I wonder about the new one… (Photo credit: jczart)

It is not uncommon now a days to hear about scandals in the lives of good christian ministers. Many have fallen into temptation and have lost their credibility in disgrace, not to mention the shame brought to the name of Jesus and his church.

But there is a leading pioneer and church figure named Billy Graham that have made a difference over the past fifty to sixty years. Don’t get me wrong, Billy has had his share of criticism over the years, having come under intense scrutiny, but there has not been any scandal that has rocked his name or ministry.

I believe one of the reasons why Billy Graham and his ministry has been able to remain rock steady has to do with a simple meeting that happened in a hotel room in Modesto, California. In that room on the night of November 1948 was birthed what they called “The Modesto Manifesto.”

We will never criticize, condemn, or speak negatively about others…

We will be accountable, particularly in handling finances, with integrity according to the highest business standards…

We will tell the truth and be thoroughly honest, especially in reporting statistics…

We will be exemplary in morals – clear, clean, and careful to avoid the very appearance of any impropriety…

Seeing the moral failure and scandals destroying many young evangelists of their day, Billy and his colleague penned these four statements with a determination to avoid the common pitfalls to ministerial longevity. I strongly believe that these for statements and a determination to live differently brought them through many temptations and difficult time.

May the Lord grant us the wisdom to learn from this cloud of witnesses for His name sake and for the sake of souls. Here is a comment on this post that captured the gracefulness I felt when I was writing. It come from the blogging disciple:

I’ve always been grateful for the authenticity and integrity of Dr. Billy Graham and his ministry. We are all only human, but he seems to have been, and is yet, especially faithful to the call of God on his life. An example to the Church, worldwide.
A man of God in our generation. May the Lord’s favor be upon him. Peace.

God Bless!