Both Apocalyptic and Hopeful

Is it just me or was the caption of this NY Times article on Rev. Billy Graham's crusade in Queens this past weekend a little weird.

The Rev. Billy Graham, global ambassador for Christ and the most prominent American evangelist of the past century, concluded what might be his final American crusade yesterday with a sermon both apocalyptic and hopeful before a joyously polyglot throng in a New York City park.

Does the juxtaposition of the words "apocalyptic" and "hopeful" trouble anyone else out there?

Graham preached on how the end is near.

He simply cited a few national headlines - the disappearance of an 18-year-old Alabama girl in Aruba, the three children in New Jersey found dead in a car trunk last week - as evidence that end times are near.

"I believe today God is warning us," he said.

And fortunate for him, he's both very old and has the ear of a man with an itchy trigger finger who believes in the Rapture. And that trigger finger hovers above the button that travels with him at all times in a briefcase called "The Football" - kinda freaky.

With solid facts and examples like the Aruba girl and the three children found in the NJ car trunk, I'd say that the end of the world has been a long time coming. How many times has it been predicted that the world as we know it would end? Lots. All wrong. We will be long gone from this planet and solar system before all is over. We're just a blip on the screen in the big scheme of things no matter what religion you follow or don't follow.

Comments

[Dave]

Have you seen what Kirk Cameron's up to these days?

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/

Jesus has some pretty hi-tech web developers on his side these days.

[Ajayi]

Have you seen what Cameron Diaz is up to these days?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000139/

Seriously. The religious figures predicting the end of humanity from Joe Smith, to David Koresh, Rev. Graham makes me wonder why people continue to follow them after the end date has come and gone with no 'end.' I suppose I do know why, I just don't want to admit it.