Graham's new perspective

From an article of the same title in The Week, August 25, 2006, p 10:

Billy Graham no longer has any use for politics, says Jon Meacham in Newsweek. For more than 50 years, America's most famous evangelical preacher has been spreading the Gospel to millions of people on six continents; along the way, he's ensnared himself in a series of polit­ical controversies. "Only when Christ comes again will the little white children of Alabama walk hand in hand with little black children," he said after the March on Washington in 1963. During the war in Vietnam, Graham lent his support to President Richard Nixon, only to get caught on White House tapes exchanging anti-Semitic remarks with the president. But now that he's 87, Graham is distancing himself from those who mix Christianity with conservative politics. He's come to believe, for example, that the Bible is open to honest interpreta­tion. "I'm not a literalist in the sense that every single jot and tittle is from the Lord. Sincere Christians can disagree about the details of Scripture and theology-absolutely." Though his own son has called Muslims "wicked" and "evil," Graham disagrees. "I would not say Islam is wicked and evil. I have a lot of friends who are Islamic. I have a great love for them." Graham's fiery certainty has given way to humility; when asked if he believes heaven is closed to non-Christians, he demurs. "Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have."