was right. The message had been theologically sound, and I had preached it as best I knew how. But that vital ingredient was missing. I learned my lesson. From that day to this, I have never preached an evangelistic message without pointing the listeners to the cross.

Finally, faith is essential for salvation. But we must be absolutely clear on what we mean when we speak of “salvation by faith.” There are various kinds of belief or faith, and not all are linked to salvation. In the New Testament, faith means more than intellectual belief. It involves trust and commitment. I may say that I believe a bridge will hold my weight. But I really believe it only when I commit myself to it and walk across it. Saving faith involves an act of commitment and trust, in which I commit my life to Jesus Christ and trust Him alone as my Savior and Lord.

A Personal Example
Let me use a personal example to illustrate this. When I first met Ruth, my future wife, I began to learn things about her–born in China, the daughter of medical missionaries and so on. As time went on, I learned more about her personality and character, and I fell in love with her.

But we were not yet married. We became husband and wife only when we took a definite step of commitment to each other on our wedding day.

In the same way, saving faith is a commitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is a personal and individual decision. It is more than assent to historical or theological truth given to us in God’s Word. It is faith in the promises of God that all who trust in Christ will not perish but have eternal life.

That is truly good news.

How to Receive Christ
I hope this message has helped you to understand what Jesus Christ has done to save us and what our response must be. If you are not sure that you are right with God, you can be sure–right now.

Remember, we must admit that we are sinners. We must turn away from our sins and to Christ. We must trust Him as our Savior and follow Him as our Lord. God promises that when we do this, He will save us and make us His children, and we will live with Him forever.

Will you turn to Christ now?

Yeah, but Billy Graham didn't tell you what he actually believed unless he was on Larry King Live, or some such.

He may have even been a Jew.

Great that flipping fruit cake attention whore.

There are lots of saved Jews, called Fulfilled Jews. They see that Jesus came to them, fulfilling their law. They recognize the OT prophecies of Jesus which have been rejected by mainstream Jews. They're there for all Jews to read but re ignored. They've accepted Jesus as Lord.

Yes, Messianic Jews.

When someone today refers to a Jew, he's referring to someone who 1) claims a connection to Abraham through descent, and 2) adheres in some sense to the Judaic religion/culture/identity grounded in the Talmud. If you adhere to the Talmud in any sense, you are not a Christian, since the Talmud preaches against Christ, and even applauds his crucifixion.

Converts to Judaism, therefore, aren't Jews. They are non-Jewish practitioners of the Judaic religion (e.g., Madonna). If they intermarry, their descendants may become Jews, but they, themselves are not.

Someone with Jewish ethnicity who has accepted Christ (and rejected the Talmud) is not a Jew, but a Christian.

Oh the irony, this really isn't about Billy Graham but more about promoting the wacko lunatic Steven Anderson. He actively bashes Jews and also promotes holocaust denial. What irony.

The hatred of this pseudo motor-mouth "pastor" is disturbing........a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He's no different from Baptist preachers of the past. Just because many Baptist preachers today have adapted to the modern world, and changed to a kind of preaching that the world loves, doesn't mean the old time Baptists had it wrong. Quite the opposite, in fact.

If you are Chinese and convert to Christianity,are you still not Chinese???

I’ve seen the Larry King clip and Graham did not deny Christ.

ah, bloodlines. what do they supercede and/or override, and what do they not supercede?

leave it to the death of a evangelist of some reknown to kick off another discussion.

and thanks to TRH for bringing the subject up. i'm sure we'll solve it.

Unlike being a Jew, being Chinese isn't connected both to being that ethnicity and being a Buddhist (or feeling an attachment to Buddhist tradition and/or culture).

I don't remember the interview,but wasn't Graham talking about people believing in Jesus and seeking salvation even if they didn't know his name? Wouldn't everyone in the OT have been saved the same way,by seeking salvation from God? Yes,it was through Jesus but they didn't know that yet.

Well, in the Larry King clip Larry asked him about all those preachers telling Jews and Buddhists and the like that they were going to hell because no Jesus. BG response that those preachers were RIGHT IN MOST RESPECTS but that that wasn’t his ministry. His ministry was to teach the live of Christ.

In the thing you are talking about, I took it to mean that many Muslims, atheists and whatever would come to Christ and were actively seeking a Christ even though they did not yet realize it.

Is that guy the same one that turned pissing against the wall into doctrine? (I like peeing standing up as much as the next guy, but I'm not sure it's Sunday morning sermon material.) He's a strange bird to be sure...

seeking jesus without knowing it... enter the five point calvinists.. but this forum and many others won't have anything to do with that doctrine. jump up and down and expell all of the feathers from the pillow is what they'd do, and then feel justified in their actions.

The Talmud is man made. God gave the Jews the Torah, or the law, but they wrote their own Talmudic laws to try to interpret what God said. They couldn't just take the Torah for what it says, they had to 'improve' on it. There are lots of Jews who follow only the Torah and the saved Jews are among them. They're still true Jews but fulfilled with the salvation of Christ.

They stop being Jews when they accept Christ, because tied up in being Jewish is the rejection of Christ (It's in their holy book, the Talmud). They remain, only, of Jewish ancestry. That's not the same as "being a Jew."

That's nonsense. Jesus said that not one dot of the law would disappear. He fulfilled it, completed it. They are completed Jews, God's chosen people who chose him back.

Wasn't it Graham who said--- If you do not send me money-- God will call me home---???

"Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?" John 7:11

"Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews." - John 7:13

So, the people feared Christ's disciples, too??

According to you, Biblically speaking, they were equally Jews. John, however, seems to hold a different perspective on this point than you. Who shall I believe? You, or John?

no, no, maybe not? that was Oral (not sex) Roberts? something like raising 8 million was the requirement? god has some strange evangelists in his employ who proffer to sell his goods.

Also, Paul referred to "the Jews" as a people who "are contrary to all men." Was he also speaking of those of Jewish ancestry who became Christians? I think not.

"The Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men."
- 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15

Who ever--- its all about the money

Wow, who would have guessed. A religious thread started by trh and he's bashing jews

"the Jews" as referred to in the NT like that are the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders. All the people were Jews but those were the legalistic and powerful ones. Even some of the Pharisees were believers, like Joseph of Arimethia. Just look at the context to see that all the people in Israel were Jewish but not all were leaders. The hundreds of disciples were all Jews as well and the many thousands of new converts.

Real Hawkeye is spot on.

John 1 11-12 is about He came unto His own and His own recieved Him not. But as many as recieved Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.

There's an video of Graham and Robert Schuller where Graham describes how God has an "wideness" in who He saves. It may be anyone from any belief or type of faith and not solely Christ.

It's interesting that Apostle Paul rigidly claims that if anyone, even an angel from heaven preach another or different gospel let him be accursed. So it appears there's no "wideness" or inclusive nature of salvation. It's in Christ alone.

But they were not referred to as part of "the Jews," and no, "the Jews" didn't refer to those in authority over the Jews. John referred to them many times by such terms as priests, rulers, and pharisees. He knew how to refer to them as distinct from the Jews in general.

that crowd were first more or less decentralized and locally ruled by the Judges. west texas had the same system once upon a time?

anyways, later through advanced organization, a decision was made to introduce king rule. i mean, to be legitimate a people deserves a king, right?

england has royals, so do the saudi's, japan and many others. it's a concept that goes far back in time. but how to make sense of it all?

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." - Matt 7:13

Maybe he believes what Jesse Jackson said about "Hymie Town."

Ya'll do know that Jesus is a Jew,right?

omg! does that suggest he's a short, dark, swathy, kinky haired individual from the south of the mediteranian sea?

and please don't go out on a limb and tell me he's a True Communist too?

so, his mom was Mary, an Essene? but his dad was a Roman archer?

They mean I'm bashing Jews who, to this day, applaud his crucifixion. You know, the folks Christ said were the sons of their father the Devil.

That would include anyone not saved,not just the Jew. The Jews are also God's chosen people,you know the ones in covenant with God, about whom he said that he would bless those who blessed them and curse those who cursed them.

Pretty pathetic thread even by campfire standards..............

The Jews are God's meat. God will deal with them in his own way and time. For us, it's hands off.

Another case of your personal bias changing your theology... ie a little isogesis vs exogesis. Hint; the Pharisees were masters at this.

Rejection of the Messiah was the error of the Nation of Israel & Judaism during Christ’s life & following His resurrection. Jesus Himself was the only perfect follower of Judiaism. Their error doesn’t magically define the religion they professed (which, practiced perfectly, gave Christ the righteousness He now imputes to His people) any more than identity politics practiced by one claiming to be Conservative taints Conservatism. Double hint.

An ethnic Jew who becomes a Christian is a Jewish Christian just like an ethnic Jew who is an atheist (as the majority are) is a Jewish Atheist. It’s common sense.

Contorting linguistics to suit a preconceived notion eroded ones credibility and ought to point a person toward the erroneousness of his views.

Luther’s vehemence, when read in context, was rooted in a deep and abiding care for the salvation of the Jewish people not condemnation of them for Jesus’ death as is so often put forth. He believed, as I do, that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; no one seeks God we have all gone our own way.

This is another huge problem with the identity politics; it creates an us vs them when all there is is us.

Not true. Only a Jew is capable of saying that Jesus isn't the Christ that was foretold by the prophets. Christ was only speaking of Jews when he said those words.

OHHH,so only a Jew can be following after Satan,gotcha. You must really want to be cursed. You need to get the hate out or it will destroy you.

Put words in my mouth all you like. That's not anything close to what I said. I was referring to a particular scene described in John's Gospel, which had particular circumstances, and referred to people who denied he was the Christ, who were themselves Jews, which only makes sense since only a Jew at that time could have an opinion on whether someone was the Christ foretold by their prophets.

Christ was a jew.He never denied it and was thought of as Rabbi by his followers.His disciples were Jews and saw Christ as the Messiah.They still considered themselves to be Jewish as origin..A friend of mine is a Coptic Priest and is of Jewish decent and still considers himself to be a Jew who is a Christian.Your splitting hairs.You cannot deny your heritage.You can convert to Judaism as a faith ,but that does not make your origins Jewish.JMHO and I am sticking to it.Huntz

Yea,and you know good and well that anyone following Satan would also be of their father Satan. You can get technical to the point of being ridiculous and say that everything Jesus said was to the Jews but the point is that it is available to us because it can also apply to us.

In fact if you want to get real technical,you can't be saved unless you become a Jew,circumcised in the heart,and grafted into the vine.

Seems to me that it is you who is being technical to the point of being ridiculous. I'm merely discussing what Jesus said to some Jews.

Outstanding point; as Paul says in Galatians 2:

“15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified[b] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ...”

So he said he was a Jewish Christian???

Then in chapter 3



“28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[g] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Things that make ya go HMMMMMMMM...

ah, the vine. haven't heard or thought of that concept or thought in a spell. but, here it is, hitting me in the face yet again.

the vine, composed of the root and the twin vines, maybe?

the root is Judaism. and the first bud & vine was Christianity. leaves reaching to the Sun in order to bear fruit.

and then the second bud was Islam. reaching to the sun in order to bear fruit.

i don't want to ask if there's a third bud emerging from the root? well, there might be?

this whole discussion is getting way to deep for this ol country kid. some rabbi's need to move to the front?

Then forgive me if I mistook you. I thought I sensed hostility toward Jews from other posts and was seeking to turn you from that path.

I agree....... Most pathetic Tread ever...

What? Like bald?

Prior to the Jewish rejection and crucifixion of Christ, a Jew merely referred to a Hebrew, generally of the tribe of Judah, attached to the Kingdom of Judea. Since then, however, it also implies the rejection of Christ and the applauding of the crucifixion, since this is what is taught in their central sacred text, the Talmud, which is merely the codification of the teachings of the rabbis since the Jews rejected and sought Christ’s crucifixion. This is why a person of Jewish ancestry who accepts Christ isn’t any longer referred to as a Jew. It’s why John wasn’t referring to Matthew, James, or Peter (for example) when he said “for fear of the Jews,” even though these folks were of Jewish ancestry. They, like most of the disciples, and all of the Apostles, in the Gospels, were of Jewish ancestry, but no longer Jews, since they didn't reject Christ, nor did they applaud the seeking and carrying out of his crucifixion. Those became, since the dawn of Christ's ministry, central elements of being Jewish.

no doubt there's been many self-proclaimed messiahs over the many years from the beginning to this point in time. those folks were really mis-led? but they were well intentioned.

in a line-up, its probable that jesus would be at the head of the pyramid? i mean, given a ton of messiahs, somebody has to emerge and rise to the top, right?

