Did Newsweek Get Billy Graham Wrong?

Those who have been reading Truth and Repose for a while may recall my analysis of Newsweek's piece on Billy Graham. Written in grandfatherly tones, the exclusive painted Graham as a lion in winter who has softened his views on faith and religion.

A few weeks later, the following letter was printed in the "Letters to the Editor" section of Newsweek:

I was overwhelmed by Newsweek’s generous coverage of the life my wife Ruth and I are experiencing as we grow older. "Pilgrim's Progress" was an apt title for the article; like every other Christian, I see myself as a pilgrim journeying through life, looking expectantly to what God has promised in the future and yet yearning to be faithful in the present.

Jon Meacham worked diligently to understand how my thinking on certain issues has grown over the years, and I commend him for seeking to capture my commitment to the Gospel I have always preached. The world is constantly changing, and I am only one in a long line of men and women who have sought to relate God's unchanging truth to the challenges of their time.

As I grow older, my confidence in the inspiration and authority of the Bible has grown even stronger. So has my conviction that only Christ can give us lasting hope—hope for this life, and hope for the life to come. As the Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Billy Graham
Montreat, N.C.

The letter can be read several ways. Maybe it is just a thank you note. But it looks to me like Mr. Graham submitted a subtle correction to the way some of his views were interpreted.

Just thought you'd be interested, since we discussed these things not long ago.