Comments on: Billy Graham Library

By: brian

brian — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:22:48 +0000

just as a pont of comparison … the bill clinton library cost $165 million. which was money well spent, i think. 8 years in the presidency deserves a big investment.

but it does put into perspective the $ everyone keeps focusing on for the graham library. turns out, buildings cost money. and like him or not, billy graham has been one of the most influential people on planet earth in the last 100 years.

By: Mark Caplan

Mark Caplan — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:58:37 +0000

The Bible itself says “Don’t take me literally!” Notice how the Bible starts off. On Page 1 is the notorious Six Days of Creation saga. On Page 3 is an entirely different creation tale. Don’t believe it? Just pick up the Bible and carefully read the first 3 pages. Jot down the order that things are created in each tale. The Bible contradicts itself every step of the way. One or both creation stories must be false. They can’t both be true. Anyone who says the Bible is inerrant and literally true obviously hasn’t read beyond the first page.

By: Mike C

Mike C — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:05:42 +0000

If there are any followers of Jesus left in the world, I would like to know where they are.

It's a good question. Reading the words of Jesus I often wonder the same thing - whether there is anyone left who is actually trying to do what he said. They're not perfect, but I think my friend Shane Claiborne and his little community called the simple way are one of the best examples that I know of who are actually taking the teaching of Jesus seriously in their lifestyle of service and celebration with the poor and oppressed.

By: Darryl

Darryl — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 15:49:31 +0000

Strangely, Franklin Graham is actually far more conservative and exclusivistic in his views than his father is.

Franklin reflects the cultural occasion in which he grew up and lacks the many groundbreaking cross-cultural experiences that his father had. Billy emerged at a time when there was more consensus about his faith, and more public support. Franklin is reacting somewhat to the benign neglect of moderate belief, the shrinking world, and the creeping secularism of a material culture like ours. Billy was doctrinally strict but never an asshole about it. Billy was battle tested and wise in ways his son just could not be. To take off from Loyd Benson, I knew Billy Graham; Billy Graham was a friend of mine: Rev. Franklin, you’re no Billy Graham.

It’s still hard for me to understand how certain Christians can condemn anyone who dares to question the authority of Scripture. I understand that the Bible is “God’s Word” and all that… but when we don’t have the original scriptures (I’m currently reading Bart Ehrman’s book Misquoting Jesus and it is excellent) and many (though not enough) Christians understand that the Bible is not meant to be taken literally, shouldn’t questioning the authority of the Scripture be welcome by pastors who want people to take an interest in the faith? Questions are only asked by people interested in the subject. Believing in the divinity of Jesus and questioning scripture don’t have to be opposing ideas for Christians, do they?

What Christians do or don’t do has little to do with the shaping of their view of Scripture or their interpretations of it. Belief, once developed, reinforces practice, and practice follows the variously-originating initial belief. Not having the original manuscripts doesn’t mean a thing. If we had them (like the Mormons), would it make a difference to doubters or believers? The Bible does not prescribe the method of its interpretation. Believers do that; and believers come in all kinds. “Believing in the divinity of Jesus and questioning scripture don’t have to be opposing ideas for Christians,” because not all Christians believe they should derive their doctrines solely from the Bible, or at least not in variance with it, as do the fundamentalists and many evangelicals.

If there are any followers of Jesus left in the world, I would like to know where they are. I have seen none among the popular preachers; I have seen none in our Congress; I know there are none that hang around the Oval Office, and set our nation’s policies. All I see is what Jesus saw: Pharisees and Hypocrits—the outside is painted to look clean, but the inside is full of rottenness.

By: FromUpNorth

FromUpNorth — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 23:56:35 +0000

What you call the original scriptures, most Christian apologists call the “original autographs”. I believe, if you look into it, the bible has quite an extensive collection of ancient manuscripts to back its claim of authenticity. Some manuscripts I believe date to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. If someone is misquoting Jesus, as you apparently suppose, wouldn’t it be fairly easy to just check our present translations, word for word, against the earliest manuscripts? Although it would not be definitive, it would certainly reduce the problem to some extent.

The problem of possible misquoting of Jesus might be lessened still further if Jesus himself had left behind any manuscripts. However, he did not (most likely because he was illiterate). We have been entirely at the mercy of his early (literate) followers for our knowledge of what Jesus actually said.

The “Jesus Seminar” folks contend that Jesus never claimed to be the son of God. Perhaps (does it not in fact seem entirely plausible?) Jesus would have regarded such a claim to be not merely false, but utterly blasphemous. Being dead, however, he was certainly in no position to set the record straight.

By: olvlzl, no ism, no ist

olvlzl, no ism, no ist — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:45:12 +0000

Any thoughts on the animatronic evangelizing cow?

Aren’t they afraid someone will think it’s bull?

By: Logos

Logos — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:45:47 +0000

I was thinking more along the lines of “Holy Cheese” and I don’t mean swiss !

By: Richard Wade

Richard Wade — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:39:39 +0000

Any thoughts on the animatronic evangelizing cow?

The twenty-first century version of the golden calf?

By: Logos

Logos — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:26:45 +0000

Any thoughts on the animatronic evangelizing cow?

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:26:28 +0000

I grew up watching and listening to Billy Graham in my home. My dad thought a lot of Billy Graham, though he didn’t agree with Graham’s baptist belief of ‘once saved, always saved’. My dad thought that Billy Graham was the one baptist minister whom he could listen to without cringing. Dad is an old-fashioned, faith walking, bible thumping, tongue talking, pew hopping holy roller – very much of the Pentecostal persuasion. We attended the Assemblies of God for many years (1979 and on), and we were of the Nazarene denomination prior to that (From my birth in 1964 to 1979).
I love my dad a lot, but, as an atheist (since 1998), I always find his views of those of other Christian denominations amusing.
My dad likely thinks the $27,000,000 is a great investment in the Christian faith both in terms of the museum and the library. I humbly disagree – I think of that $54,000,000 as wasted money that would have been better spent on charitable causes or on actual education.
Even Christians should eye such spending with disdain if they read their bibles closely enough – after all, the ‘word of god’ commands that the full tithe be brought into the storehouse so that there is food in the temple. I don’t see too many people receiving much needed food out of tithe money. I see lots of architecturally stunning churches, schools for christians, and now museums and libraries. Of course, it could be argued that the food in the temple is the food of the word of god – openess to interpretation is one of the problems with the bible – which leads me to conclude that money is not the only thing being wasted in religion, words are also wasted.