Disappointing headline. Shows your left bias.

Wisdom from the late, Fred Craddock

“He preached there on the bank of the Tigris, 200 miles north of Baghdad. He preached, not expecting anybody to listen, but they did and there was a national repenting. The city was in sack cloth and ashes and praying to God and even the beasts of the field and the cattle, the cattle repented. And there was a great reformation and God repented and said, “I will not destroy the city.”

Jonah was mad as a boiled owl. He did not plan it that way and he said to God, “Now do you see why I didn’t want to come here in the first place? I knew you were a God of tremendous mercy, abounding love, steadfast grace, and willing to repent from punishment. I knew you would do this.”

What’s the matter with Jonah? Jonah has whistling through his soul now two theologies. Some of us don’t have one; he had two. Most of us have more than one; that’s our problem. He had two. He had the theology that we can surmise from the story and that was that he was a Hebrew. And he had the theology that said, “Of all the nations of the world, Israel alone have I chosen. We are Abraham’s children.”

Here was a prophet who knew who was in and who was out, who was for God and against God, who was under grace and who was under judgment. There was a God of we and a God of they, and we know the difference. And Jonah could preach those sermons; sometimes I’m sure to standing ovations.

Preach a sermon in favor of Israel and a sermon that includes a curse of Assyria; standing ovation. There is nothing more powerful if you love applause than to play upon the hatreds and the prejudices of people. Draw them out, say their hatreds for them and then receive the accolades. In fact, in some quarters it is called conviction. And it generates enthusiasm to be clear about who’s wrong, who’s under judgment, who is outside.

Thomas Hardy said once that just as the color of our skin is determined not by the rays of the sun that our bodies receive, but by the rays of the sun that the body rejects, so it is among us that we are most often known by those things we oppose than the things we embrace. Easy to preach that sermon.”

from ‘Who Am I To Hinder God?”

It’s astonishing that you give Franklin Graham a free pass for all the division he has stirred up, but I’M the divisive one if I dare to raise it. {shakes head in dismay}

Thanks Colin for that report. That is great news. Far better to emphasize the positives & look for that which unites over that which divides.

Good luck with some of the comments 😉

Michael, your concern around FG and his turning blind eyes to the hypocrisy and blatant abuse of power currently residing in the US presidency is altogether fair. Philip Yancey soundsthe alarm with this observation – and written I might add two years before the last presidential election lest anybshould disparage him for partisanship. “The State will often use religion for its own purposes, but when it does so, the gospel itself changes. Civil religion invites us to share in a nation’s military glory; the gospel calls us to take up a cross. Civil religion offers prestige and influence ( something I might add the Evangelical movement in the US seems drunkened by ) the gospel calls us to serve. Civil religion rewards success; the gospel redefines success and forgives failure. Civil religion values reputation; the gospel calls us to be “fools for Christ.”
from Vanishing Grace

Not that I aim this at any one post…but to shame the Australian church to back up FG seems, well moronic. If our churches are dead and preaching limp messages, why do I personally witness among many of the churches I know, salvations, discipleship and growth…that which the gates of hell cannot prevail against. I love the debate, side somewhat with those questioning FG tour but would never, ever have the audacity to condem the Aussie Church to promote the voice of any one man, save Jesus Christ.

P Chatty, A really large number of Aboriginal people came forward at the recent Graham Tour event in Darwin. Over 3000 attended and around 700 of them were indigenous. Of the 370+ that responded a high percentage were of darker skin. The impact of this is going to be amazing!
PRAISE GOD FOR THE HUNGER AND FOR HOLY SPIRIT STIRRING HIS PEOPLE!!!! And pray for the continual growth and discipleship of all involved. We are One in Him as Jesus prayed. Now we are seeing it happen before our eyes as we all grow together, One in Christ, worshipping God together

A really large number of Aboriginal people came forward at the recent Graham Tour event in Darwin. Over 3000 attended and around 700 of them were indigenous. Of the 370+ that responded a high percentage were of darker skin. The impact of this is going to be amazing!

PRAISE GOD FOR THE HUNGER AND FOR HOLY SPIRIT STIRRING HIS PEOPLE!!!! And pray for the continual growth and discipleship of all involved. We are One in Him as Jesus prayed. Now we are seeing it happen before our eyes as we all grow together, One in Christ, worshipping God together

Well said…He is!