Franklin Graham Calls on Pastors to Speak Out on Abortion, Homosexuality; Says 'God Hates Cowards'

WASHINGTON ”“ The Rev. Franklin Graham told a large gathering of pastors on Thursday to address controversial issues from the pulpit, declaring that "God hates cowards."

Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, based his remarks on Revelation 21:8, wherein God lists eight groups of people who will be "in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Of groups like murderers, idolaters, unbelievers, and others, the first group of persons listed were the cowardly. It was this first group that Graham focused on for his speech, titled "Standing Strong on the Controversial Issues," at the Thursday evening session for the 2014 Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing.

"The definition of a coward: a coward will not confront an issue that needs to be confronted due to fear. That is a coward," said Graham.

"God hates cowards. And the cowards that the Lord is referring to are the men and women who know the truth but refuse to speak it."

In his remarks at the dinner session, Graham spoke about the need for churches to speak out against abortion and homosexuality, declaring that "you're not going to shut me up."

"We have a responsibility to speak on the moral issues. Abortion, homosexuality, these are moral issues. This is a free country, you can do what you want to do but I want you to know it's a sin against God. This is a sin," said Graham.

Graham mentioned how he has "friends who are pastors" who say they want to preach the Gospel and not "become targets."

"Well don't you think the Lord Jesus Christ was a target?" asked Graham. "Could we get our heads chopped off? We could, maybe one day. So what? Chop it off!"

from: http://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-calls-on-pastors-to-speak-out-on-abortion-homosexuality-says-god-hates-cowards-120265/

Short 1 minute clip:
RWW News: Graham Says Pastors Must Be Willing To 'Get Our Heads Chopped Off'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgkPOFATvN0

Short 1 minute clip:
Anne Graham Lotz: The End Times Are Coming And God's Judgment Has Already Begun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjWwFfhoQkA

Franklin Graham at Watchmen on the Wall 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZj9NjDt34

In all due respects Franklin Graham is missing it. We as believers are called to speak out one thing. And that one thing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The grievous sins of this nation and the church stem from a corrupt and uwicked heart. The answer to a wicked heart is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross.

Franklin Graham does a grievous injustice to pastors who are faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by calling them cowards. One would wonder if he had his own father on.mind because this was what Billy Graham.did. Preached a relationship with Jesus Christ. Billy Graham preached the cross of Christ to save sinners. If anything Billy Graham was criticised because he did not speak out against the social evils of his day such as racism and the Vietnam war. And these were evil sins. But his focus was on a personal relationship with Christ what could change a sinners heart.

I.notice that there is an ugly spirit prevailing among evangelicals who excoriate those who do not agree with their agenda. If you do not get on their bandwagon of speaking out against th he sins of the nation such as homosexuality or abortion then you do not believe in repentance. Such people generally have no.love for the sinner and miss the truth of Jesus Christ. His truth that can set the sinner free.

If they are going to cut our heads off then let it be we are speaking forth the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this is what we are called to. To proclaim and if necessary die for Jesus Christ and His gospel. Not for our stand for or against moral issues.

My thoughts.

Blaine Scigin

brother, you wrote:

Franklin Graham does a grievous injustice to pastors who are faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by calling them cowards. One would wonder if he had his own father on.mind because this was what Billy Graham.did. Preached a relationship with Jesus Christ. Billy Graham preached the cross of Christ to save sinners. If anything Billy Graham was criticised because he did not speak out against the social evils of his day such as racism and the Vietnam war. And these were evil sins. But his focus was on a personal relationship with Christ what could change a sinners heart.

I.notice that there is an ugly spirit prevailing among evangelicals who excoriate those who do not agree with their agenda. If you do not get on their bandwagon of speaking out against th he sins of the nation such as homosexuality or abortion then you do not believe in repentance. Such people generally have no.love for the sinner and miss the truth of Jesus Christ. His truth that can set the sinner free.

If they are going to cut our heads off then let it be we are speaking forth the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this is what we are called to. To proclaim and if necessary die for Jesus Christ and His gospel. Not for our stand for or against moral issues.

AMEN! and amen.

and if anybody thinks that preaching against ALL SIN, including whoremongering, warmongering, money worship, hating on your brother and sister, coz of their skin color....ALL SIN...if anybody thinks that makes one a "compromiser"...its time to give active consideration to the Gospel within Isaiah 40-66.

I am of the firm conviction you can draw IN CHRIST JESUS...a straight line from the MANY Messianic Passages (the Four suffering Servants Song, where BOTH Father and Son, Jesus, testify to His Earthly and Kingdom Ministries) in Isaiah 40-66 right to one of the Mountain Tops of New Covenant Reality, which is the High Priestly Prayer of John 17.

STRAIGHT LINE!!

I hear a lot of TALK about "taking this nation back for Christ"....which means "rebuilding" and "repairing" and "restoring"......a Holy Template is GIVEN to us in Isaiah 58:

"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in."

