–  Luis Palau (pronounced pahl-OW), is an Argentinean-born (1934, to Roman Catholic parents) international evangelistic preacher with immense popularity in South and Central America. He claims to have been born-again at age 12, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1960. Palau is the author of 44 books and booklets, and has written more than 100 articles published in Charisma, Christian Herald, Christian Parenting Today, Christian Reader, Christianity Today, Decision, Discipleship Journal, Focus on the Family,Moody, The Plain Truth, Pursuit, World, World Vision, Worldwide Challenge, and many other periodicals. He has been pegged by some to replace the ecumenical Billy Grahamas the United States’ pre-eminent evangelist; “the Billy Graham of everywhere” says The Wall Street Journal. (This, of course, was prior to the 11/95 appointment of Graham’s son, Franklin, to replace the retiring Billy.) Palau models his ministry and organization after Graham, being influenced by Graham since 1962, when he served as a translator at a Graham crusade in California. Graham gave Palau money to start his own organization in 1978, the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (LPEA). Palau raises money for his stadium crusades like Graham also — the responsibility falls upon sponsoring local churches.

–  Palau is a graduate and member of the Trustee Board at the neo-evangelical/psychologically-oriented Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon (now Multnomah Biblical Seminary). He is commonly called “the Billy Graham of South America.” The title is fitting, for he has followed Graham’s new evangelical policies in his crusades and has been willing to join hands with liberals, charismatics, and Roman Catholics. His ministry has not been confined to South America, however. He has had crusades in such diverse places as Aberdeen, Scotland; New Zealand; Managua, Nicaragua; and Peoria, Illinois (New Neutralism II, p. 67).

–  Since Palau’s first crusade in 1966, an estimated 14 million people in 69 nations have attended 414 of Palau’s cross-denominational crusades and rallies (now termed “Festivals”) — he has preached on every continent except Antarctica, and was the first evangelist to hold stadium evangelistic meetings in the Soviet Union (1989). In addition, tens of millions more have been exposed to the Palau message through radio and TV broadcasts in 104 nations. His radio programs are broadcast each weekday on more than 500 stations in North, South, and Central America (200 in the U.S.). Palau often purchases television time in cities where he plans stadium crusades, airing a live call-in program called Night Talk with Luis Palau (carried by two national cable networks — the National Empowerment Television Network and the Inspirational Network). Viewers call to discuss their spiritual, family, and other concerns. Palau claims to explain the basic Gospel and prays with those who want to trust Jesus Christ. The national program also features taped segments of live TV programs from Palau’s U.S. crusades. [Palau now airs two distinct radio programs — Luis Palau Responde and Cruzada, Spanish radio programs broadcast on more than 500 stations throughout Latin America and the United States; and Reaching Your World with Luis Palau, a two-minute daily radio program, which went on the air 1/31/00, broadcast on more than 530 stations in the English-speaking world.] (Source: LPEA Internet web site, 8/27/01.)

The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (LPEA), his Portland, Oregon based non-profit organization, cites more than 757,000 “known public decisions for Jesus Christ” as a result of the crusades, while tens of thousands more have supposedly made life-changing decisions for Christ as a result of LPEA’s broad range of ministries. The LPEA has an annual budget of more than $4 million and 80 full- and part-time employees. In 1995, the operation moved into a $1.3 million complex in Beaverton, Oregon, a Portland suburb. The new building includes a television studio in addition to radio rooms. Palau has dreams of becoming a “Christian-based alternative to ‘Geraldo’ and ‘Oprah.’ I want to go nose to nose with the talk shows” (Martha Irvine: 10/13/95, Associated Press story).

–  What kind of gospel is preached at a typical Palau’ crusade? Palau conducted a “festival” in Waterbury, Connecticut on 4/29/01. In an interview with Ed Flynn of “Talk of the Town” on radio station 1320 AM, on April 24, promoters of the Palau festival said that the evangelist is “a uniter, not a divider,” that he is nondenominational and sends his converts “right back to the churches they come from.” 