That "sermon" is ridiculous on its face.

Well, yea,

Stormfront "sermons" always are.

Amen. I’m suspicious of any “sermon” that doesn’t involve exegetical working out of Scripture. As soon as a preacher gets away from that he is bound to tickle ears and spout the ideas of men. I have no doubt the irony of that in this case was lost to both the preacher & the OP.

Ps- I happen to believe that the name of Christ is the only One by which men are saved; I just think that the preacher ought to let God’s message through him do the offending rather than going out of his way to put himself over others and thereby be a stumbling block himself.

The Eternal Christ has always been that particular facet of our multi faceted Creator which has been the Agent allowing the creatures to commune with their Creator. When Jesus claimed that no one came to the Father except thru Him, He was just explaining the way things have always been, not introducing a new methodology.

It really is that simple and a clear reading of Scripture will bear that out.

If you consider that the phrase “ name of “ is interchangeable with “ Agency of “, it will clear up a lot of questions, primarily the one; “ What about those people who never heard the gospel....”?

You're right, it's that simple, but when people read the Scripture is when the "catch" begins. That "catch" is the way that we interpret those words. I think most get it right, and understand it clearly, but others do not, and think their view is right, and everyone else's is wrong.

Just look at the way the Bible is interpreted, with people handling snakes, drinking poison, and such, all because it's mentioned. I'm no expert, and don't claim to be one, but the fact is that perhaps no book ever written can be as confusing as the Bible is to some, yet as clear as it is to others. It may all depend on just what one is looking for.

How does one interpret 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 in any other way than according to what it appears clearly to say? Seems like it would require a great deal of mental gymnastics to do so.

Paul appears clearly not to be referring, when he says "the Jews," to those (like himself) of Jewish ancestry who've embraced faith in Christ.

So you are still blaming modern Jews, for what those long ago did. I figure each man stands on His own, come judgement day. miles

The Talmud applauds the crucifixion, and hatefully condemns Christ and Christians. Therefore, attachment to Judaism in any sense (the Talmud being their central sacred text), also attaches one to Christ's rejection by his own, and to their seeking and bringing about his crucifixion. It's not rocket science.

PS, Christ made quite clear that any Jew who rejected him also rejected the Torah and the Prophets (and, in fact, all of what we call the Old Testament), so the Torah and the Prophets (etc.) stopped being among the Jews' sacred texts the moment they rejected Christ, even if they maintain the pretense that they continue to be that. Since then, only the anti-Christ teachings of the rabbis (now contained within the Talmud) became their central sacred body of belief. The Torah and the Prophets (along with the entirety of the Old Testament) belong to Christians, not properly to the Jews, who rejected these texts.

"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" - John 5:46-47

Not defending TRH at all (he has me on ignore) but you’re actually quite incorrect here, at least speaking from a historically Protestant point of view.

All men are condemned under Adam. (I Cor 15: For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die...) We are not judged as individuals but as groups; we either follow Adam and are judged accordingly, or Christ, in which case He has suffered God’s wrath in our stead.

Now in terms of the context of your statements the Jews are as freely offered the latter as are any other people group and will therefore be held to account accordingly, so in that sense I understand what you’re saying.

I personally am grateful not to stand on my own merits at the judgment...

TTT

Seems like a logical distinction between Jews and Judaism (since 70 AD & destruction of the temple there is no such thing, but for sake of the conversation) ought to be something we could agree on that’d make this conversation easier, but TRH blocked earlier when he muddied the distinction between the ethnic & religious facets of the two (and they are two and distinct).

There’s too many people following Paul instead of allowing the Spirit to instruct them FOR THEIR OWN EDIIFICATION, not in order to teach others or show off their intellect.

A Concordance is second only to a Seminary when it comes to brainwashing folks.

Some who are so critical of the individual Jew have become just as dogmatic and artificial as the Pharisees of Jesus time.

A plain reading of the letter indicates that the Thessalonians were being persecuted by “ their countrymen” who were Pagan, not Jews. Paul is pointing out that HIS countrymen, who WERE Jews, opposed him in the same way......... by holding on to their old teachings.

By mentioning, as did Jesus Himself, how they had killed God’s Prophets, he appears to be condemning the Temple Jews. His most urgent warnings are reserved for the false teachers yet to come, not the Jews who rejected him.

Personally, I find Paul’s constant bragging on himself to be such a turnoff that I don’t give much credibility to his Theology, and I sure as hell ain’t gonna use his words as justification for HATE.

My distaste for most all things Jewish is rooted in the defining characteristics of their Ethnicity, not for anything some of them did over two thousand years ago.

It takes a twisted mind to use the death of Billy Graham to push a hateful agenda.

I suggest that you have a corrupted English translation of the verse.

King James Version: "... the Jews, Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men."


Douay-Rheims Bible: "... the Jews, Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are adversaries to all men."

If you insist on a more modern translation, here's how the International Standard Version has it: "... the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, who have persecuted us, and who please neither God nor any group of people."

I read the NIV, but the particular version of the Bible used has no bearing on the point I made, which you missed entirely. I’ll complicate it up to the level of your comprehension:

Paul is drawing a parallel between the experiences of two churches who are facing opposition.

In one case, the opposition comes from SOME Jews..... the same ones whose fathers killed the Prophets.

In the present case, the opposition comes from Pagans who cling to their idols.

We may have discovered your problem, then.

But B-G does express approval of Abortion in cases of rape which he then corrects to 'violent rape'..????
and in cases where the mothers life is in danger.

which is at odds with many self-proclaimed christians...BG advocating murder of unborns imagine that!

BG was great at convincing others(even maybe himself) that he had 'found' God,
but only GOD really knows the level of personal relationship that BG has with GOD.
BG himself has to wait till the he is resurrected from the grave to face judgement before
he finds out if he had what it really takes to get into heaven and eternal life.

Billy Graham was so busy traveling and saving the world's souls that he neglected his own family, leaving them to alcohol and drug addiction, divorce and, depression.

Billy Grahams "Decision Card'........A spiritual relationship with God/Jesus/Holy spirit requires a card???

https://billygrahamlibrary.org/decision-card/

..kooky religious huckster paraphernalia more like it.

all true enough. it remains important to remember or at least recall that a lot of true hebrews never talked (or believed?) much in the afterlife. whereas, the egyptians and greeks did. different thought patterns i assume. but anyways, jesus's followers did tend to lean toward the greek philosophy more or less? christians reduced the number of greek gods to be worshipped down from over 100 to about three, more or less.

Yes Gus,
and many early christians did not believe in the divinity of Jesus, so much so that centuries later,
it was decided by vote.., and when they didn't like the voting outcome,.. they tried to manipulated the results
till they got the resolution they wanted....ended up they both had to compromise... the outcome being that
Jesus was now not one or the other ....but both mere mortal and divine.

An an atheist, who wasn't really a fan of Billy Graham, I have to agree with you.

I submit the following video as evidence:

Gratitude for the grace shown me will inevitably flow out as grace toward others. If I am perpetually ungracious it is because I need to meditate upon the fact that I have nothing in this world that I have not received.

A proper Gospel sermon humbles me it doesn’t make me feel “better than”.

Pharisees always felt “better than” for they had earned their good standing and therefore needed no gratitude.

Virtue signalling much?

I'm not at all certain that what you say here is true but, for the sake of discussion, let's assume that some in his family did engage addictions, divorce, depression, etc. Is it your contention that, had he not traveled on his missions and stayed home with the family, those bad outcomes would not have occurred? By the exact token, is it your contention that it is the specific fault of every father when members of his family do such things? Is it the father's fault when the progeny attempts phony arguments for purposes of bashing?

What is your mission here other than ridicule of a highly recognized Christian? If you have half a brain and any bit of decency you know better than to pretend and then ask if that spiritual relationship requires a "card". For centuries people have documented important events in their lives in many ways, often with such objects or recognitions. The forming of such a relationship is a key/central/pivotal experience for a Christian and many choose to document that in differing ways. Would it be more significant for your puerile self if one were to get a tattoo signifying the event? Try a bit of growth.

Starman aka rob jordon is a Mormon. No offense to Mormons but some might consider it a kooky religion...

Carry on

TRH how do you say Sigg heil in the correct German accent? Also do you display your SS tattoos openly or do you hide them?

South Park did a good job explaining the Mormon faith.

The “ decision card” was for the local churches to use to follow up after the Crusade. BGEA would not hold a Crusade until a majority of the local Protestant Churches agreed to partner with them.

The people talking badly about him are not fit to polish his shoes.

And his son, Franklin, may accomplish more than his father.

He is a worthless son of a bitch , morman or not.

You are one more sick puppy dog.

When BG rises from the grave to face judgement, will be the time he discovers if he was a true christian.

being' recognised' by you or millions of other mere ungodworthy mortals don't mean jack.

BG supporting abortion- the murder of unborns may well be enough for God to exclude him.

Honest opinion about faithful exegesis and the fruits thereof from a Historically & Confessionally Protestant perspective. See the Heidelberg catechism.

Do you believe that the heart of Christianity is to seek to be like Christ by the power of the Holy spirit? Seems a basic proposition to me or is that “virtue signaling” too?

You’ve allowed your politics to taint your perspectives on everything. You put the carriage before the horse. Get into a congregation of believers where the Word (that is, Christ) is faithfully preached and make yourself accountable to a community. Going solo has gotten you way off the rails.

I knew you’d peek...

This adds nothing to what we already know - even the part that is false. Worthless. So, what is your mission?

He is waiting for Moroni to tell him his mission.

Many would do well to recall the verses in Psalms and Revelations that proclaim "Salvation belongs to our God" and take more stock in your own and none in a man who gave his life to the spreading of His Gospel, lest you be judged by that by which you judge and show yourselves plainly as wretched fools.

How about John 15: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

Seems like he was pretty well loved by a pretty wide and worldly audience. That doesn't mean he was a bad man, or that he wasn't himself saved. It does suggest, however, that his public message was tailored to avoid upsetting worldly and powerful people. Perhaps he loved adulation a little too much.

I doubt he was loved by anymore people than those who love Jesus and likely far fewer. Think of all who hate Him to the point of recoiling from the mere mention of His Name. He was likely respected by more than who loved him, due to the man he was, and having not being caught up in all the crap you and those like you feel compelled to spew. The greatest share of it lies from the pit of Hell. That's Hell's job and so many enjoy volunteerism.

Those who advocate for the narrow road, instead of the broad path, tend to be liked by only few, and hated by the vast majority. If you want to find a true man of God, a good start is to eliminate folks from consideration who are widely praised.

Narrow people make that road nearly impassable but for adherence to their legalism but even then it's going in the wrong direction. That is not what He was saying, nor the road He was describing. No man comes to the Father but by Him, is as narrow as it gets and Grace assures that.

Conversely there are many out there who “preach” stuff that they call a gospel who grate on people but don’t have a nodding acquaintance with The Gospel. That is it’s the Gospel that ought to offend not the messenger. Just because you’re an a$$hole doesn’t mean your message is more credible than someone who is winsome.

I have already said I believe the Bible is clearly against universalism (not sure whether Billy deserved that title or not?) but I do think that the message of the Big-G Gospel that Paul said is offensive or a stumbling block can be presented in a winsome way.

One thing that as an old school Calvinist has always bothered me is the negativity... that is, those who speak loudly the negative truths of the Gospel telling those who are outside just how outside they are. The positive side is HUGE; we are dead in trespasses & sins and yet God has directed all of history in such a way as to seek & save us... and that free offer is made to all who seek Him.

Just mind numbing how unbelievably ludicrous that is when I look honestly at myself. I can’t help but say that there is nothing qualitatively different between those on the “outside” and me that caused God to open my eyes. Apart from Christ I am a worthless sinner deserving hell. And what gratitude that spawns!