When evangelist Billy Graham came to West Germany in 1954, more than 80,000 people packed into Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to hear the American preacher’s message. It’s hard to imagine that big of a crowd gathering in Germany to hear a sermon these days.
The more than 1,000 Christian leaders who assembled on Thursday at the JW Marriott near Berlin’s famous Potsdamer Platz all share the conviction that Europe needs to hear the gospel again. But they’re concerned it is harder and harder to proclaim the Good News in Europe.
“Nations and governments that used to be friendly to Christianity have now become hostile, anti-Christ,” said Franklin Graham, eldest son of the late evangelist and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which is hosting the European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin from May 27 to 30.
Speaking to press ahead of the congress, Graham said he expected evangelism to grow even more difficult in the years ahead. He said he thinks the grip of secularism is growing tighter.
But he also believes that may presage a revival.
“We know from history that God has often chosen the worst of time to do his best work,” Graham told the press.
This is the sixth congress the BGEA has hosted. The last one was held in Amsterdam 25 years ago. This year, Christian leaders have come from 55 countries and territories—from Kazakhstan to the Faroe Islands, Estonia to Albania—to talk about these challenges and be encouraged in this hope.
The conference theme centers on Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Conference organizers say Christian leaders need to resist the temptation of trying to appease their non-Christian critics by watering down God’s message. Graham said evangelists must be on guard against any effort to “make the gospel more acceptable” by conforming to cultural standards.
Many European evangelicals and other conservative Christians, including Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic believers, have become deeply concerned about secularism in recent years. They fear it will undermine the social and moral foundations of Europe. As the edifice of Christian consensus crumbles, they see it being replaced by moral decay.
Congress attendees told CT that they see the gospel compromised on a daily basis, with the result that even the church can become confused and divided—and the world lost. They expressed concern about cultural views on sexual ethics, the value of human life, the stability of families, protection of religious freedom, and respect for Europe’s Christian heritage. They pointed to what they see as the potent dangers of growing acceptance of LGBTQ sexuality and the influx of Muslim immigrants and refugees, as well as alternative spiritualities and an increasingly individualistic culture.
Yet amid the discussion of decay and decline, some expressed hope for the future of evangelical faith in Europe. Ulrich Pazarny, an 84-year-old German evangelist, pastor, and personal friend of Billy Graham, went so far as to say he was excited.
Delivering a keynote address on the foundational importance of the Bible for preaching the gospel in Europe, Pazarny said he was certain Christians would continue to preach the Scripture in the years to come. He acknowledged that such preaching may fall on deaf ears in Europe, where, he said, many consider themselves too modern and enlightened to trust the Bible and its claims. Pastors and preachers will struggle, he said, when the “culture of the majority” becomes increasingly antagonistic toward Christianity.
And yet, Pazarny said, they should press on with joy and confidence because of the very message they share.
Gunnar Mägi, who was born in Tallinn, Estonia, to non-Christian parents and is now president of Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands, said though they may be tempted to do so, evangelicals must not hide hard truths. Christians shouldn’t forget to talk about sin and even hell, he said, especially as they see society embrace things like unchecked immigration, expansive abortion rights, and what he called LGBTQ “propaganda.”
“There are two sides of the gospel,” he said. “For light to stand out, there must be a darkness contrasting it.”
For too long, Mägi said, preaching in Europe could sometimes seem like a sales pitch, with only the “good things” presented in public. Teachings on sexuality and God’s design were only in the small print, he said, and Christians avoided talking about discipleship and the need for sanctification.
“But if we know our audiences, we can approach them and invite them to hear the entire story of Scripture,” he said. “Hard truths and all.”
On the streets of Berlin, however, many find such views unwelcome. Standing at a bus stop just around the corner from the Marriott where the congress is being held, 34-year-old Berliner Nadine Schmidt said she does not see a place for condemnation of homosexuality in contemporary Europe. She called it hate speech.
“Beliefs are fine; everyone has them,” said Schmidt. “But those beliefs cannot harm or smear others’ lifestyles. Freedom of speech does not mean you can attack another person’s human rights.”
Asked how he might speak to critics like Schmidt, Graham said, “If non-Christians in this city are concerned, that’s good. We are on their radar.”
The message will not change, he said, regardless of reaction or censure. Berliners and others should be pushed to reckon with what the Bible says.
“We are going to preach the gospel, and there will be some people who will hate it and reject us. And that’s okay,” he said. “They are not rejecting me. It’s God’s Word, not my word. God said these things about marriage. I am just repeating what God has to say.”
Speaking to the evangelists and church leaders at the congress, Graham encouraged them not to wilt in the face of opposition.
“Europe needs to be evangelized,” he said. “Even though we see some bright spots, many churches have gone generation after generation with no evangelism.”
Harkening back to the congress theme—“Do not be ashamed”—Graham said those in attendance need to become bolder or risk losing the opportunity to speak up.
“If Christians begin to be quiet, we will lose our freedom to share the gospel,” he said.
Closing with his own bold proclamation, Graham said he hopes the next time his organization arrives in Berlin, it will be in the style of his late father: a large-scale, evangelistic meeting in the city. With a bit of a smile, he said, “Now that would be an exciting meeting.”
