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Discussion Forum : News and Current Events : Franklin Graham on Copenhagen and the years ahead

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 Franklin Graham on Copenhagen and the years ahead

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Just a few weeks ago, the world's attention was focused on Copenhagen, the capital of the little Scandinavian country of Denmark.

I've been to Copenhagen on several occasions over the years. Like most of Europe, Denmark is extremely secular, has a socialistic form of government, and is plagued by high drug use and sexual promiscuity.

President Obama and other world leaders came to Copenhagen for a United Nations climate summit, where the topic of global warming took center stage. I think all of us would certainly agree that steps can be taken to preserve the fragile environment we live in.

What is happening, however, in gatherings like this is frightening to me. A legitimate concern for the stewardship of our resources has been replaced by a radical, godless worldview that elevates the creation to idolatrous status.

This is how the Apostle Paul put it in his letter to the Romans:

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. … [They] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:20-25, NIV).

Make no mistake-these words describe what is happening today in countries and cultures around the world. People who have rejected God-and the idea that man is made in His image-are worshiping and serving creation, rather than the Creator. They have no concern for the souls of men, and "mother earth" is their false and idolatrous god. Moral depravity is the end result.

I feel that our responsibility is greater than ever to preach the saving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just a few verses earlier in Romans, Paul wrote that he was not "ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). Jesus, through whom "[God] made the universe" (Hebrews 1:2), died to redeem men, not animals or plants. He spilled His blood to rescue sinners from the eternal fires of Hell and reconcile them to Himself.

I believe that a time is fast approaching-I think it will be in my lifetime-when the preaching of the Gospel is referred to as hate speech. The public proclamation of biblical injunctions against homosexuality, abortion, and other moral issues will be banned by our politically correct cultures. Preachers of the Gospel could be imprisoned and jailed for adhering to the Bible. It is already happening in some countries.

I am not afraid or ashamed of the Gospel. We will proclaim the Gospel of Christ's sacrificial death for sin and His triumphant resurrection as long as we have breath. God created us for His glory, and the Bible says that even this sin-stained planet will one day be "liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).


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David Winter

 2010/1/14 20:47Profile
KingJimmy
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Joined: 2003/5/8
Posts: 4419
Charlotte, NC

 Re: Franklin Graham on Copenhagen and the years ahead

Amen. It's so good to see that Franklin hasn't followed in the steps of Billy Graham and watered down his preaching to make nice with world leaders.


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Jimmy H

 2010/1/14 23:03Profile





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