Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Someday, those responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our Congress have so forcefully stated. But today we especially come together in this service to confess our need of God.
And later:
I've become an old man now. And I've preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago, and proclaimed it in many languages to many parts of the world.Graham's hope wasn't in wealth, it wasn't in the military, it wasn't in nationalism or triumphalism, it wasn't in a political agenga; it was in Jesus, in the promise of life, in the promise of life to come, in the promise that hope and faith in Jesus will never return void.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
yes, i admire this man for His humility before God.
David, In Graham quote number one, (that you use) it is saying that the mastermnds of 9-11 and those that carried it out, were following "diabolical" schemes.
Diabolical menas Satanic or demonic. In quote number two, Graham is talking about the Gospel he preached to milions and millions and millions, that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. To Muslims, that would be blasphemous statements condemning Graham to beheading, as Osama Bin Laden has taken responsibility for the 9-11 attacks in the name of Islam/Allah.
To Liberals and Progressives, Graham is a right-wing fundamentalist hate crimes perpetrator. \ You got the coffee brewing David?
Ooops, I meant to add: Is that not right David?
Doug and Chris in NY, I could not agree with you more. Billy Graham very positively touched the lives of millions, including many who were not Christians. I recall reading somewhere, perhaps here on Beliefnet IIRC, one time at a public appearance in which Graham took questions. A man, (a Christian of a certain genre), asked him about his trip to Sri Lanka (IIRC) and had asked a question (or even a remark) that the Buddhists were going to hell because they did not accept Jesus as their savior. He clearly expected Graham to agree with him. No doubt the late Falwell and his ilk would have been happy to oblige. But not Graham. Instead, Graham said he met many Buddhists who acted like better Christians than Christians.
The man apparently had a look on his face of supreme disappointment. And yet, here for the world to see Billy Graham living the best that his religion has to offer:
We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious, or political background may be. In sad contrast, we need not go far to see the worst that Christianity has to offer.
Hate is easy. Haters are a nickel a dozen. Compassion, on the other hand, can be quite difficult. Graham had the latter in abundance and I deeply respect him.
Donny, you do know that Muslims venerate Jesus as a prophet, right? Their religion, like Judaism, doesn't have a "savior" in the way Christianity means it.
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.