The Modesto Manifesto
Yesterday, Franklin Graham was here in Baton Rouge at “Rock the River,” a day of outreach to the youth culture through Christian youth bands. One of the vice-presidents of the Billy Graham Association had lunch with me Wednesday and we discussed the Graham organization and it’s sixty years of sterling reputation.
Dr. Tom Phillips referred me to Billy Graham’s “Modesto Manifesto” in November, 1948. In that historic moment, Dr. Graham and three of his top associates met in a motel in Modesto, California to revise the reputation of evangelists of the day. The group decided that sexual immorality, pride, greed, were the three greatest vices evangelists were falling prey to.
The group agreed first that they would never be alone with a woman who was not their wife. I had heard of Graham’s hotel room being searched every night by his staff (Dr. Phillips was actually the one who did this!) to verify that no woman was hiding in the room. Dr. Graham also would rent entire hotel floors and not even allow cleaning women on the floor!
Second, they decided not to touch the money. They would have their offerings received and counted by local leadership and they would all simply take a salary and not love offerings.
Third, they would not overstate their results (“evangelastically speaking”). Numbers were flying everywhere of attendance in meetings, and they would only state the exact number present. Yesterday, the Graham association reported to the press that there were exactly 10,998 people present, even though they had hoped for three or four times that attendance. Integrity.
Finally, they would never criticize other leaders from the pulpit. Using the pulpit to elbow past your competitors is not the will of God.
That is EXACTLY what we are doing in the “Remnant” movement for pastors. Thousands of pastors are reading that book and resetting their values. It’s good to know that Billy Graham did that exact thing 60 years ago and is still going strong. I believe God will do it again for the new generation!
Bro. Larry