Isaiah 58:6-12

So who now wants to call the Word of God..."social gospel"?

So you preach it, Blaine! how many innocent Vietnamese got murdered FOR NOTHING? How many US boys were thrown into the cauldron, for sin soaked war mongers, and LIARS?!?

Fast forward to 2003, how many of those "church leaders" I saw listed on that Watchman's 'speakers" list, that gave spiritual covering to all the lies that preceded the invasion of Iraq?

"church leaders"...when the persecution comes, its coming from THEM....Schma!

In all due respects Franklin Graham is missing it. We as believers are called to speak out one thing. And that one thing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The grievous sins of this nation and the church stem from a corrupt and uwicked heart. The answer to a wicked heart is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross.

Brethren,

I do disagree in that all true godly revival preaching had preaching against the social sins of the day, whether it was John Welsey, Whitefield, Finney, Sunday or other godly men.

Should there be preaching against sins in our day like homosexuality, pornography, over-eating, neglect of the poor, sure! The dearth of it makes a man like Franklin graham have to rise up and be a prophetic voice.

Where are the preachers who preach on hell and do it with tears? The older brethren did. Though I agree we should not harp on any one sin but to say preachers should not preach against social sins of drinking or any other sins is wrong my brothers. People will never need or want Jesus Christ unless they realize they have sinned greatly offending a holy God. The law and sin bring about this need.

Brethren I ask what has speaking out against national sins got us. There were well meaning, God fearing men who spoke out against the evil sin of slavery in the 19th century. The result was a 4 year bloody war that resulted in the death of a half million Americans on both sides. We still have the evil of racism.

There were those God fearing people that spoke against the evils of alcoholism in the 19th and early 20th century. So the sale of alcohol was banned at the Federal level via a Constutional amendment. Giving rise to what? The gangsters and illegal sale of booxe. The effort failed. The Costutional amendment failed. And you still have the problem of alcoholism.

You can cry out against national sins all you want. It is easy to say homosexuality and abortion are sin. Even an abomination to God. For this is what Westboro Baptist Church is doing. Even the church in Wells TX.

It takes far more courage to preach a gospel that saves sinners. And definitely far more courage to love these sinners as God loves them.

Again the issue is the evil depraved heart of man. The answer to this evil heart is the glorious transforming work of the gospel of Jesus Christ on such a heart.

Blaine Scogin

It takes far more courage to preach a gospel that saves sinners. And definitely far more courage to love these sinners as God loves them.

Again the issue is the evil depraved heart of man. The answer to this evil heart is the glorious transforming work of the gospel of Jesus Christ on such a heart.

Brother, I am not sure if you listened to the entire 24 minute sermon, he preached Jesus Christ and His blood through over 18 minutes of it. It was a very Jesus Christ and God glorifying message.

I cannot imagine if Finney or any other godly repentance preacher was alive how could we endure 10 days of preaching of sin with no hope given and then 1 day at the end the hope of Jesus Christ given. We do not estimate how evil sin is in the life of Christians in the Church or in the world.

I wonder what the specific sins of the ancient nations of Rome and Israel and Greece and Turkey were? I know that the sin of idol worship, especially Diana, was one of the most prevalent of sins in many of the regions where the Gospel was being spread by Paul and others. Do we have evidence that Paul spoke out fearlessly against this specific worship which most were taken up with? ...........bro Frank

And are we sure that by speaking out against national sins we are not fighting the cultural war.

Brethren we are called to one war and one war alone. It is a spiritual war against the evil one that can only be won by the cross of Christ. This spiritual war can only be won by getting sinners to be transferred out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light.

No where in the apostolic record do we find Paul speaking out against the national depravity of Rome. And Rome had plenty of depravity. He did call sinners to repent and turn from their sins and turn to God. He called sinners to have faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the crux of the argument. Are we as believers called to speak out against the national sins of the culture we live in? Or are we called to tell people to flee from their sins by repentance and turn to faith in Christ? I believe it is the latter.

One can go to an abortion clinic and hold up a sign that decries the evil of abortion. But if that mother who might be convinced to give her baby up for adoption and not be told of the danger of her immortal soul going to hell and how she can be saved through relationship with Jesus what has been gained?

An abortion doctor may be persuaded on some philosophical moral argument that he should not perform abortions. But if no one speaks to him about his need for Christ what have you gained.

The danger in crying out against national sins us you lose sight of the cross. Evangelicals who become so consumed with crying out against abortion and homosexuality are willing to link arms with the RCC and Mormons because they stand against these issues. Even Moslems stand against these issues.

Even in the last Presidential election there were those believers who were willing to vote for a cultist because he supposedly was against abortion and homosexuality.

Brethren we are not called to speak out against national sins of the culture we live in. Our call is to preach a redemptive message of the cross of Jesus Christ that can save men from their sins. This is our message and should be our only message. Our message is the cross of Jesus Christ.