On 10/1/93, WGN-TV superstation out of Chicago aired a tape of Palau’s message from his Phoenix Crusade held at the America West Arena the end of October of 1992. [Jerry Colangelo, the president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team, was the Crusade Chairman.] Palau’s message was titled, “Hope for the Stressed-Out.”

Palau’s message was peppered with “the Bible says” this/”the Bible says” that, but Palau never quoted a Bible passage. For example: “The Bible says the Lord saves us from the pit — the pit of despair, the pit of low self-esteem … the Bible says He redeems your life from the pit.” Palau, of course, didn’t give the passage from the Bible to document that the Bible actually says God saves us from low self-esteem — probably because there is no such passage. (Chuck Swindoll, Josh McDowell, R.C. Sproul, Clyde Narramore, andother “Christian” psychologizers say the Lord saves us from low self-esteem, but the Bible certainly doesn’t say that. The salvation of sinners depends upon the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show sinners that they are lost and guilty before God, so that they might repent and place their trust in Christ for salvation. What does this have to do with helping the sinner enjoy feelings of greater self-esteem?)

The serious error in Palau’s so-called gospel message was further illustrated in the Phoenix crusade video. The Phoenix message was interrupted with cut-outs to a call-in television show Palau had done earlier in 1992. One caller, a homosexual with AIDS from San Antonio, was “led to the Lord” by Palau via the repetition of an easy-believism, decisional regeneration type of prayer so common in today’s crusade evangelism. Nowhere in the prayer was there the acknowledgement that the man’s homosexuality was sin (although Palau told the caller that he had “failed” the God who “loved and died for him”).

–  Scholars have observed that although evangelists traditionally preached about hell-fire and brimstone, they began avoiding the topic entirely in the 1960s and ’70s, concentrating instead on the love of God rather than risk of offending the populace. Adhering to this trend, Palau says he will emphasize God’s forgiveness: “I think that’s where I’m gearing my message,” he said. “I think there’s a great sense of guilt in America. People want to know if they’re going to heaven, an implicit acknowledgment that there’s a less desirable alternative than paradise. There is no need to call Americans sinners. They know it already.” (Emphasis added.) (4/17/96, Chicago Tribune). [In a 6/6/01 interview with Religion Today, Palau confirms his position: “While he does not emphasize hell in his preaching ‘to excess,’ says Palau, ‘I do bring it in as a warning — not as a major but as a minor emphasis.'”]

So not to offend with the gospel, Palau is, in effect, saying that he preaches a watered-down gospel that is no gospel at all. For example, in 1995, Palau preached to an estimated 26,000 in four meetings in Kathmandu, Nepal. Since proselytization is illegal in Nepal, Palau encouraged Nepalis to “fall in love with Jesus,” instead of urging them to renounce Hinduism. This, of course, is not the Gospel of Christ. And what about the other gods the Hindus worship? They would gladly add Jesus to their thousands of other gods. They might even make Him their chief god, but not the only God (10/95, O Timothy). [Responding to BDM’s criticism of Palau’s “watered-down gospel,” Palau responds in a 6/6/01 interview with Religion Today, “Almost 80 percent of my preaching comes from the Bible. The other 20 percent is cultural, historic and psychological. I try to position and think, ‘Where is my audience coming from?'”]

–  Many times the best indicator of the “Biblical quality” of a ministry is the “quality” of those endorsing it. A Palau brochure received by BDM in 12/93 had a section entitled “What Others Are Saying.” It included glowing endorsements from the ecumenical Billy Graham; charismatic demon-deliverer Evelyn Christenson; liberal charismatic preacher E.V. Hill; hyper-charismatic Jack Hayford; and Catholic sympathizer and New Age religionist Chuck Colson. [In a separate piece of literature, Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute, endorsed Palau’s 8-week Chicago Crusade scheduled for April-May, 1996 (see below).]

BDM also received a book from the LPEA titled Say Yes!: How To Renew Your Spiritual Passion (Multnomah Press, 1991, 168 ppgs.). In addition to Graham, Hayford, and Colson endorsing the book, other endorsers were modernist John Stott; Campus Crusade‘s ecumenical leader Bill Bright; Dallas Seminary’s neo-evangelical psychologizerHoward Hendricks; ecumenical social activist D. James Kennedy; the then director of the neo-evangelical National Religious Broadcasters, E. Brandt Gustavson; and financial psychobabbler Ron Blue. [Additionally, on 12/2/93, TBN aired a tape of a Palau’ message from his 10/16/93-10/24/93 Greater Ft. Worth Crusade held at the Tarrant County Convention Center. Giving testimonial endorsements prior to Palau’s message were ex-Dallas Cowboy football coach, Tom Landry, and self-love psychologizer and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar.]

Also, Palau’s web site lists endorsers of his ministry: Billy Graham, Chuck Colson, Jack Hayford, Joni Eareckson Tada, Joseph Stowell, and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Angelican). 

Of all the endorsers of Palau and his ministry, we could not find a single endorsement by anyone even remotely considered to be an evangelical, Biblical fundamentalist!

–  Palau says the fight against violence and hopelessness in America must be fought with more contemporary weapons. So he incorporates some modern devices into his crusades. Christian rap music replaces the traditional hymns at many events, and big-screen video shots of sporting events are used to attract younger audiences. Palau says, “I think we need to adapt rather than fight it. I’m sure somebody is called to fight it, but my attitude is rather than fight it, exploit it.” Palau also quietly accepts the MTV cartoon characters, Beavis and Butt-head — “Those two guys … you can scream all you like, but they’re here to stay, those two,” showing a sort of respect for the cartoon delinquents on MTV (10/93 Associated Press report, printed in the Bloomington, Indiana, 10/23/93, The Herald-Times).

An example of Palau’s contemporary techniques would be his 1992 Phoenix Crusade (which drew about 72,000 total over the five days of meetings). On the last day of the crusade, the “Christian” rap group DC Talk performed to about 16,000 of all ages amid roving colored lights and man-made fog. (See the 6/96, Christian Conscience for areview of a DC Talk concert — article by John Beardsley, pp. 54-58.) Palau sandwiched himself in the middle of the afternoon’s festivities with a short message and an invitation. About 700 came forward before the rapping resumed. In his messages throughout the week, Palau frequently used humor and made references to such popular figures as Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor. He said he wants to present the Christian message “positively” and to show people he’s not a “ranting, raving preacher.” In one message he talked of heaven, but noted that many preachers dwell too much on hell (11/2/92, The Arizona Republic).

–  Palau’s 8-week “Say Yes, Chicago” Crusade was held over a 57-day period in April-May, 1996, and featured more than 70 events in a variety of metropolitan-area venues, including the Rosemont Horizon, the UIC Pavilion, and Soldier Field. Palau staffers and a 150-member executive committee of local clergy and laity raised $2.3 million and enlisted 1,700 churches from Kenosha to Kankakee and DeKalb, as well as from the city and suburbs. The official Palau Chicago campaign brochure lists churches of many denominations: Presbyterian, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free, Nazarene, Episcopal, and Christian. Rock musicians performed. Individual Catholic priests were involved in leadership roles. One of the sponsoring churches was church growth guru Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church. Ecumenical speakers included Tony Evans, E.V. Hill, Raleigh Washington, Joseph Stowell, Erwin Lutzer, and Rabi Maharaj. The attendance goal was set at 500,000; 15,000 people were given a two-hour training course on how to share their faith with friends and neighbors. The schedule included a nightly call-in TV show, special breakfasts and luncheons, and women’s, children’s, and youth events.

Palau claims to have preached the gospel to 129,000 people at 75 events throughout greater Chicago, and to have bagged 9,460 new Christians during the two-month campaign (of which 44% were “first-time commitments”). Palau also presented his version of the gospel through 27 one-hour television programs on four Chicago stations, originating in the studios of WCFC-TV38, and as a result, claimed more than 650 callers “indicated they prayed with Luis or with counselors, committing their lives to Christ.” (Source: LPEA Internet web site, 8/27/01.)

–  From 1/1/80-1/4/80, a “Methodist Congress on Evangelism” was held at Oral Roberts University. Palau appeared with Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Dr. Charles Allen of the First United Methodist Church of Houston, and several Methodist bishops. This is just an example to show that Palau is not adverse to cooperation with those still in the fellowship of apostate Methodism or those on the radical fringe of charismaticism. In addition, Palau’s 5/92 Peoria Crusade included cooperation with over 150 churches, many of them liberal, charismatic, and even some from John Wimber‘s radical Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

Palau’s evangelistic association is also affiliated with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Along with (apostate) comedian Steve Allen, Palau was a speaker at the 1987 convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, an arm of the NAE at the time. Despite these dubious connections, he has also been a speaker at Moody Bible Institute, Dallas Seminary’s “School of Evangelism,” and the 25th anniversary celebration of Talbot Seminary (New Neutralism II, pp. 67-68).

–  Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) “men’s movement” among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK’s contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a “phallic messiah” tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Palau is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men’s movement, as evidenced by his speaking at PK’s 1992 National Men’s Conference and at regional stadium rallies in 1995, 1996, and 2000, and by his authoring a chapter in two PK books (Go the Distanceand Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper). [Palau’s wife, Pat, also authored a chapter in two PK books (Promises! Promises! and The Joy of a Promise Kept) designed for the wives of Promise Keepers. Others authoring chapters in Promises! Promises! are the wives of Howard Hendricks, Gary Smalley, and John Trent.)]

That Palau has no problem identifying with this movement is a bit disconcerting to say the least. (For details of COR’s unbiblical strategy for “taking the world for Christ,” see COR’ documents titled A Manifesto for the Christian Church, Forty-two Articles of the Essentials of a Christian World View, and Twenty-five Articles of Affirmation and Denial on the Kingdom of God. These three documents, along with COR’s 17 Sphere/World View Documents, make up what COR calls its “20 COR World View Documents.”)
–  Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days during the summer of 1994, during which he claims to have received a “prophecy from God” that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando 12/5/94-12/7/94 to fast and pray for revival. An Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics was formed. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC’s Bill Bright cites “a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20).” This ecumenical “linking” is in the “spirit of Jehoshaphat” indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he “linked” with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender.) [Another three-day “Fasting & Prayer” conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles; it attracted 3,500 “evangelicals” and charismatics. The Invitation/Host Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference was held 11/14/96-11/16/96 in St. Louis. New additions to the Host Committee included Max Lucado, Henry Blackaby, Loren Cunningham (YWAM), Greg Laurie, Dennis Rainey, Randy Phillips (Promise Keepers), Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, Howard Hendricks, and Neil Anderson. (Conferences have been held every year now, but there is an uncertain future with Bill Bright’s August  2001retirement from Campus Crusade, and his 2003 death.)]

–  While reporting on Amsterdam ’86, Fundamental Evangelistic Association reporter Dennis Costella asked Palau if he would cooperate with Roman Catholics. Palau replied that he certainly would and admitted that it was being done. He went on to mention specific plans for more extensive Catholic involvement in his future crusades (Jul/Aug 1986,Foundation magazine). Some of the details of past Palau’s involvement with Catholics follows:

–  More evidence Palau has made a determined effort to appeal to Catholics: A 10/31/92 article in The Arizona Republic (“One In Christ: Luis Palau Emphasizes Similarities in Making Interdenominational Appeal,” p. B8) detailed Palau’s philosophy for reaching the lost in false religious systems:

In other words, Palau’s plan is to give them (Catholics, in the above example) a watered-down, non-offensive gospel, and then leave them in the same blasphemous religious system they were in before being “saved.” [LEPA and Palau have also taken part in the annual ecumenical/charismatic/Catholic-accommodating March For Jesus campaigns.]

–  Some think that the ecumenical evangelism techniques used by Palau are not that serious a matter, and that those opposing him are over-reacting. The following excerpts are from a letter from the pastor of the First Romanian Fundamentalist Baptist Church in Chicago: