Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About
Christology
Israel/Palestine
Publications
KermitZarley.com
Archives
Categories
- Angels
- Blog Description
- Book Reviews
- Christian Living
  - Unconditional Love?
- Christianity
- Christology
  - Deity of Christ?
  - Holy Spirit
  - Incarnation?
  - My Change
  - Trinity?
- Church History
- Current Events
- War on Terrorism
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Eschatology
- Ezekiel 38-39
- Last Empire
- Primitive Weapons
- Film Reviews
- God
- Golf
  - Billy Graham
  - Karsten Solheim
  - Lee Trevino
  - Major Championship Winners
  - Masters
  - Purpose
  - Ryder Cup
- Gospel Harmonization
- Interview
- Islam
- Jesus
- Literary Announcements
- Monotheism
- My Books
  - The Restitution of Jesus Christ
- Old Testament
- Politics
- Society of Biblical Literature
- The Bible
- Trinitarianism
- Uncategorized
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Critique of a Billy Graham Easter Message

Critique of a Billy Graham Easter Message

Last updated on: April 14, 2017 at 6:13 pm by Kermit Zarley

Critique of a Billy Graham Easter Message 2017-04-14T18:13:20-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I think Billy Graham was the greatest man of God in the twentieth century. Not only was he such a gifted evangelist, a handsome man, and a friendly person who had a charming Southern accent, there was never any scandal with Billy Graham. He was a family man, a righteous man, and thus a devout follower of the one he constantly preached about—Jesus of Nazareth.

Billy Graham knew and ministered to many world leaders. They included U.S. presidents such as Richard Nixon. Then the Watergate scandal happened. Revelations of tape recordings of some of President Nixon’s private conversations were then made public. Besides being caught lying, he uttered a lot of foul language. Nixon then resigned his presidency as Congress was conducting an impeachment process against him. Graham then publicly apologized for having endorsed Nixon for president. But that’s about all the dirt you can get on this famed evangelist.

I knew Billy Graham. Billy spoke to our PGA Tour Bible Study four different times. And I was so grateful that he endorsed my first book, The Gospels Interwoven (1987). So many people believed in Jesus through Billy Graham’s preaching of the gospel. (To hear me speak about some of my experiences with Billy Graham, see the beginning of my 45-minute speech on the Internet entitled, “Does the Bible Identify Jesus As God?”) by simply searching with my name.

In the latter part of Billy Graham’s ministry, thus when he was older and perhaps wiser, he spoke repeatedly and publicly about having two regrets in his personal life. The first was that some of his children resented that their father had been gone from home so much, conducting his crusade work, when they were young and growing up. They had wanted their father be with them more. Billy admitted that if he had his life to do over, he would have had fewer crusades for this reason. Billy’s second regret was that he said he would have studied the Bible more. It is to this second regret that I will direct part of this critique.

During the early part of Billy Graham’s ministry, he preached an Easter message that his radio and television ministry, “The Hour of Decision,” filmed and still makes available. I received it in an email yesterday from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The title of this message is, “The Three Most Momentous Days in Human History.” The film begins with Billy’s two primary associates in his ministry—Cliff Barrows and George Beverly Shea—in conversation. Then Mr. Shea sings with his rich bass voice, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” What a beautiful song, especially as sung by Mr. Shea, and one so appropriate for the occasion.

Then Billy Graham delivers his Easter message lasting about twenty minutes. He begins by briefly recounting world problems and then stating the title of his message. He says the three most momentous days were when Jesus died on the cross on Friday, Saturday elapsed, and on Sunday morning he arose from the dead. So far, so good.

Then Billy says Jesus’ disciples “dispersed all over the whole land,” surely referring to the land of Israel. This is a minor mistake. Perhaps Mr. Graham would not have made this gaff about history later in his ministry. He was young, and we’re all learning as we go. For, the NT gospels only say that right after the Last Supper, Jesus predicted that his disciples would desert him that night, and that is what happened when he was captured (Matt. 26.31, 56; Mark 14.27, 50). But they surely did not leave town.

Jesus and his disciples had been there in Jerusalem during Passion Week to attend the Jews’ Feast of Passover, on Nisan 14, and then the Feast of Unleavened Bread that occurred right after it and lasted a week. These generally were regarded as one feast.

The Law of Moses required that all Jewish men living in the land of Israel must go to Jerusalem three times per year to attend three of the seven feasts Moses had instituted: (1) the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread, (2) the Feast of Pentecost, a single day that occurred fifty days later, and (3) the Feast of Tabernacles which took place in early fall at harvest time and lasted eight days. All of this is stated by God through Moses in Exodus 23.14-17. This text begins, “Three times per year you shall hold a festival for me. You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread,” etc.

Thus, the Law of Moses did not permit men attending Passover/Unleavened Bread to leave Jerusalem or its environs until this appointed festival time had ended. If Jesus’ disciples had dispersed all over the land right after he was crucified, they would have violated this religious law.

Furthermore, the Gospel of John relates that when the women visited the empty tomb Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene then ran to tell it to Peter and John. Along with John’s brother James, these three were foremost among Jesus twelve apostles. They seemed to have been staying together in a house in Jerusalem (John 20.1-3). They had been commercial fishermen in Capernaum, Galilee. There is evidence James and John owned a house in Jerusalem because they traveled often there to sell their salted fish.

Moreover, the NT gospels relate that Jesus’ disciples who had accompanied him from Galilee to this spring festival were meeting together that first Easter evening in Jerusalem when the risen Jesus first appeared to them as they were gathered together (Luke 24.13-49; John 20.19-29; cf. Mark 16.9-18). Some scholars think the gathering place was the Upper Room in Jerusalem. That is where Jesus and his apostles had eaten what may have been the Passover supper, but nevertheless came to be called The Last Supper (cf. Mark 14.15; Luke 22.12).

Billy then says in this Easter message that on Sunday morning, “three women” went to the tomb where Jesus’ dead body had been laid. Again, this is a minor historical error. A careful comparison of the NT gospels requires that it was at least five women. (See my The Gospels Interwoven, p. 383, for these details.)

Billy then correctly says the women discovered that the tomb was empty. So, Jesus’ body was missing. Billy recounts that an angel then appeared to these women in the tomb, telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Interestingly, and I think rightly, Billy then says this angel’s message was “the greatest news the world has ever heard.” Jesus’ resurrection is surely the foundation of Christianity. Without it, I think there never would have been any Christianity.

Mr. Graham soon says in this message, “Jesus claimed he was God by his miracles, but especially by his resurrection. The greatest proof of his deity is his resurrection.” Billy also says, “Do you know what that resurrection proved to me? It proved Jesus Christ was everything he claimed to be. He claimed to be God.” Here, I believe Billy makes important errors. But he is not alone.

First of all, in all of the sayings of Jesus recorded in the NT gospels, he never claims to be God or says anything like it. In fact, many times he indicates he is not God and that only the Father is God. This corresponds to Jewish monotheism–that there is only one God (e.g., Mark 12.28-34; John 14.28; 17.3; cf. Deut. 6.4). That is what all good Jews believed. If Jesus had claimed to be God, that would have been far more controversial than his claiming to be the Messiah. We could not possibly have a New Testament that says nothing about this, as we do. Jesus also constantly mentions himself and God the Father together, thereby indicating they are two separate beings. See my posts, “What Are the Claims of Christ?” and “More Reasons that Only the Father Is God.”

Second, Jesus miracles do not prove he was God since both Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ apostles did miracles, yet no one would say that proves they were Gods/gods. When Jesus did miracles, his Jewish religious opponents sometimes claimed he did them in the power of Beelzebub, that is, Satan (Matt. 12.22-28). In doing so, they acknowledged his miracle-working power; yet they did not believe it indicated he was deity. In Israel’s history, there were other Jews who reportedly did miracles. In fact, ancients generally believed in the possibility of humans working miracles; yet they did not think this necessarily indicated that person was God or a god. See my post, “If Christ’s Miracles Attest He Was God, Who Are Some Others We Highly Applaud?”

Third, Jesus’ resurrection does not prove he was God since all of God’s deceased people will arise in the resurrection on the last day. Even though they will have resurrection bodies like that of Jesus, that will not prove they are Gods/gods. See my posts on this, “If Raised from the Dead Proves Jesus Was God, Then Who Are We When We Get Our New Bod?” and “Jesus’ Resurrection Doesn’t Prove He Was God.”

The caption under the title of this Graham Easter message reads, “In this classic Billy Graham Easter message from the The Hour of Decision, hear what the evangelist said is the greatest proof that Jesus is the Son of God.” They mean that Jesus being the Son of God indicates he is God. Most Christians make this fundamental error. I did too for twenty-two years as a Trinitarian. See my posts, “Is Jesus God Because He Is the Son of God?” and “At Forty Years Old I Best Saw the Light–Trinity Doctrine No Longer Seemed Right.”

Despite this Christological error, that Jesus is God, which Billy Graham made in this Easter message and throughout his ministry—established by Catholic church fathers and believed ever since by nearly all Christians—Billy still preaches in this message the gospel–the good, true news about Jesus. It is that he is Jesus Christ, thus Israel’s promised Messiah, that he died an atoning death on the cross for our sins, that he arose from the dead, that he ascended to heaven where he now sits with God the Father on the Father’s throne, and that he awaits his yet future second coming to earth. And, as a good evangelist, in this message Billy concludes by pressing non-believers to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. For this we should all praise God for sending Jesus to die for us and sending Billy Graham to faithfully preach to so many people for so many years that Jesus is risen from the dead.

Note: The above-mentioned posts are condensations of my book, The Restitution of Jesus Christ. It is available at my website kermitzarley.com. See a list of over seventy such posts that I’ve written about how the Bible does not say Jesus is God or that God is three persons.

Billy Graham

Deity of Christ?

Previous Post

April 9, 2017

Sergio Garcia Finally Won a Major--The Masters

Next Post

April 16, 2017 Does Colossians 1.15-19 Mean Jesus Preexisted and Created the Universe?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Nathan Samuel David Eli

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »