TRINITY LIFE CHURCH LEICESTER: HEROES OR VILLAINS?

TLC Online | 24th October, 11am - YouTube

Listening to Susan Hind teach on Nehemiah 4 at Trinity Life Church in Leicester (Assemblies of God), reminded me of their previous pastor, Brian Niblock and his admiration for Smith Wigglesworth. It makes me wonder if any of these teachers really do their due diligence in researching their supposed "heroes of the faith". Some years after I left TLC I did some research on Smith Wigglesworth, and the results were horrifying. {1}

Susan Hind's heroes apparently include Freemason Billy Graham and his mentor and close associate Raymond Edman who was a missionary in Ecuador for a time. Susan related the story of Edman's alleged miraculous healing from typhoid. Edman went on to become the fourth President of Wheaton College in Illinois in 1940, a position he held until he became chancellor in 1965. {2} Raymond Edman was a personal friend of Billy Graham and often worked with him on his crusades. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was not so easily diverted from the gospel, and he went to great efforts to reason with Billy Graham about his compromise with Roman Catholics and liberals. However, after a long discussion, he failed to convince Graham that inclusivism with false churches was sinful. The outcome was that Martyn Lloyd-Jones refused to endorse or share a platform with Billy Graham. Apart from Graham's obvious disloyalty to the gospel, the seed sown was almost guaranteed to be snatched away by the false churches he sent responders to! (Matthew 13:19 cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3).

"In 1963 Billy Graham asked Dr Lloyd-Jones to chair the first World Congress on Evangelism (eventually held in Berlin in 1966; predecessor to Lausanne). Dr Lloyd-Jones told Billy Graham that if he would stop having liberals and Roman Catholics on his platform and drop the invitation system he would support and chair the Congress.
Billy Graham would not change his views, and Dr Lloyd-Jones declined to endorse or commend or work with him. No doubt the meeting between them was courteously conducted (it lasted three hours) but the outcome was a firm application of secondary separation.
Dr Lloyd-Jones adopted the same attitude to Billy Graham's London crusades. He took the view, and stated it publicly, that to have visible unity with those who are opposed to essential matters of salvation was sinful. (He also believed the invitation system was a source of mass-delusion and harm to churches.)
Despite Billy Graham's high standing with most British evangelicals, the enthusiastic support he received from the secular media, the fact that his name was a household word, and despite the significant place in world evangelicalism that he was offering to Dr Lloyd-Jones, the latter stood by his biblical principle, and declined all the overtures. He would not commend or work with Dr Billy Graham. This is true loyalty to God’s Word, and protectiveness of one’s congregation."  {3} 

Billy Graham showed his true colours in 1997 during his interview with Robert Schuller when he denied the gospel and said that all people are saved whether or not they have heard the gospel. Those who insist on portraying Billy Graham as a "hero of the faith" sugarcoat the real issues and are dishonest. 

Billy Graham: "..whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think that they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven." {4} 

What foundation are TLC building on?

No one who is truly saved should have anything to do with the false gospel of Roman Catholicism. (John 4:24). The very first injunction to church leaders is to hold the line doctrinally and to protect believers from spiritual deception. All the nice-sounding advice and all the pep talks in the world from Susan Hind do not alter the fact that the primary obligation of leaders is to teach sound doctrine - this is the foundation of the church. TLC are not particular about associating with false teachers, and their ungodly actions are a contradiction and an offense to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The bizarre episode of their Coffee House and its association with 666 is still something that I find inexplicable! Without sound doctrine, TLC are wasting their time trying to build anything of real value. TLC is a superficial church that has been badly let down by its leaders. (Matthew 5:13).

if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3-4).

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16).

We will not be persecuted by a Sanballat, a Tobiah or "Arabs Ammonites and Ashdodites" if the temple we are building is devoid of sound doctrine. (Nehemiah 4:7). 

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.(1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

1. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: TRINITY LIFE CHURCH LEICESTER – SMITH WIGGLESWORTH FALSE REVIVAL (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
2. Edman, V. Raymond (Victor Raymond), 1900-1967. | Archives of Wheaton College
3. Secondary Separation | When to Stand Apart - Metropolitan Tabernacle

4. Question - What Billy Graham Believes about Salvation. (biblebb.com)

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: Search results for billy graham (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)