Newsmax interviewed Billy Graham in advance of his upcoming November special broadcast which is rumored to be his last. Below are some excerpts from the interview.
Your ministry, and the faith that your children and grandchildren continue to champion today, have touched millions and millions of lives in a powerful way all across the globe. If you had one last message to share with them, one final word you would love for them to engrave on their hearts and never forget, what would you say?
This is exactly why I have written the book [The Reason for My Hope: Salvation] and why our ministry is launching ‘My Hope America’ television program this November. It could perhaps be my last message which is this — Christ is our hope for today and our promise for tomorrow — and it is fulfilled in the great work He did for mankind on the cross when He paid the penalty for our sin. He offers salvation to those who will ‘come’ to Him, believe in what He has done and what He has said, and obediently follow Him. I’ve never known anyone to come to Christ and ever regret it.
What is the biggest spiritual danger America currently faces?
There was a headline recently about more Americans tailoring religion to fit their needs; mixing a little Christianity with the religions of the world. It is called a ‘trendy faith.’ Society does not object to this kind of faith. We have dismissed God, resulting in skewed thinking and consciences that are desensitized to right and wrong, basing moral decisions solely on what ‘fits in’ with our individual preferences. I watch the news daily and my heart is burdened. When I hear despair in people’s voices, when I see the turmoil on their faces, it tells me that hopelessness abounds. This is my reason for writing the book, to proclaim that there is a way out and it is through Jesus Christ who came to save us from self-destruction. People go on a search for anything but God. Many people do not want to face the truth of the Gospel. They water it down to a myth, causing young and old to doubt the authority of the Bible. We as a nation have turned our back on God who blessed our country because its fundamental principles were grounded in the Word of God. People want designer religion, but I pray that they instead will submit to their Creator who longs to become their God and Savior. He has designed eternal life in Heaven for all those who receive His salvation.
We’ve recently learned the federal government is tracking every letter mailed, every phone call made, every email sent. Is there a point at which a government can become so large and powerful that it inherently threatens basic human freedoms, such as the freedom of religion?
Americans have always fought for freedom. This is why America was founded — to worship the one true God openly with no fear of tyranny. Our early fathers led our nation according to Biblical principles. Hope and change has become a cliché in our nation and it is daunting to think that any American could hope for change from what God has blessed. Our country is turning away from what has made it so great, but far greater than the government knowing our every move that could lead to losing our freedom to worship God publicly is to know that God knows our every thought; He knows our hearts need transformation. The human heart can be changed only by the power of God. Hope is certain only through His Son Jesus Christ — not in the change agents of the world, and when the end of the world as we know it takes place at Christ’s return, no government can prevent it and no individual can escape it. Those who hope for it will welcome it; those who refuse to embrace its reality will never change its certainty.
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