Shock and Awfulness

Techniques for converting the lost with Franklin Graham

BRENDAN CATHCART STAFF

ILLUSTRATION TED BARKER

Those certainly are some heavy facts Mr. Graham dropped on 13,778 people Friday night of the Central Canada Franklin Graham Festival, held in Winnipeg from Oct. 20-22. Funny how if you read that very authoritativesounding word too many times in one sitting it starts to look and sound like nonsense. Here’s a fact about the word “fact”: — the Encarta World English Dictionary defines it thusly: “Something that can be shown to be true, to exist, or to have happened; or, the truth or actual existence of something, as opposed to the supposition of something or a belief about something.” Where do Franklin’s true, existent, non-suppositional facts come from? Don’t bother holding your breath because it’s not a secret or a surprise: they come from the Bible.

Assertions about facts from the Bible are not problematic for those who believe it to be the word of God, but for others in doubt here’s the verse that proves its validity: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 NRSV). This brings up a very interesting logic problem.

Question A: Why does one believe that the Bible is true?
Answer A: Because the Bible is the word of God.
Question B: Why does one believe that the Bible is the word of God?
Answer B: Because it says so in the Bible.
Question C: Why, again, does one believe that the Bible is true?
Answer C: Refer to answer B.

So spectacularly powerful is this feat of circular reasoning that for 2,000 years it has been able to prevent rationality from barging in and pointing out that conclusions are supposed to spring from premises, not from other conclusions. Access to the circle’s depthless fathoms can only be gained by closing your eyes and jumping in feet first. Christians call this “faith,” and they generally regard the book of Hebrews as having the most succinct way of putting it: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NRSV). Hooray for freedom of speech and Franklin Graham stuffing people’s clothes with air and telling them that it creates an infinitely dense layer of protection. “The bible says ______ and I believe ______” is the more sensitive form generally used by Christian leaders who believe dialogue is important between religions with enough power to literally shape world events. But hats off to the wind, the world might get to see again what Christians are capable of when they believe its their duty to establish Christ’s rule on the earth.

The Great Commission

Foundationally, Franklin Graham and his Festival are motivated by “The Great Commission.” Matthew, a pseudonym for one of the four anonymous gospel writers, says with the authority of a reified name that Jesus handed down this worldwide mission of conversion to 11 men, on a secluded mountain, after supposedly rising from the dead: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Say what you will about religious tolerance, but believing that Jesus literally rose from the dead and said those words means believing that God has officially put conscription in effect to help convert the nations. For the Franklin Graham-believer on active duty there are only two types of people in the world: believers and non-believers. The separation between the two groups is infinitely greater than race, language, culture and belief; the separation is eternal and is a matter of Heaven and Hell. Socially, this belief irrevocably separates fundamentalist Christians from everyone else into an “us” and “them” relationship, the “saved” and the “lost.” Non-Christians are objectified as a category of people that need to be saved, and if they refuse the help then they are lost — to the Christians — as human beings with equally valid ideas and beliefs. Engagement between the groups is predicated on the purposes of conversion. The former engage the latter on grounds they feel they are in control of, the harvest fields of conversion.

Friendship evangelism

In an article on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website called “A World Ripe For Harvest,” Franklin confirms his belief in the mission of conversion. He writes, “Only in our generation has it become conceivable that Christians could complete the task of reaching every nation, tribe, people and language . . . We are working strategically to reach multitudes of unbelievers with the Gospel message.” One of the primary elements of their strategy is through something called “Friendship evangelism.” Gary Cobb, vice-president of training for the BGEA, outlines the strategy used for manipulating the human need for relationship in another article on the site entitled “What Does it Take to Bring People to Jesus?” He says, “The simple plan we use to encourage believers in friendship evangelism is called Operation Andrew.” Borrowing military rhetoric to name the conversion strategy results, of course, in a step-by-step five-point breakdown:

1. Identify those who need Christ
2. Pray daily for them
3. Build bridges of friendship
4. Share the gospel
5. Help them grow in their new relationship with God

