Not Speaking Clearly ...

Apparently, I am not doing well in terms of my online efforts at communication.

Greg: In one regard, I think you are I are actually on the same page. I too believe that the media probably did not represent Billy's arguments in the way that he intended. Hence, the "letter to the editor" clarifying that he still believes in the inerrancy and authority of Scripture and in the fact that Christ is the only way to Heaven. My frustration, however, is not related to content of what he believes. That much is not in question. My frustration is twofold:

1. Why in the world would Billy Graham ever consent to an article in which he is going to discuss nuances of Scripture and interpretation without getting final editorial veto power. Seriously, this is Billy Graham. He doesn't need "Newsweek." "Newsweek" needs him (to sell that particular issue). So get your editorial rights if you are going to talk about these kinds of issues. Cause you are going to confuse many people if you don't.

2. Why discuss army counts and other such minutea with an individual that is not likely to understand the context of Ancient Near Eastern genres (which are radically different than modernist genres that tend to be far more technically precise). His examples of "errors" in Scirpture are all things that a first-year grad student deals with in seminary, and a secular news magazine is not the place to wrestle that down.

Matt: I can actually understand why you were confused. Even as I pressed "publish post," I knew there would be questiosn. One of those times where it is clear in your own mind, but you are too tired to get it out on paper. Here's the deal. While I would never again presume to tell someone that a certain individual is either in Hell or Heaven, I have no problem talking about groups of people. Muslims are people that define themselves as being worshippers of Allah. They deny the risen Christ, and deny that He was, in fact, the Son of God. Thus, a Muslim is going to Hell. However, if you ask me whether Abdul the Muslim is in Heaven or not, I honestly don't know the answer. Because Abdul, the individual, may have, on his death bed, responded to a gospel message he heard a long time ago. Or perhaps God Himself reaches out to Abdul in a supernatural way and reveals the Risen Christ to him. The distinction here is in the wording. A Muslim will not be in Heaven. But Abdul might because he may have made a move of faith that is unknown to other people. But if that is the case, at that point in time, he ceased to become a Muslim and by definition became a Christian. Thus, I am comfortable saying that there are no Muslims in Heaven, but I am not comfortable declaring that a given individual is or is not, because I don't know what was going on in his or her final moments.

I tend to think that Graham was probably thinking along the same lines. Perhaps he said more an it was edited out by the journalist. Perhaps he left it at that and said nothing more. I don't know. But it brings me back to my original point which was the frustration that he granted this interview without editorial power in the first place. These are not things that you entrust to a secular media that is openly hostile to the claims of Christianity. Just look at the title alone. "Billy's new thinking on ..." Even the title suggests that Billy has rejected certain stances of his ministry. And that is a dangerous thing to allow to happen when you are such a public voice for the Gospel of Christ.

Does that make sense?