Blaine Scogin

Oracio in the passage you posted Paul is speaking about sins that occur when men reject the knowledge of God on creation. As you said this is part of the gospel message. As Paul is demonstrating the need for the gospel or good news by showing the bad news of man. Namely man's need for a Savior because if his sinfulness.

I do not believe this is what Franklin and other evangelicals are doing. Franklin seems to be excoriating pastors, calling them cowards because they will not decry the sins if the culture. At least that was what I gleaned from the posted article. Earlier Greg alluded to the video where Franklin preached the gospel. I have yet to watch it.

But is Franklin speaking out against sin because of a gospel proclamation of man's need for Christ? Or is he speaking out against sin as the evils if our culture? If he us doing the latter with no gospel to offer then there is a serious issue.

Blaine

Play the ball Gary and not the man. I am your brother in Christ. Show from the scripture where my conclusions are in error.

With love to you bro.

Blaine

Please brethren do not single each other out in anyway in this or other threads. We must be able to discuss these things in charity and love or our testimony itself is lost.

Our spiritual weapons are listed in Ephesians 6:12:18 and 2 Cortinthians 10:4,5. For the first time in almost 2,000 years of Christian history we have shocking amounts of professing Christians teaching and believing that homosexuality is not a sin , does not need to be repented of and will not keep one out of the kingdom of God. Franklin Graham is calling pastors to speak the full counsel of God to their congregations, teaching and warning the souls entrusted to them by God, so that they may be found without blood on their hands in that great Day when they stand enforce Him.

There are many pastors who are afraid to call sin what it is in these last days.

Your stance is proof positive the flack one will get preaching Christ and Him only!! Keep up the excellent work!!

Sister, I believe both are essential to preach on sin and also to preach the person of Jesus Christ. One without the other does not make sense. Also 1 cor 6:9-10 is in the bible and therefore if someone does have an personal relationship with Jesus Christ and continues in sin they can end up not inheriting the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
New King James Version (NKJV)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not intended to restrain the sins of nations.This is not it's purpose. Nor are we called upon as Christians to maintain the moral character of secular kingdoms. America is not the Israel of the OT of whom the prophets spoke to, nor is it a church. The world is wicked as are the nations of the world. The greatest idolatory of the ancient world was the worship of Artemis or Diana. None of the Apostles spoke against Artemis/Diana directly. They did not stand on the street corners and pronounce her to be false. They did however, speak to the general wickedness of idolatory. What is the sin of abortion? It is murder. And murder is clearly wrong. There have been 55 million abortions in this country alone. What does that mean? There are 55 million murderers walking the street most of them unrepentant. Political christians in the States like to blame politicians for the 55 million murders. Yet the politicians merely give the majority of people what they want. And what is that? Freedom. Yet the kind of freedom that many Americans idolize is a genie in a bottle. You release this kind of genie, and you create a society where personal freedoms are worshiped. And these worshiped freedoms have led to abortion on demand and gay marriage and worse to come. The root of all of this is the mistake by cultural Christians as to what it means to be free.

We in the west worship our so called freedoms. We detest being told what we can and cannot do. It is ironic that the freedoms of men leads to lawlessness. Being free in Christ down through the ages typically leads to persecution and death. The apostles and Jesus always spoke to the root causes of problems. Man's rebellion against God leading to homosexuality, hatred in one's heart leading to war. Lust leading to adultery and all manner of sexual sin. Greed leading to all manner of worship of mammon. The issues of the heart and the true Gospel is what the man of God speaks to. True men of God are not afraid to speak the truth in love as led by the Holy Spirit. The religious man, like the Victorian England church-goer, will rail against the morality of society, the man of God will speak to the state of the Church. The world is and always has been wicked, it just had and has various states of morality which have little bearing on the Body of Christ.....bro Frank

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh_3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Brethren I found the video to be a mixed blessing. As regards the gospel that was encouraging. But as regards speaking out against the national sins of abortion and homosexuality I heard culture. Somehow the cross got lost.

My thoughts.

Blaine

1 Cor. 5:12-13
But what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.

I find these verses insightful as Paul was preaching in one of the most depraved cities in the Roman empire. He apparently was not speaking out against the national sins of Corinth. But rather was leaving it for God to judge the corporate sins of Corinth.

Yet Paul was quite clear on judging sin inside the church. In the context of the above verses a man has his father's wife. The Corthian church is proud if this. Paul calls them to account. They need to repent.

I see a lesson here. It might behoove us to look to our own spiritual house and judge the sins inside the house. Thus repenting of those sins. Those outside the house God will judge.

If anything it is the church that needs to repent of her sins. One sin being embroiled in the culture war and politics. Another sin is failure to love the homosexual and abortionist and speak to them of their need for Christ.

My thoughts.

Bearmaster.

