Regarding an interview video that branded American pastor Billy Graham who is a world-renowned evangelist as a pluralist, FEBC recently tried to find out the truth through a YouTube video called “Billy Graham Apostasy, is it really true?” drawing attention.

The video that made people question the faith of pastor Billy Graham is a video of the interview of Robert Schuller, then pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, and pastor Billy Graham. The interview was conducted in 1997 by the Foundation magazine in the United States. In the interview video, pastor Billy Graham said “…whether they come from Muslim world, Buddhist world, Christ world or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of the Christ because they’ve been called by God, but …” and “… they are going to be with us heaven .” After that, many pastors and Christians who watched the video came to regard pastor Billy Graham as an apostate, a pluralist.

With regard to this, FEBC, the organizer of the event “The 50th Anniversary of Billy Graham Seoul Crusade” introduced the process of tracking down the problem of translation and theological interpretation, along with the interpretation of two experts, an English scholar and a theologian, through a video (Episode #19 of “아라보깡”).

In the video (Episode #19 of “아라보깡”), Minseok Kang (Pastor in Calvin University in South Korea) said “Pastor Billy Graham’s remarks about the future of Christianity, as asked by pastor Schuller should be understood while considering the situation of American Christianity and world missions at the time” and “if you understand the historical background of Acts 15, where the Jerusalem Council was held, what pastor Graham meant when he said, this (Graham’s remarks) can be understood.”

Pastor Kang also said “At that time, the Gentiles returned to Jesus (at the time of Early Church), the topic of how to handle the heavy burden of the law to the Gentiles was discussed at the Jerusalem Council at the time” and explained by saying “Likewise, pastor Billy Graham remarks as he explained that God is still calling out strangers in the world today for the glory of God.” Pastor Kang added “In other words, the intention of (pastor Graham’s) remarks can be fully understood if you understand that emphasized are: even among people living in Muslim areas, there may be people who believe in Jesus; and among the people who are the subjects of the gospel, believers can exist anywhere in the world.”

Further, professor Seungbin Noh (English department) said, “If we consider and interpret the context of the video subtitles of the interview between pastor Schuller and pastor Billy Graham, the intention can be fully understood.”

Professor Noh elaborated on the meaning of the sentences which are the interpretation of “That they need something that they don’t have and they turn to the only light that they have.” Professor Noh said, “With regard to the sentences, from the interpretation of ‘the only light,’ Muslims, Buddhists and non-Christians may interpret Mohammed, Buddha and themselves as the only light, respectively. However, given the flow of the contexts, the sentences can be understood as returning to Jesus Christ, the only light that God has newly illuminated, not the light they possess.”

Further, the video (Episode #19 of “아라보깡,” YouTube channel of FEBC) reveals two answers from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) to the question “Why didn’t pastor Billy Graham respond to this conspiracy theory video?”

First, BEGA revealed that when the controversy arose, rather than addressing the conspiracy theory directly, displaying prominent banners with the words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth and the life” at every rally was the response. In other words, it was BEGA’s responding stance that since responding to the controversy with specific rebuttals would lead to another war of attrition, pastor Billy Graham focused on preaching the gospel to the absolute majority, the souls who still did not believe in Jesus Christ. That was the associate’s response.

Second, BEGA revealed that at the time of the interview, pastor Billy Graham was suffering from hydrocephalus, which causes convulsions or confusion when the pressure in the brain suddenly rises. In other words, the vides reveals that BEGA answered that: the interview was not a face-to-face conversion between the two people but rather a method of answering questions heard remotely through earphones; and it was difficult to give a specific answer to an obscure question. As evidence, BEGA explained that the end of the interview was concluded without pastor Graham’s answer being completed and thus Billy Graham’s answer caused a little confusion at the time of the interview. BEGA also added that probably because of the regret at the time of the interview, pastor Billy Graham emphasized God’s words “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)” in a magazine about that time.

Further, the video (Episode #19 of “아라보깡,” YouTube channel of FEBC) reveals that for a long time after that, pastor Billy Graham emphasized at various gatherings that “Only Jesus Christ is the savior, and He is also God and our Savior, and this is the truth.”

Specially, the video against the conspiracy theory refutes saying:
“Pastor Billy Graham devoted 80 of his 100 years of life (died at the age of 99) to preaching the gospel;” and
“It’s a maliciously edited video of just over a minute and it’s too short to deny pastor Graham’s life. Unconfirmed conspiracy theory videos cannot diminish Graham’s passion for the gospel.”

Further, the video (Episode #19 of “아라보깡,” YouTube channel of FEBC) ended the video with an introduction to the remarks of pastor Graham consistently emphasizing Jesus Christ, the subject of the gospel, every 10 years of the 1950s.

“God requires personal faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. God requires that. He’s given us much. Thanking God, and accepting his Son, Jesus Christ which is the greatest gift to his love…” (Graham’s remarks in 1952)

“I’m not going to heaven because I’ve lived good life. I’m not going to heaven because I’ve preached great crowd of people. I am going to heaven because I believed what Jesus Christ did on that cross. ” (Graham’s remarks in 1966)

“The greatest and most historical event of all of history, elsewhen Jesus Christ died on that cross.” (Graham’s remarks in 1970)

“Come to Christ tonight, and receive him into your heart and start all over again.” (Graham’s remarks in 1980)

“… and people in this country are going to the wrong watering holes, searching for satisfaction, searching for something that only the water of life and bread of life can meet, and that person is Jesus Christ, who is the water of life and bread of life.” (Graham’s remarks in 1993)

“How do you explain Jesus, his authority? ‘No one ever spoke the way this man spoke’ says John 7. He forgave sin no other prophet had ever forgiven sin.” (Graham’s remarks in 2000)

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (Johan 14:6) (Bill Graham’s confession before his passing away.) [ Gospel Prayer News]

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