I participated in the BG Crusade in Vancouver in 1984. I was stationed on the second floor, instructed to send people down to the main floor. I had been a Christian for 4 years. I was naive, to say the least.
I have told this story before, so if you have read it, feel free to pass on it. I was also on the follow up committee for those who had made a "decision" for Christ. We had 100 people for our group of 10 to disciple. We were each given 10 names and phone numbers, of people who made "decisions." We were to phone them, get them into a Bible study with the BG evangelist association. And, to funnel them into a church, preferably ours, although many different denominations were represented. They didn't care which church, just so long as it was a church.
Not one person of my 10 was interested in any follow up, or even accepting a Bible I offered out of my own money. I went to the head of our division, in our neighborhood, discouraged at my failure. She said, not one person in the 100 she was overseeing wanted to follow up. And in fact, almost no one of the thousands who went up, in the whole Lower Mainland of British Columbia was following through.
The Billy Graham Association noted that they perceived the problem, and they were going to make changes. I followed some of his Crusades later on TV, to see the changes, maybe 10 years later, and literally not one thing in the entire program had changed. Even the same songs being sung. Same message, same decisions being made. And probably no one following through.
Why did they not follow up, all those people who supposedly made a decision for Christ? Well, because they were there because of either wanting to see the famous man, a friend who badgered them to go, or maybe a curiousity seeker. But, the well orchestrated program brought the expected thousands to the front. And many cards signed, recorded as a win for the Kingdom of God.
In fact, I do not believe the majority of these people, out of thousands and thousands were in any way, shape or form saved. No, I am not the judge, but a person who goes forward under a well orchestrated emotional appeal, signs a card, without really knowing what they are doing, and totally rejects walking with Christ is probably not saved.
I admit, I became discouraged with this kind of decisional regeneration. I came to call it, "putting my Get-Out-Of-Hell free" card in my back pocket. I guess I can pull it out one day, like maybe Judgement Day, to say I am safe?
I don't know if BG started out a believer with a call to evangelise and went off track, like his friend Charles Templeton, who walked away from God, totally. Or perhaps BG's foundation was not right to begin with, either! But God knows!
