Every once in a while I receive a letter calling me into question when I have given the name(s) of someone who is teaching serious false doctrine. Here is my answer to one such letter I received a while back.

I appreciate your letter and the spirit of it. However, I believe that I can show you from Scripture that you are wrong about naming names of those who are wrong on the Gospel, etc. Let me say in the first place, I did not make a judgment about Graham's or anyone else's methods; though to be honest I disagree with ecumenical evangelism and a lot more he does.

Our methods are important and are to be Biblical as well as our message. Who are we to change God's directions? To be wrong here is serious (for example, the method of ecumenical evangelism is a serious evil, see 2 Corinthians 6:14-17), but to be wrong on the message of salvation is fatal!

Sir, a Roman Catholic can be saved out of Catholicism, but not from within or through it, for it is unquestioned Roman Catholic doctrine that salvation is by faith plus works. Without certain Church prescribed works, one cannot be saved. But in reality, one cannot be saved through such a system for salvation includes no works of man: Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 3:28, 4:4-5; etc.

In the first place, I simply quoted Mr. Graham. It is his own words that condemn him. Public declarations have a right to public scrutiny. But you say he should not be condemned by name. How else shall we do it? If he believes what the Roman Catholic Church believes, he is not saved. If he believes what he says he does and is saved, then the Bible must be wrong.

Untold millions follow Mr. Graham and if he is wrong, they are going to be wrong. Should we not warn people of those who teach false doctrine and thus mislead people; we are concerned for all but especially about God's people.

You say that he is not to be named; I suppose we should just say that there is someone out there somewhere who is teaching false doctrine, better look out for him.

Who would know of whom we are speaking? The apostle Paul warned (2 Timothy 1:19-20) of two men whom he named, who had made shipwreck of the faith (that's what Graham and other professing believers have done by endorsing Roman Catholicism). Incidentally, did you know that in 1948 Graham said that Roman Catholicism was one of the three greatest enemies of the Gospel?

Furthermore, Paul assigned them to Satan! I am not assigning any body to Satan or hell; but if a man is trying to be saved any way other than what is taught in the Bible; hell is his portion. I take no pleasure in that; I didn't invent it!

I have been preaching the Gospel for forty-nine years trying to get sinners to believe God's truth, receive His Son, and be saved from hell. You say what I have done gives the enemy cause to rejoice.

I think the opposite is true; Satan rejoices at the millions who blindly follow Graham and some of the other men I mentioned (Van Impe, Coulson, Pat Robertson, Bill Bright, J.I. Packer, James Dobson, all of whom treat Roman Catholicism as though it was a bona fide church of God).

Satan rejoices at all the Catholics who have Graham's assurance that their religion will take them to heaven. Note also, Paul warned Timothy of Hymenaeus and Philetus who taught the resurrection was past (a serious error but not as serious as telling people they can be saved by being a good Catholic, that they can be saved by good works).

He says their false doctrine had overthrown the faith of some. How many have had their faith overthrown by Mr. Graham, etc.? The apostle John likewise took Diotrephes to task, by name! By-the-way, Jeremiah also named false prophets! He paid a price for it, but it was God's message, not his and he was faithful.

It would be easy, if we didn't have a conscience tuned to God's Word, to keep quiet on these things which people do not want to her. I have been around long enough to have seen many once faithful Fundamental pastors give in to the pressure and keep silent on unpopular subjects. I can assure, God will not accept their rationalizations.

Let me ask you a question. Obviously, according to the New Testament, only those who are saved should be taken into a true Church of Jesus Christ; those who are born again. How can this be done without judging whether a man is saved or not?

To be sure, we sometimes make a mistake in judgment, but that doesn't alter the fact that we must have some criteria by which to make a judgment as to a person's salvation. My point is, we make judgments all the time and properly so.

Didn't Jesus say, "By their fruits shall ye know them"? How can you do that without judging? I will close with a few pertinent Scriptures: Romans 16:17. It says concerning those who cause divisions (Graham with his false doctrine has created the division not me) and "Now I beseech you brethren, MARK THEM which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and AVOID THEM." (The whole doctrine of salvation is at issue here).

How can we avoid them if we don't know who they are? Look at II Thess. 3:6. We are to WITHDRAW from a BROTHER THAT WALKS DISORDERLY. We are not to fellowship with those not in subjection. You cannot teach contrary to God's Word and be in subjection! If Graham is saved, he certainly is walking disorderly for his teaching contradicts the plain truth of God's Word.

How can I withdraw from him, if I don't know who he is? Obviously, he has to be named! II Thess. 3:14. It says if a man does not obey, if he is not obedient to the Word, we are to have no company with him. He is to be disfellowshipped. How can I obey that Scripture if I don't know who is guilty? False prophets are the enemies of God, no matter how popular!

Sir, I will close by saying, I am just trying to be obedient to the Word of God; not some of it, or most of it, but all of it. While it may not be what people want to hear (believe me I know they don't want to hear it) it is what they need to hear for God says so!

I have not sent this in a spirit of acrimony but just an honest attempt to answer your objection from the Word of God and perhaps show you some things you may not have seen before. One of the sad things in our day among Bible believers is the "whole counsel of God" is not taught in many places.

It doesn't matter what anyone of us thinks, the only important thing is what does God say? I hope you will prayerfully consider the Scriptures I have quoted. They are binding whether we like them or not!

TORCH EDITOR: Pastor E.L. Bynum has an excellent tract on the above subject. It is called "IS IT RIGHT: TO JUDGE, TO EXPOSE ERROR AND TO CALL NAMES". We have published it in these pages in the past and may again. You should order a bunch of Bro. Bynum's tract to hand to those who criticize you for obeying the Word of God. ORDER FROM: TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH, P.O. BOX 3100, LUBBOCK, TEXAS 79452. Please send a nice offering.