Billy Graham – Atheism Is A Fad Only Fools Follow

Yes, atheism has been in the public eye more in recent years, largely because of a few atheists who’ve captured the public’s attention through their books. They aren’t large in number, but they do tend to be aggressive in promoting their ideas.

Why have they drawn so much attention? One reason, I believe, is because they know how to use the media very effectively. They also appeal to people who want to be free from God or any moral restraints. Like the philosophers of Paul’s day who were constantly looking for new ideas to debate, many people today eagerly latch on to the latest fad (see Acts 17:21). Atheism attracts their attention, at least for a while.

In reality, however, modern atheists have very little new to say. In fact, atheism has been around for thousands of years; even the Psalmist, writing hundreds of years before Christ, referred to them: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1).

Don’t be misled by those who claim God doesn’t exist, because he does. And the ultimate reason we know it is because he came down from heaven and walked on this earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ was God in human flesh, and he proved it by rising from the dead.

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Warren’s Apology Damaging

A Washington, DC, pastor and outspoken opponent of same-sex “marriage” says California mega-church pastor Rick Warren has done “tremendous damage” by apologizing for his support last fall of California’s marriage protection amendment.

Rick Warren said Monday on CNN’s Larry King Live that he has “never been and never will be” an “anti-gay marriage activist,” and made a point to inform the program’s host that he apologized to his homosexual friends for comments he made in October to his church in support of Proposition 8 in California.

Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., with the High Impact Leadership Coalition says he was very disappointed with Warren’s statements on CNN.

“This man who’s been called the next Billy Graham, who I really respect with all my heart and love what he’s doing in Africa, is falling into a trap that is emblematic of the problem that the entire church is facing in this generation,” Jackson states. “And that is that we love the applause of men more than we love the work of God and the gospel. Jesus…told us that we are to honor God first, and that we are not to fear men but we’re to fear God.”

Bishop JacksonJackson argues that Warren was “aiding and abetting a deception around what kind of stance the Bible calls Christians to take” by telling Larry King that opposing the recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage was “not his agenda.”

“He is the author of The Purpose Driven Life book,” Jackson notes, “and therefore people are going to think, ‘Well, this is not on my mission — it’s not on my purpose. I don’t have to stand for truth.’

“Therefore, his defection — in terms of his stance on this issue — [and] his backsliding on this issue, becomes of tremendous damage to the strength of the church in this position.”

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Billy Graham Ministry To Focus On End Time – Return of Jesus Christ

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will focus on the return of Jesus Christ and help prepare believers for life in the last days in 2009, according to a recent announcement.

Writing in one of the several resources that the ministry is providing on the End Times, Rev. Billy Graham said, “People ask me, ‘Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is going to come back to this earth again?”

“Yes, I do,” he continues. “The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming again. And I don’t see any other hope, because we’re heading toward a catastrophe in our world.

“The most important question, however, is this: Are you ready for Christ’s return?”

Towards this end, the ministry has compiled a number of End Times resources including a message delivered by Graham in 1998, a 2008 message from BGEA president and CEO Franklin Graham, an article adapted from a message delivered by Anne Graham Lotz in 1996, an End Times article on the basics of the Second Coming, and a couple of Q&As with Billy Graham that includes a question on whether the world will end in 2009, according to news reports.

Through its compilation of resources on the Second Coming of Christ, the BGEA hopes that believers will learn how they can fulfill God’s plan for their life, increase their love for the Savior and grow their faith during these times.

The world renowned evangelist also reminds believers that regardless of when Christ returns, the end of the world does come for each and every single person – the moment that they die.

“[A]nd that could be at any time for any of us. We never know,” Graham states.

Billy Graham ministry focuses on end times – The Christian Messenger