Evangelist Franklin Graham is preparing for one of Europe’s largest evangelism gatherings in decades—and he’s not holding back when it comes to preaching the full Gospel message.
The upcoming European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin, will attract more than 1,000 pastors and ministry leaders from 55 nations, which Graham says is critical in a time when “churches are dying.”
“In Germany alone, over a thousand churches last year closed,” Graham said in a recent interview with CBN News. “About over half of them were Catholic churches. The other half are Protestant churches.”
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
The theme of the congress comes from Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Graham believes the message is vital in an age when many are softening or avoiding the truth of Scripture.
“When you tell a person that they’re a sinner, well, that offends them,” he said. “And when you tell a person that their sins separate them from God, they say, ‘Wait a second. I’m not a bad person.’”
Graham stressed that ministers must not compromise on biblical language. “Let’s don’t talk about sin because sin is offensive… No, it’s not our mistakes, it’s sin.”
He added: “When you say that He died, shed His blood, and He was buried… let’s don’t get into all that right away. So there’s the… we apologize. And Paul just said, ‘I’m not ashamed of it.’ This is what I believe. This is what I stand for. And this is the gospel that we preach.”
Berlin was selected for its historical significance. Graham’s father, Billy Graham, held a major evangelism congress there in 1966. “Berlin was divided in 1966—the East and the West. And so now Germany is together… I think this is just the time to go back to Berlin and let’s make this declaration.”
Graham also spoke about the cultural challenges facing today’s church, especially on issues like sexuality and gender identity. “God created marriage, but it’s between a man and a woman. Not two men, not two women, a man and a woman. And anything outside of that is sin.”
Despite opposition, he believes there is still a hunger for truth. “I think there are people out there want to hear the truth. That’s all. They just want to hear the truth. Quit lying to them. Just tell them the truth.”
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
Graham hopes the Berlin event will recharge Europe’s churches. “We want to ignite a fire in Europe to where there’s an excitement for evangelism. The churches are willing to be bold and not ashamed of the gospel.”
His ultimate prayer? That the fire of the Gospel would fall afresh on Berlin and sweep across the continent. “There’s something about coming together when you’re in a room with a thousand other Christian men and women… it motivates people. And they walk out of there saying, ‘Yes, this is what we need to do.’”
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
