Billy Graham - Are We Venerating The Dead?

Many have talked about and published comments about the death of evangelist Billy Graham of late.

The world praises him and many Christians praise him, but not all do.

Some get angry at those who point out the error of any of those who have died.

Why exactly is this?

It's understandable to want to believe the best about people and want to remember good things, and we can all appreciate tact.

It is a cultural issue to believe that only good should be spoken of the dead...not a Biblical one.

Surely, if you are speaking directly to someone whose loved one has died, kindness should be shown.

There is a right time and place for pointing out the corruption of the Gospel I suppose, but that doesn't mean that those who are sharing with those outside the family are wrong to warn other people not to think more highly of a man than they ought to just because the person has passed on.

Billy Graham abandoned the truth of the exclusivity of the Gospel that he once preached and ecumenism and compromise seemed to have led to a liberal view (that people who hadn't heard the Gospel could be saved and that Hell wasn't literal, etc.) that went against the Scripture. 

There is a danger when people are willing to compromise the Gospel for whatever reason. 

It's not just an issue with Billy Graham.

People don't get a pass just for having once preached the truth. 

I hoped that part of the issue with Mr. Graham was due to the downhill mental state that some have with age, but the early compromises with Catholics can't be chalked up to that. 

Like the Galatians who were bewitched by the Judaizers, he may have been bewitched by liberal false views and still have been a Christian. 

Peter was confronted by Paul for compromising with error, however.

The sad part is that now heretics (such as Joel Osteen) and other unbelievers praise Mr. Graham, and many were led away from the true saving Gospel by what he said as he aged (and Catholics, etc. at the "crusades" very likely pulled people into a false "gospel" that sends to Hell earlier on). 

Billy may be in Heaven and knows better now if he had faith in Christ alone (and I'm not venturing at all to say that he didn't), but what we do and say on earth has repercussions both in our homes and for all those influenced by what we do and say whether it be good or bad.

We shouldn't venerate people so that we can't see the error and warn people of it.

Even those that are loved or learned much from (past or present) were/are mere humans and were not (or are not) sinless.  

Only Christ never sinned.