many intellectuals made it clear they had no sympathy for Billy.
Yet he sought out several of the most prominent theologians who
had publicly criticized his message and methods.
One summer he met the renowned German theologian Karl
Barth and his son, Markus, and together they went hiking in the
Swiss Alps. Barth was publicly skeptical of the value of mass evan-
gelism. As they hiked, Billy mentioned that he would be holding
an outdoor meeting in the nearby city of Basel.
“Don’t be disappointed if few people come,” said Barth kindly.
He also warned Billy that in Switzerland, no one would respond
to his invitation to come forward to receive Christ.
As Billy describes it, “When I did hold the meeting in Basel,
Karl Barth showed up, in spite of the pouring rain. I recognized
him huddled under an umbrella.”
Some 15,000 others also attended that rainy event, and Billy
preached from the gospel of John, chapter 3: “You must be born
again.” When he gave the invitation, hundreds streamed forward.
Afterward Billy greeted Barth and asked him what he thought
of the message.
“I agreed largely with your sermon,” said Barth, “but I did not
like that word must.I wish you could change that.”
“It’s a scriptural word, isn’t it?” asked Billy.
Barth agreed it was, but he felt that a preacher should not give
an invitation. Instead he should simply declare that God had
already acted.
Billy summed up the conversation: “I heard him out and then
said I would stick to Scripture. In spite of our theological differ-
ences, we remained good friends.”
Later, in Zurich, Billy sought out Emil Brunner. Though a
more liberal theologian than Barth, when Billy raised the issues
that he and Barth had disagreed on, Brunner said, “Pay no atten-
tion to him. Always put that word mustin. A man mustbe born
again.” And he supported Billy’s use of the invitation.
By personal connections like these, Billy was able to see the larger
picture and the various streams of thinking within it. He learned from
these giants even as he helped them understand his purpose.
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham