Billy Graham

Billy Graham

"When GOD called me to preach, it was for life." 

Billy Graham was a Christian preacher who was noted to be among the first tele-evangelizers. Billy Graham began preaching in the 1950s and would fill football stadiums with people who wanted to hear the Gospel. Graham would preach King Jesus Christ throughout his life being able to live into his 90s. Graham would be an evangelizer that preached the need to repent of sin and accept King Jesus Christ Eternal LORD and Savior.

Richard Nixon in the 1970s would ask Graham to join his administration promising him a job. Graham refused to work for Nixon describing that he worked for GOD Almighty and not for the government. Graham's decision allowed him to persevere without being a part of Nixon's administration. 

It was noted that in the 1970s Nixon would send the FBI to wiretap the offices of the Democratic party in order to prevent the Democrats from competing in the elections. The FBI agreed to wiretap the Democrats and were found out. Nixon did not finish his presidency and kept denying that he was a crook. 

Nixon was an FBI agent prior to being president and also described that there was a lack of integrity from his part. Graham was able to keep preaching without being a part of Nixon's presidency. Graham would live to long life into his 90s while being able preach King Jesus Christ Eternal LORD and Savior. Graham's example allows us to know that we can persevere preaching and avoid the deception, wickedness, and snares of the world. Graham was able to persevere without being a part of iniquity. We can choose to deny temptation and persevere despite persecution.

Persevering Preaching Christianity

Graham's example helps us know that there have been individuals who decided to persevere preaching truth instead of practicing iniquity. We choose to deny the deceptions, temporary lies, and falsehoods that are used to tempt far from the worship of GOD Almighty. Graham probably had healthy skepticism concerning working in Nixon's administration due to Nixon having worked for the FBI. Graham decided to preach King Jesus Christ than be a part of iniquity. Graham's example helps us know that it is better to worship GOD Almighty than be a part of wickedness and grave sin. 

Instead of being in love with the things of the world describing temporary wealth, connections, and fame, Graham chose to redirect the worship to GOD Almighty. Graham chose to honor GOD Almighty with his life preaching King Jesus Christ than to partake with deceit and envy. Graham would be able to persist preaching allowing us to know that it is possible to worship GOD Almighty above the temporary things of the world. Instead of listening to the snake, Graham chose to worship King Jesus Christ.

In the 1970s Preachers Preached Against Illicit Drug Use

"[The Beats] Profoundly alienated from dominant American values, practicing voluntary poverty and spade cool, they rejected materialism, competition, the work ethic, hygiene, sexual repression, monogamy..."- (page 287)

"In the metamorphosis of beat to hippie, hallucinogenic drugs played an indispensible part. Indians had been using peyote and magic mushrooms for [idolatry] purposes since before the rise of the Aztec civilization. But in industrial civilizations, knowledge of mind-altering substances had virtually disappeared. In the 1920s chemists synthesized the active ingredient peyote, calling it mescaline, and did the same thing in 1958 for the mushrooms, producing psilocybin. Science even outdid nature in 1938 when Dr. Albert Hoffman of the Sandoz Chemical Works in Switzerland fabricated a compound many times more potent than anything imbibed by the most ecstatic Indian. Searching for a respiratory stimulant, Hoffman produced the diethylamide of lysergic acid, a colorless, odorless, apparently useless substance that he called LSD. Five years later, in the course of an experiment on animals, Hoffman accidently ingested an 'unmeasurable trace' of LSD and took the world's first acid trip. (It was, incidentally, a bummer.) Hoffman kept experimenting trying to cure schizophrenia. By 1960 LSD was seeping out of the laboratory into the cultural underground."- The Unraveling of America by Allen Matusow (page 287-288)

"LSD was a big story in 1966. Congress outlawed it. And the Food and Drugs Administration sent a letter to two thousand colleges warning of its 'widespread availability' and 'profound effects on the mental processes'."- (page 291)

"In 1965...[ a promoter of LSD] called it the acid test... Hooking up with the rock group the Grateful Dead, he experimented with multimedia shows so noisy and frienzied that, by themselves, they menaced reason. To make sure no one missed the point, lots of free LSD was distributed, a legal act, since California did not get to outlawing the drug until October 1966."- (page 292)

"[Concert in 1969 with 300,000 concert goers] Lots of bad dope, including inferior acid spiked with speed, circulated through the crowd. Harried medics had to fly in an emergency supply of Thorazine to treat the epidemic of bad trips and were kept busy administering first aid to victims of the random violence."- (page 304)

There were preachers who preached in the 70s against illicit drug use and idolatrous rock and roll. Preachers described how idolatry tried to instruct individuals to rebel against the values and ethics of Christianity trying to lead individuals to indiscipline, slothfulness, envy, adultery, homosexuality, and idolizing foolishness. It is noted in 1969 that pharmaceutical companies Sandoz and the CIA distributed free LSD in music festivals including Woodstock. LSD is known to cause madness and hallucinations along with anger. The pharmaceutical companies and the CIA gave out free acid (LSD) to see its effect on humans. Some individuals went mad and had significant health problems including psychiatric symptoms. The supposed intention of Dr. Hoffman was to treat schizophrenia with LSD while the use of the drug, LSD, actually caused auditory and visual hallucinations in drug users. It is quite possible that the CIA knew the effects of LSD prior to handing out free LSD at free concerts. Matusow described the turbulence of the late 60s and early 70s in his book stating that hallucinogenic drugs were used deceitfully to lead individuals to idolatry, overdoses, anger, hate, violence, and narcissism.

"As the decade closed, it became clear that drugs, sex, and rock and roll lacked intrinsic moral content."- (page 303)

It is noted that concerts and LSD were free in the 70s. Preachers preached against drug use and rock and roll and were right about avoiding such idolatrous things. It is noted that LSD is derived from peyote which is a hallucinogen and can cause madness. Idolatrous hostile native americans used peyote when practing idol worship. (There were also non-hostile Native Americans who converted to Christianity.) Preachers preached against illicit drug use and also against idolatrous music that needed illicit substances to "fully experience" the music. (If music needs illict substance use, then it must not be good music. Amazing music does not require drug use.)