Franklin Graham has a big name to live up to, and he’s certainly in the business of making waves in the Christian community.
The president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Graham recently published an article in Decision Magazine titled “The Eternal Peril of Progressive Christianity,” and it has people buzzing.
In the article, Graham laid out — in no uncertain terms — how dangerous he believes the progressive Christian movement to be, saying that it is not the gospel at all and “results in nothing but spiritual confusion and chaos.”
He began with one of Paul’s famous exhortations to set the scene for his dressing down of the modern shift towards progressivism.
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
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“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” he quoted from Galatians 1:6-9.
Linking Paul’s warning to the Galatians to his own warning against progressive Christianity, Graham launched into a breakdown of why progressive Christianity can be so dangerous.
“I would say the exact same warning applies today to the advocates of progressive Christianity. They deceitfully promote and proclaim what I believe is clearly a ‘different gospel, which is really no Gospel at all,’” he wrote.
“Let me say that again — progressive Christianity is not a Gospel at all. It has nothing to do with the Gospel of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. It results in nothing but spiritual confusion and chaos.
“Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living,” he wrote.
“For example, although Scripture clearly says that marriage is between one man and one woman, proponents of progressive Christianity twist and distort the truth of God’s Word on sexuality, focusing on such nonsensical trends as gender identity. They deny God’s distinction of the sexes, and instead invent their own misguided standards, unguided by the Word of God.
“The degrading cultural influences that embrace such movements as gay marriage have more sway on their beliefs than the Bible does.”
He said that while the Bible does address issues of social and racial justice, progressive Christianity tends to ignore that it also speaks about God’s justice and how sin and evil are to be dealt with.
Graham also wrote that progressive Christianity tends to gloss over man’s inherent sinfulness and all of the work Christ has done to atone for it.
“There’s certainly nothing very forward-thinking about progressive Christianity. It actually regresses into unbiblical thinking and living, and it will put a person’s very soul in eternal jeopardy,” he continued.
“So the real, ultimate danger is that progressive Christianity can send a person to hell. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true.
“To reject the deity of Christ is to deny Christ and doom yourself to an eternity spent in hell. To love darkness more than light will end in an eternity in hell.”
He closed by urging pastors to lead their congregations faithfully, staying true to orthodox, biblical Christianity and living out the clear truths of the gospel in their own lives.
In closing, Graham also shared a pertinent passage from 2 Timothy 4:2-5: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
