George Beverly Shea went to meet the Lord whom he would rather have than silver or gold, than riches untold, than houses or land. He died this past Tuesday at 104 having served the Lord for many decades as part of the Billy Graham team.
Yet, he was not often as acceptable to all as he became in later life. In the 1957 crusade, Roman Catholic authorities warned parishioners not to attend Mr. Graham’s services and provided priests with information to help counter the evangelical message. Many Orthodox of that time would probably have agreed. And, I suspect that many Orthodox converts of this day would not appreciate such a man.
But, sometimes when you look at a person’s life, you can see that they have striven to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. In the case of George Beverly Shea, there is every evidence that he did not engage in inter-church attacks, but truly wished simply for all to come to know Our Lord Jesus Christ. We can argue about his evangelical theology, but we cannot argue about his commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither should we engage in any arguments whatsoever that have to do with his salvation. I have little doubts on that score.
George Beverly Shea is one of those people who help us to realize that we often do not understand God’s ways and plans. We argue about jurisdictions, theology, canonics, etc. George Beverly Shea simply sang of his love of God. And, that was enough.
Evangelicalism got it right about a central issue, that of “knowing” Christ, being relationship with Him, being in communion with Him. The problem is, all-too-often, the means by which such communion is attained are given short shrift: communion with Christ is incomplete – at best – outside communion with the Church and living a “sacramental” life.
At the same time, we cannot judge the evident holiness of such men who lived their lives in Christ apart from the Church. The question can only then become about ME: “Can I be saved apart from the Church?” And my answer is, “NO!”
May his memory be eternal.