Ontario were the early Christans martyred for speaking out against specific sins? Or for a witness of Jesus Christ?

I believe it was their testimony of Jesus that sent the early Christans to the lions.

Bear.

Brethren please consider once again 1 Cor.5:11-12,

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.

As previously posted the context of the above verses was sin in the church of Corith. Paul calls the church to judge that sin and deal with it.

But another truth us expressed in the above verses. Paul does not see his mandate to speak out against cultural and national sins. He says God will judge such sins. As Apolous stated in his post Paul was not speaking out against the cultural sin of Ephesus in their worship of Diana. Indeed it was said by the town clerk in Acts 20:37 these men who have been brought here are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

So does this mean Paul was a coward or afraid to speak the truth about sin? Was he giving approval to a cult? Of course not. Paul saw his commission to preach the gospel and call individuals to turn from their sins to God and have faith in Christ (Acts 20:21). On other words Paul called on individuals to repent and turn away from their sins and have faith in Jesus. Not societies or cities.

No doubt Paul would engage individuals caught up in the cult of Diana to come out and believe in Jesus. But we do not see him blasting the entire cult itself and calling it false. We certainly do not hear of Paul holding up a sign outside of the temple of Diana saying those who worshipped there were going to hell.

Our call, our commission is to engage individuals that God may bring our way to come out of their sins and come to Christ. But I do not see that we are to be prophets calling America itself to repentance. Those who believe such said God sent prophets to Israel. But Israel was a theocracy. In the New Covenant the prophet gives way to the evangelist who calls individuals to repent and come to Christ. Not nations. Indeed the Great Commission is incumbent upon all of us to preach the gospel. For Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. Not nations.

Bearmaster.

Ontario were the early Christans martyred for speaking out against specific sins? Or for a witness of Jesus Christ?

Brother Blaine,

Yes early Christians were martyred by preaching against idolatry. There are numerous accounts of this. The fury of the unbelievers was of such that they in one account beat the preachers head with a cugel till the skull cracked and then smashed his brains. The worse the could do is smash the mind that though and said the words that offended them so greatly.

Christians are to preach against sin, though it is the Holy Spirits role to ultimately convict of sin, righteousness and judgement to come, we must not wane to never preach against sin, testify that the world lies in the wicked one.

I agree fully hearily with Frank's comments that the Gospel does not wage a cultural war for a nations moral compass and freedoms of religion. Rather the Gospel testifies for people to join another kingdom but again the main context of Franklin Graham's sharing is towards the preachers of America's Church. The society is forcing through fear, most preachers to stop preaching the truth FOR THE CHURCH, for the kingdom of God. We cannot practice abortion IN THE Church, we cannot condone homosexuality iIN THE CHURCH. And yes it is a sin against the Lord and through evangelism we can testify to that also to unbelievers.

----

Some early church quotes on abortion:

And the second commandment of the Teaching; You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born. -Didache 2:1-2 (90AD)

Thou shalt not doubt whether a thing shall be or not be. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain. Thou shalt love thy neighbor more than thine own soul. Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion, nor again shalt thou kill it when it is born. Thou shalt not withhold thy hand from thy son or daughter, but from their youth thou shalt teach them the fear of God. -The Epistle of Barnabas 19:5 (130AD)

And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very foetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it. But we are in all things always alike and the same, submitting ourselves to reason, and not ruling over it. -Athenagoras of Athens, Embassy (177AD)

There are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels. So they commit murder before they bring forth”“and this about infanticide and child exposure: And I see that you at one time expose your begotten children to wild beasts and to the birds; at another that you crush when strangled with a miserable kind of death… And these things assuredly come down from your gods. For Saturn did not expose his children but devoured them. -Minucius Felix, The Octavius (200AD)

Among surgeons’ tools there is a certain instrument that is formed with a nicely-adjusted flexible frame for first of all opening the uterus and then keeping it open. It also has a circular blade, by means of which the limbs within the womb are dissected with careful, but unflinching care. Its last appendage is a blunted or covered hook, by which the entire fetus is extracted by a violent delivery. There is also a copper needle or spike, by which the actual death is brought about in this treacherous robbery of life. From its infanticide function, they give it the name, "killer of the infant”””which infant, of course, had once been alive. -Tertullian, De Anima 25 (209AD)

Women who were reputed to be believers began to take drugs to render themselves sterile, and to bind themselves tightly so as to expel what was being conceived, since they would not, on account of relatives and excess wealth, want to have a child by a slave or by any insignificant person. See, then, into what great impiety that lawless one has proceeded, by teaching adultery and murder at the same time! -Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies (228AD)

