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Even without war we're in danger of planetary destruction. A recent Newsweek article told about how the greenhouse effect is heating up the world. It took from 1980 to 1988 for our average temperature to go up a degree, and this past year alone it's heated up a half a degree. Newsweek showed the devastating implications of that for the future if the trend continues.

It's a situation beyond man's ability to cope. Only God can intervene and help us. Christians ought to be on the vanguard speaking out and calling people to prayer that God's will be done. We need to especially emphasize the coming again of Christ, because he's the hope we should be looking toward.

How can Christians avoid spending so much energy on infighting and project a common front to the world?

I would like to see a conference held to see if we could uncover some more C. S. Lewises or Francis Schaeffers, people of that caliber.

They're out there, because in our travels we meet people with tremendous intellectual ability. But they're not known. They're in the East as well as the West. A conference could bring together 300 or 400 of these bright minds and encourage them to work on the world's problems from a Christian point of view. The whole world would listen to a group like that.

When we were in China we met with scholars in different places. During the question-and-answer periods I noticed that the Americans who were there (mostly exchange students) asked questions about what they have read about politics and the scandals back home But the Chinese asked philosophical and religious questions. You couldn't help but see the difference. The Chinese are thinking very seriously about the meaning of life and death. I've found that true in so many countries around the world—an emptiness among the youth, especially.

Five years ago you returned from the Soviet Union and were savaged by the American press for the reconciliatory approach you took, trying to be salt and light to Soviet Christians. Now, with glasnost, everyone seems to favor cooperation. How do you handle such a changeable press reaction—daggers one minute and …

Well, the daggers didn't bother me it the slightest because I knew we were it the will of God. Once that has beer settled in one's heart, then nothing bothers you.

But I remember agonizing over whether to take that first Russian trip. I asked several people's advice, including Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon. Nixon said, "Let me do some thinking about it." Finally he called me from Jamaica and he said, "Billy, you know I believe in taking big risks. This is a big risk, but I believe that in the long run it will be for the benefit of the gospel that you preach. You'll be criticized, but take the long view."

But at the core of my deliberations I went over and over the ninth chapter of 1 Corinthians where Paul said he became all things to all men that he might win some. The Lord just seemed to bring a peace in my heart that we were to go.

We went with the understanding that we'd be invited back. The Russians kept their word, and we were invited back. Our purpose in going had nothing to do with political or even peace problems—it was just the chance to preach the gospel.

We went from church to church and the people opened up beautifully to us. I remember the last day that we preached in Moscow, in the cathedral of Patriarch Pimen. He introduced me, and I got up and preached on "you must be born again." When I finished, he stood up and said, "This is what we need in our churches. I would like to see Billy Graham go to all parts of our country and teach our pastors and teach our students how to communicate the gospel that way."

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October (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 52