Billy’s friend Francis Schaeffer would later expand on this in
his book The Mark of the Christian. In it, Schaeffer asserts that the
authentic work of a follower of Jesus is love. He quotes the “last
commands” of Jesus to his followers as he was about to leave
them: “I will be with you only a little longer. A new command-
ment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another.”
Billy has taken this command from his Leader very seriously.
To many ears, the fact that Billy would call employees like Sher-
wood Wirt “beloved” sounds strangely foreign. But the word not
only comes from the Bible, it was what Billy felt toward his fel-
low disciples and what he determined to make central in his life.
It is a fascinating footnote that Mordecai Ham, at whose meet-
ings Billy was converted, later noted with remorse that he wished
he could restart his ministry and “love people” as Billy did. Per-
haps Mordecai got the message too late, but Billy’s example
shaped thousands of leaders in orthodox Christian activism, cen-
tering their emphasis.
■ ■ ■How far should love extend? Jesus said we must love our ene-
mies, which when put against specifics may seem naive and even
absurd. Love the brutal competitor or the person who slips in the
verbal knife, wrecking a business or a marriage or a life?
To genuinely love a vicious enemy would take supernatural
power. The Bible’s original Greek uses agapeto describe exactly
that—supernatural love that transcends human capacities. Mar-
tin Luther King Jr., in leading the Civil Rights Movement, advo-
cated “persuasion, not coercion” and the transforming power of
love. He said, “Love must be our regulating ideal. Once again we
must hear the words of Jesus echoing across the centuries: ‘Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that
despitefully use you.’”
King explained what the Bible’s word means when facing
rough realities: “Agapeis disinterested love.... Agapedoes notLeading with Love