For the soldier of Christ unsure about how exactly to proceed, each step is broken down further. A handy way to get Step 1 going is by writing down a potential target’s name, then putting that name somewhere you can see it enough times to get sufficiently pumped up to begin Step 2. Step 3 stands out as a shining example of social dishonesty. “Spend time with them. Have them over for dinner, play golf, go for coffee, listen to their problems. In other words, be a friend.” What should be noticeable about these steps is that becoming friends is actually a step in a plan, and it is not the first step. The first step is identifying people as ideological targets. After that, friendship is something the believer contrives to arrange. Gone are the blissfully naïve days of “mutual feelings of trust and affection and the behavior that typify relationships between friends,” which is how the Encarta World Dictionary defines friendship.

Tag-teaming the audience with friendship, BMX group Chaos on Wheels says look what we can do, and we’re doing it just for you. The “extreme sports” ministers write on their website: “Psalm 1:1-2 tells us to avoid the advice of nonbelievers. This doesn’t mean to be stuck up and avoid them completely. Rather associate with them, but don’t develop strong relationships.” For those who willingly designate their belief status as “non-,” the actual verse paraphrased by the extreme-Christian-BMXers reads, “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1-2 NRSV). Good thing they paraphrased, otherwise you might be led to think that all non-believers are considered wicked scoffing sinners.

Neither Graham nor Chaos on Wheels said any of these things at the Festival. Only once new believers are won over do they get the opportunity to be inculcated with these elite socio-spiritual beliefs. Bible studies and programs abound in the BGEA; training new believers to be effective “soulwinners” is priority number 1, just like in Graham’s program aimed at children aged 9-14 called Dare to be a Daniel.

“This is gonna be one of the most exciting, kicking programs you’ve ever been a part of. Let me tell you something, telling others about Jesus Christ is exciting, it’s full of adventure, and it is going to be absolutely thrilling.” This is Graham’s sales pitch on the Dare to be a Daniel CD-ROM and wow does it sound exciting! Disneyworld adventure rhetoric can win over a lot of people but the day-to-day still comprises getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, going to school or work, doing homework or other activities, and then going to bed. Amazing how that sounds just like everybody else. I would love to say more specifically what the excitement is about, but the program doesn’t spell it out. In place of a road map with specific destination points, videos of professional sportsstar Christians repeatedly say that they are where they are because of Jesus. “You can become a champion for God . . . Then he’ll begin doing some very special things in your life that will take you to the top of your game.” “Great things” is the promise, without saying what the great things are. Kids are hooked by the double-barbs of peer pressure and anticipation of payoff: “it definitely isn’t for wimps and you can be sure it will be anything but boring.”

The representative at the Dare to be a Daniel table in the concourse affirmed the function of hyperbolically vague language when she said about the program, that “Between the ages of 9-14 is when kids are choosing their loyalties, be it band, sports, or whatever. We try to get them young so they will be loyal to the Lord.” Though the language of enticement is vague, the aims of the program are not. “Do you think God wants a wimpy witness in your school and neighborhood, or do you think He wants a bold, courageous, loving witness? You’re getting ready to turn your world upside down with the Gospel. Don’t be afraid. You’ve got the King of kings and Lord of lords on your side! Be a soulwinner for God.” Adventures abound when you’re standing up for God in school and the neighborhood, believing that infinite power and authority are turning the world upside down through you. As a physical symbol of power — and spiritual war — a pair of Bible verseinscribed metal dog tags is sent by the BGEA to new graduates of the program. They also get the privilege and security of officially belonging to an organization; at least that’s what their official Dare to be a Daniel membership card in their pocket tells them.

It should not be forgotten that these metal dog tags are being given out at the behest of a man who said “we’ll make a great mistake if we hold back our technology and hold back our weapons and put young men and women in there and sacrifice them because we’re scared to use some of our major weapons.” Sure he said that young men and women should not be sacrificed, but the state-church separated fact is that he entered into the debate in the first place, Sept. 12, 2001 on CNN, and then concluded that the best way to save our own kids is to take out theirs first, and with authority. “And I think we’re going to have to use every — and I hate to say it,” said Graham, “hellish weapon in our inventory, if need be, to defeat these people.”

Operation Christmas Child

Introducing third-world-disaster kids into the upper stream of capitalism, Operation Christmas Child gives expensively foreign gifts, at moments when a village’s spirits have been humbled by floods, famine or life at subsistence level. “The gifts in a shoe box can be so much more than fun. Desperately-needed school supplies can help children year round, and even a soccer ball can have a lasting impact on a child’s life. Read more >” says the pamphlet narrator. Here are things you’ve never had, and of course you’re going to smile for the camera because it’s Christmas, the day that Jesus the Christ was born.

Flip the page, read some words that Our God said, then look back at the smiling kids. This is the campaign of Samaritan’s Purse’s foreign children’s outreach subsidiary — called Operation Christmas Child — to raise money for turning desperate children into Christians. All you have to give these kids is school supplies, and they’ll believe in the God that gave them; the pamphlet demonstrates it. In the sidebar on each left hand page there is a message to the reader/supporter assuring them that if they are only willing, then they can wield:

Page 1 — “The power to bring joy.”
Page 3 — “The power to transform a community.”
Page 5 — “The power to warm a heart.”
And then page 6 brings home the spiritual sales pitch with an exclamation point “Make a difference pack a shoe box!”

Franklin Graham, CEO of two corporations of international stature, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, knows how to win over the less-fortunate; send them the equivalent of a shiny glass bottle full of sugar and caffeine: new things. Once the kids get hyped up about presents that nobody in their community could have afforded to give them, Jesus Christ along with a whole new social order is introduced, and He’s the reason for new things.

Kidzfest

Something else that kids love, apart from belonging and new things, is exciting things; and for Graham no child is too young to be a socially divisive soul-winner in his/her community. Saturday morning of the festival filled 6,000 seats with parents and very young children for Kidzfest. Chaos on wheels charmed the pants off of every kid in the arena with tailwhips, seat grabs, and backside 360s. “What do you want to see?” Chris Anderson asked the audience, and they replied “Backflip!” So for the final religio-spectacle one of the riders turned the water to wine with a backflip. Lesha Campbell, puppeteer, mounted the stage and declared, “Now if that doesn’t show you that our God is an extreme God, then I don’t know what will. Chaos on Wheels is able to do what they do because God gives them the energy.” Certainly it doesn’t need to be pointed out to adults that non-Christian X-games riders are not lifted into the air by prayer, but children manage to believe in all sorts of things, like a magical person that flies around the entire world in one night delivering gifts.

Rebecca St. James waved the stupefying wand of celebrity and then Lesha preached salvation with puppets and jokes. Hot little hands held tickets for the draw to win Lesha’s puppets during the altar call. When the call came, she said “If you’ve never accepted Christ in your heart, I’m going to ask you to come down. I was 9. Rebecca St. James was 8.” Then all the little children came rushing forward for Lesha’s combination extreme-God-save-yoursoul- win-a-puppet-extravaganza.

If the claims made at Franklin-fest are true, then hallelujah for bringing the Festival to Winnipeg. If, however, they are not, then a festival of ideological inculcation and training just happened in Winnipeg, one that taught children, teens, and adults in attendance that they are different from everybody else because they are the only ones that have access to the truth. Timothy in third grade now believes that classmate Ahmed is going to hell, and if he has taken on the Dare to be Daniel challenge we can all be assured he will try his best to let Ahmed know the facts.

Kids in the program are being recruited into a social organization with a religious ideology that determines the relationships they will have with other kids, the community they are a part of, and the wider world. In the section about choosing godly friends, participants are told that if they choose correctly then God will “reward you by taking you to places you never dreamed possible.”