When God forbids us to kill, he not only prohibits us from open violence, which is not even allowed by the public laws, but he warns us against the commission of those things which are esteemed lawful among men.. Therefore, let no one imagine that even this is allowed, to strangle newly-born children, which is the greatest impiety; for God breathes into their souls for life, and not for death. But men, that there may be no crime with which they may not pollute their hands, deprive [unborn] souls as yet innocent and simple of the light which they themselves have not given. "Can anyone, indeed, expect that they would abstain from the blood of others who do not abstain even from their own? But these are, without any controversy, wicked and unjust. -Lactantius, Divine Institutes 6:20 (307AD)

Let her that procures abortion undergo ten years’ penance, whether the embryo were perfectly formed, or not. -Basil of Caesarea, First Canonical Epistle, Canon II (374 AD)

He that kills another with a sword, or hurls an axe at his own wife and kills her, is guilty of wilful murder; not he who throws a stone at a dog, and undesignedly kills a man, or who corrects one with a rod, or scourge, in order to reform him, or who kills a man in his own defence, when he only designed to hurt him. But the man, or woman, is a murderer that gives a philtrum, if the man that takes it die upon it; so are they who take medicines to procure abortion; and so are they who kill on the highway, and rapparees. -Basil of Caesarea, First Canonical Epistle, Canon VIII (375AD)

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some early church quotes on homosexuality:

151 AD Justin Martyr "[W]e have been taught that to expose newly-born children is the part of wicked men; and this we have been taught lest we should do anyone harm and lest we should sin against God, first, because we see that almost all so exposed (not only the girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitution. And for this pollution a multitude of females and hermaphrodites, and those who commit unmentionable iniquities, are found in every nation. And you receive the hire of these, and duty and taxes from them, whom you ought to exterminate from your realm. And any one who uses such persons, besides the godless and infamous and impure intercourse, may possibly be having intercourse with his own child, or relative, or brother. And there are some who prostitute even their own children and wives, and some are openly mutilated for the purpose of sodomy; and they refer these mysteries to the mother of the gods" (First Apology 27).

181 AD Theophilus of Antioch "Give studious attention to the prophetic writings [the Bible] and they will lead you on a clearer path to escape the eternal punishments and to obtain the eternal good things of God.. [God] will examine everything and will judge justly, granting recompense to each according to merit. To those who seek immortality by the patient exercise of good works, he will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things.. For the unbelievers and for the contemptuous, and for those who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity, when they have been involved in adulteries, and fornications, and homosexualities, and avarice, and in lawless idolatries, there will be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish; and in the end, such men as these will be detained in everlasting fire" (To Autolycus 1:14).

190 AD Clement of Alexandria "All honor to that king of the Scythians, whoever Anacharsis was, who shot with an arrow one of his subjects who imitated among the Scythians the mystery of the mother of the gods . . . condemning him as having become effeminate among the Greeks, and a teacher of the disease of effeminacy to the rest of the Scythians" ... [According to Greek myth] Baubo [a female native of Elusis] having received [the goddess] Demeter hospitably, reached to her a refreshing draught; and on her refusing it, not having any inclination to drink (for she was very sad), and Baubo having become annoyed, thinking herself slighted, uncovered her shame, and exhibited her nudity to the goddess. Demeter is delighted with the sight--pleased, I repeat, at the spectacle. These are the secret mysteries of the Athenians; these Orpheus records" ... "It is not, then, without reason that the poets call him [Hercules] a cruel wretch and a nefarious scoundrel. It were tedious to recount his adulteries of all sorts, and debauching of boys. For your gods did not even abstain from boys, one having loved Hylas, another Hyacinthus, another Pelops, another Chrysippus, another Ganymede. Let such gods as these be worshipped by your wives, and let them pray that their husbands be such as these--so temperate; that, emulating them in the same practices, they may be like the gods. Such gods let your boys be trained to worship, that they may grow up to be men with the accursed likeness of fornication on them received from the gods" (Exhortation to the Greeks 2).
220AD Tertullian "[A]ll other frenzies of the lusts which exceed the laws of nature, and are impious toward both [human] bodies and the sexes, we banish, not only from the threshold but also from all shelter of the Church, for they are not sins so much as monstrosities" (Modesty 4).

250 AD Novatian "[God forbid the Jews to eat certain foods for symbolic reasons:] For that in fishes the roughness of scales is regarded as constituting their cleanness; rough, and rugged, and unpolished, and substantial, and grave manners are approved in men; while those that are without scales are unclean, because trifling, and fickle, and faithless, and effeminate manners are disapproved. Moreover, what does the Law mean when it . . . forbids the swine to be taken for food? It assuredly reproves a life filthy and dirty, and delighting in the garbage of vice . . . Or when it forbids the hare? It rebukes men deformed into women" (The Jewish Foods 3).

