(…continued) Billy Graham spoke at the National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. on Friday, September 16 (pictured above). This inter-faith service was an awkward forum for a man so used to proclaiming the clear claims of Christ as THE Way, THE Life, and THE Truth (John 14:6). Billy Graham’s message has always been that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12). His sermons have always included a clear call for conversion, for commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
But now Billy Graham was sharing the floor with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and others; people he would want to convert. He was used to speaking at ‘crusades,’ but now, in light of current events, even that word was a bad word, as President Bush was to learn. What would Billy Graham say in this setting? I must admit, I worried a bit that he might not fit in well with the mood of unity.
At first, Billy Graham spoke as delicately as he could, speaking in general terms about the problem of believing in a loving God in such times and how God is still always with us. But then when he wanted to give a word of specific comfort, he said: “There’s always hope for the future because of God’s promises. As a Christian, I have hope not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come, and many of those people who died this past week are in heaven now.” In his usual setting, that statement would not have caused offense. But there, in that setting, the word ‘many’ was hard to hear. Many? What about the rest, Billy, what about the rest? Where are they, now? I could just feel everyone wondering about that, especially those Muslims, Hindus, and Jews, in the cathedral and around the world, whose leaders were there in the sanctuary just a few feet from Billy Graham? It was an uncomfortable moment. Rev. Graham, it seemed to me, also felt the awkwardness of what he just said, and hesitated a bit before he went on. He said what I believe to be the truth, but a part of me wished he hadn’t said it. Not there. Not then. It wasn’t the time or the place. It did not fit the spirit of unity of the service, a spirit that the country desperately needed in those sad days. So, a part of me wished he hadn’t said that. But a part of me was glad he did say what he did, especially in light of what Oprah Winfrey said in New York a few days later.
Oprah led the New York Prayer Service at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 23. Oprah is a media giant today, and has a profound influence over the values, beliefs, entertainment, reading, and even religion of many people. She wants to make an impact and she is eager to get into all of those areas. So we must not underestimate the effect of her words at that prayer service when she confidently proclaimed that in the tragedy “over 3,000 angels were added to the spiritual roster.” What had been deeply troubling and sad for me as I wondered and worried about the eternal destiny of all those people, was not sad or troubling at all for Oprah. With no trouble at all, she simply told us they were all now angels.
I understand Oprah’s desire to say something comforting to those thousands of devastated people in the stadium that day, but I do have some questions for her.
My first and most basic question is, how does Oprah know what happens to people after they die? Where did she hear about angels? Where did she get the idea that anybody can live again in any form? Nothing in our personal experience would give us that idea, and science has certainly not discovered anything that even suggests such a possibility.
It is in the Bible that we can read about angels and about our life after death. And the Bible says that our bodies will rise, not that we become angels. That same Bible also tells us about Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and that it is by faith in Him that we may inherit eternal life. That’s probably where Oprah heard about what happens to people after they die. But if the Bible is what such hope is based on, then Oprah must be willing to hear the rest of what the Bible says on the subject. And the Bible always links the gift of eternal life to believing in Jesus Christ.
Secondly, is it comforting or is it offensive for Oprah to throw this blanket of vague pseudo-Christianity over such a diverse group of victims? Who is she to turn Hindus into angels? Don’t they believe they are reincarnated? How about Buddhists? Isn’t their goal to transcend desire, even the desire to live forever? And, a majority of Muslims would not be interested in sharing their heaven with the infidel Christians. And again, even Christians do not believe that we become angels after we die. To whom was she speaking and by what authority?
My third question for Oprah is, “How can you be so judgmental?” I am a minister and therefore am automatically thought by some to be a judgmental person. And I must admit, when I put my mind to it, I can be pretty good at it. But even at that, I have never felt qualified to make such a sweeping judgment as to declare 3,000 people, none of whom I know, as righteous. Judging people, you see, does not just mean condemning them for what they do wrong. That is what we usually think of as being judgmental. But isn’t Oprah also ‘judging’ when she declares all those people innocent and righteous and worthy of heaven? Must we not leave judgments like that to God alone? And if we want to say anything at all about that, must we not base it on that same book where we read about eternal life? How else can we know about such things? For that matter, all of the major religions of the world have some sort of judgment after death, and none of them offer such an automatic, overall justification. Again, to whom is she speaking and by what authority? (continued…)
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