253 AD Cyprian of Carthage "[T]urn your looks to the abominations, not less to be deplored, of another kind of spectacle . . . Men are emasculated, and all the pride and vigor of their sex is effeminated in the disgrace of their enervated body; and he is more pleasing there who has most completely broken down the man into the woman. He grows into praise by virtue of his crime; and the more he is degraded, the more skillful he is considered to be. Such a one is looked upon--oh shame!--and looked upon with pleasure. . . . nor is there wanting authority for the enticing abomination . . . that Jupiter of theirs [is] not more supreme in dominion than in vice, inflamed with earthly love in the midst of his own thunders . . . now breaking forth by the help of birds to violate the purity of boys. And now put the question: Can he who looks upon such things be healthy-minded or modest? Men imitate the gods whom they adore, and to such miserable beings their crimes become their religion" (Letters 1:8).

Towards christian martyrs preaching against idolatry:

from foxes book of martyrs:

Timothy was the celebrated disciple of St. Paul, and bishop of Ephesus, where he zealously governed the Church until A.D. 97. At this period, as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the procession, SEVERELY REPROVED them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so exasperated the people that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him in so dreadful a manner that he expired of the bruises two days later.

Stephen, bishop of Rome, was beheaded in the same year, and about that time Saturninus, the pious orthodox bishop of Toulouse, REFUSING to sacrifice to idols, was treated with all the barbarous indignities imaginable, and fastened by the feet to the tail of a bull. Upon a signal given, the enraged animal was driven down the steps of the temple, by which the worthy martyr's brains were dashed out.

Victorius, Carpophorus, Severus, and Severianus, were brothers, and all four employed in places of great trust and honor in the city of Rome. Having EXCLAIMED AGAINST the worship of idols, they were apprehended, and scourged, with the plumbetae, or scourges, to the ends of which were fastened leaden balls. This punishment was exercised with such excess of cruelty that the pious brothers fell martyrs to its severity.

St. George threw up his command, went boldly to the senate house, and avowed his being a Christian, taking occasion at the same time to remonstrate against paganism, and POINT OUT THE ABSURDITY of worshipping idols. This freedom so greatly provoked the senate that St. George was ordered to be tortured, and by the emperor's orders was dragged through the streets, and beheaded the next day.

from: http://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/fox102.htm

So does this mean Paul was a coward or afraid to speak the truth about sin? Was he giving approval to a cult? Of course not. Paul saw his commission to preach the gospel and call individuals to turn from their sins to God and have faith in Christ (Acts 20:21). On other words Paul called on individuals to repent and turn away from their sins and have faith in Jesus. Not societies or cities.

Brother, of course Paul was not a coward. But he would have been if he did not speak of such sins in the church out of fear that the Roman or Jewish government would close down their assemblies or take away their 501c3 status and their church buildings. Of course none of those things existed back then but the same was there that Paul was not afraid of the society to spoil his goods and take away his possessions because of their stance for godliness inside the Church.

It is clear that the Holy Spirit is showing that we are to pay much closer attention to ourselves (the Church) and not the world as in relation to sin. Yet there are clear admonitions to preach the law and share what is right in the eyes of God. The only message to preach was not accept or reject Jesus Christ yet that was the root of the Gospel. And the only sin is not rejecting Jesus Christ as many famous evangelical teachers teach. Of course in the end to reject Jesus Christ is to reject God and side with the devil and sin. But sin and breaking of God's laws is the problem of why people do not come to Jesus Christ.

John 3:18-21
New King James Version (NKJV)

18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Amen sister.

Hi Oracio,

My post was addressing the desire to moralize the world or to maintain or produce a moral society. The apostles and the genuine saints down through the ages were the most fearless of men and spoke the truth without fear or favor of men.I do not find the Grahams to come into that category, that is my personal opinion. Taking Mormonism of their website a year and a half ago as a cult was a matter of rank cowardice or worse, pure political expediency.

Maryjane pointed out the hypocrisy on picking on certain sins that appeal to a broad category of peoples. Now if one were to point out to Christendom every Sunday about the sin of greed or materialism or divorce then perhaps one would have the legitimacy of pointing out the sins of abortion or homosexuality as it pertains, not to the broader world but to the church specific. And it does pertain to them and it is right to speak out on these matters as it pertains to the church. The genuine saint loves the whole truth and will stand or fall because of the whole truth, anything else is rank hypocrisy......... bro Frank

But I have seen Franklin Graham speak boldly much truth on camera which many would shy away from. For example he has spoken out against Islam and against false teachers like Rob Bell.

I agree with brother that to write-off brother Franklin because of one thing if we put the same measure to our lives and our lives were in the public I am sure there could be mistakes we have made that could seemingly invalidate us from ministry or speaking of Christ if we measured the same measure.

In the end it is refreshing to hear a brother as faultly as he is speaking boldly to the pastors of the land to stand up for righteousness in their churches and preach the truth.

I was encouraged.

Hi Oracio,

I am glad we agree and any time the truth is spoken I would certainly never discourage that. To say that Franklin Graham is written off, as Greg stated, is mere presumption and hyperbole. I simply do not count him or his father in the category that we spoke of, fearless men who courted no one's favor but the Lord's..........bro Frank

Brethren if we be honest with ourselves we really want to preserve the American culture. Those who say we need to speak out against the sins of abortion and homosexuality have only one agenda. Preserve America. Or bring America to some notion of godliness. There is no desire to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Simply to have a godly culture.

In the midst of this the American church has lost its stance of being a pilgrim church. It has lost the concept of being strangers and aliens in the midst of a hostile culture.

American Christians have forgotten they are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Their King Himself told an earthly ruler that my kingdom is not of this world. His Kingdom is in a different realm.

As such we are simply ambassadors of that heavenly kingdom calling others to flee the City of Destruction, Babylon and immigrate and become citizens of His kingdom by the New birth.

An ambassador will represent the interests of his nation in the country he is posted in. The ambassador will abide by the laws of the country he is posted in. But not engage in the internal affairs of that nation. Even speaking out against evil in that nation. But if someone from that nation wants to immigrate to the ambassador`s country then the ambassador can tell them that they must leave their evil behavior to live in his country.

Granted the above analogy falls short. But we are ambassadors of a heavenly kingdom sent to call sinners to turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our mandate is the Great Commission as stated by Jesus in Mathew 28:18-20. We are not called to speak out and judge the sins of a nation. That is God`s domain. Our calling is to reach out to the lost and call them to repentance. And do this in the love of Christ.

God did not call us to redeem culture but sinners.

Bearmaster.

Brethren if we be honest with ourselves we really want to preserve the American culture. Those who say we need to speak out against the sins of abortion and homosexuality have only one agenda. Preserve America. Or bring America to some notion of godliness. There is no desire to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Simply to have a godly culture.

Brother,

I am a Canadian and I am concerned with abortion, homosexuality, divorce, in the Church in North America. And for a whole society to become sodomite will have a great difference on the Church and the opposition against the Bible. So I do not come under your categorizing neatly that it must be an American cultural preservation issue.

I do agree with you brother I am not for any hint of thinking America is a Christian nation or that we have to save america. I hope you can see the balance in these things.

Greg if you are talking about judging sin in the church then yes. Paul says we can do such.

I am asking on the basis if 1 Cor. 5:12--13 are we called to judge sin outside the church? The conclusion of the Apostle Paul would suggest that God is the one who will judge those sins of society.

Blaine

Greg if you are talking about judging sin in the church then yes. Paul says we can do such.

Brother, this is the point, Franklin Graham was preaching to those "in" the Church. That's what his message was directed towards, namely the pastors.

I am asking on the basis if 1 Cor. 5:12--13 are we called to judge sin outside the church? The conclusion of the Apostle Paul would suggest that God is the one who will judge those sins of society.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13
New King James Version (NKJV)
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person.”[a]

Yes the Church is not obeying this Scripture and believers are allowed to be in open sins and never be accountable. We are not to judge (meaning to take action on the sin) for unbelievers outside the church but for believers in the Church we are to have some ability to judge (meaning to discipline) in love through elders of witnesses of the sins.

Paul is saying that we are not to judge or take action on those outside of the Church but that is not meaning we are not to acknoweldge and see their sins.

I trust you saw the quotes of martyrs I posted where they were preaching against repentance from idols.

Jesus told the people to repent, John the baptist had the same message, also the apostles told the people to repent. Should we not do likewise?

Brethren if we are are dealing with the lost as they come our way then we urge them out of hearts of love to forsake their sins and come to Christ.

But I do not see that the church has a mandate to preach against the sins of society. This is what I am hearing in this thread. We are to preach to the lost their need for Christ. Not against the sins of a religion or society.

If you really think that preaching against a religion is going to win them to Christ. Then go to an Islamic festival in Deerborn Michigan and take a bull horn and declare the evils if Islam.
And see where that gets you. You surely want ser any Moslems come to Christ.

Or go to Salt Lake City to the Mormon temple and take your bull horn and shout all Mormons are going to hell. Where do you think this will get you. You surely want ser any Moslems come to Christ.

Westboro Baptist has a fine tradition of telling people they are bound for hell. They would say they are preaching against sin. But have they brought anybody to Christ. Very doubtful.

The lost are best engaged one on one out of hearts of love. This is our mandate. To preach and reach the lost. Not to preach against the sins if society and thus preserve culture.

Bearmaster.

I doubt very seriously if Paul stood outside the temple of Artemis and I preached against the evils of that cult. More likely his approach was one on one contacts exhorting people to leave that cult and come to saving faith in Christ.

My thoughts.

Blaine

Public open air preaching (street preaching) is the original method of New Testament evangelism, and it has God’s Scriptural stamp of approval.

John Bunyan street preaching in the mid 1600's
John Bunyan street preaching in the mid 1600”²s
Here are a few biblical and historical reasons every God-called preacher should practice street preaching…

1. The Lord Jesus Christ Practiced Street Preaching

Throughout the Gospels, we read the record of the open air preaching ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spurgeon reminds us,

"Our Lord himself, who is yet more our pattern, delivered the larger proportion of his sermons on the mountain’s side, or by the sea shore, or in the streets. Our Lord was to all intents and purposes an open air preacher.” (Lectures To My Students, Vol. 3, Lecture 4., "Open Air Preaching And Its History.”)
Our Lord Jesus Christ was an open air preacher. He preached the gospel to sinners where they were, and commands us to do so in the Great Commission.

2. The Apostles Practiced Street Preaching

From Peter’s open air sermon on Pentecost to Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys, the apostles faithfully practiced evangelistic street preaching throughout the book of Acts. Here are a few examples of the apostles’ public gospel preaching…

Peter preached the gospel publicly to an international multitude on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:14-40)
Peter preached the gospel to the Jews at their own temple. (Acts 3:1-11, 12-26)
Peter preached the gospel before the Jewish council. (Acts 4:1-7, 8-22)
Paul and Barnabas preach the gospel publicly to heathen idolaters at Lystra. (Acts 14:14-18)
Paul preached the gospel publicly in the Jewish synagogue and in the market at Athens. (Acts 15:15-17)
Paul preached the gospel in jail (Acts 16:31-32)
Paul preached publicly to the heathen philosophers at Mars Hill, a monument of idol worship. (Acts 17:22-31)
Paul preached the gospel "publicly, and from house to house” at Ephesus. (Acts 20:20-21)
Paul preached the gospel in court (Acts 22:2-29)
Paul continued to preach the gospel while under house arrest. (Acts 28:30-31)
The enemies of the gospel accused Peter and the apostles for having "filled Jerusalem” with their doctrine (Acts 5:28). Preacher, could that accusation be made of you, that you have filled your city with the doctrine of the gospel?

Note: Preachers Who Were Not Apostles Were Also Open Air Street Preachers.

Stephen (not an apostle) preached the gospel publicly to the Jewish council (Acts 7). Philip the Evangelist preached the gospel publicly in Samaria and to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:5-8, 30-38).

3. Our Baptist Fathers Practiced Street Preaching

Among our Baptist fathers through history, street preaching was a normal ministry. These men were not content to preach the gospel only indoors in a church setting. They faithfully preached the gospel in public.

Examine the ministries of some of our Baptist fathers. Here are a few familiar names and groups, all of whom practiced public open air preaching:

The Anabaptists across Europe practiced street preaching and were mocked as "hedge preachers” by the Roman Catholic church.
John Bunyan practiced street preaching.
Shubal Stearns (the father of the Baptists in the south) practiced street preaching. Open air preaching was a common ministry among the Separate Baptists.
C.H. Spurgeon practiced street preaching and trained his pastoral students to do so.
James A. Stewart practiced street preaching.
J. Frank Norris practiced street preaching.
Ralph Sexton, Sr. practiced street preaching.
Percy Ray practiced street preaching.
Rolfe Barnard practiced street preaching.
This article doesn’t begin to scratch the surface concerning open air preaching in Scripture and in Baptist history. It simply reminds us that street preaching is a biblical method of evangelism that can be defended Scripturally and historically.

from: http://www.gospelfuel.com/evangelism/street-preaching-practiced-by-christ-the-apostles-and-our-baptist-fathers/

"Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers." 2 Tim 2:14

This thread has some good examples of how easy it is for us to fall away from profitable discussion into quarrels.

We may be absolutely right in what we say, yet still be "quarrelsome". The thread was started to encourage believers to not become cowards in these last days as more and more believers are turning away from the truth and not calling out sin for what it is. This is a very serious problem in the church and it astounds me that anyone would nit pick this challenge from Franklin Graham.

There are some other issues raised on this thread which are also true. But when it comes to ministry and the calling of God, it doesn't have to always look like something I personally approve of or am personally passionate about. And when a brother sticks his neck out and stands up for righteousness and speaks the truth, just who and what are we siding with when we criticize him like this? For us to suggest that he is doing harm to the body of Christ in any way, just boggles my mind. That's not merely "talking past each other", that is being quarrelsome.

Brothers and sisters, when we have risen to the challenge to be passionate witnesses for Christ and are serving the Lord with all our heart, mind and strength...then and only then do we qualify to cast aspersions about the biblical work and biblical message of such a sound man of God as Franklin Graham.

And so what if God calls someone to rail about "cultural" or "national" sins? By the way, there is only "SIN" mentioned in the bible...and it is worldwide, not relegated to specific nations or cultures. But so what if God puts slavery or sex trafficking or homosexuality or neglect of orphans or killing of unborn babies on the heart of an individual? If that is not our calling or passion, lets leave them be and go about our own calling!

Brothers and sisters I believe if we continue to nit pick to this level like this, I am afraid in the end we will have torn down everything and there will be nothing left!!!