CP: Oh, I asked about the Olympics and how a lot of human rights groups are using it as a platform to raise awareness issues regarding the Darfur situation, North Korean refugees, and underground churches. I wanted to know…Actually, if Mr. Zhao was present I was about to ask him if China was making any changes to address those issues.
Palau: That would be a good question to ask Mr. Zhao. And he'll answer it.
What I said to the Christianity Today fellow is: I'm an evangelist, not a politician. I don't want to be a politician. And I'm not a prophet. And you know Christianity so you know there's a difference. An apostle is a person in the Bible who…The signs of an apostle were miracles and works of power that established the church. Prophets denounced evil, didn't they? They spoke for God but they tended to denounce evil and shake up a place. They lost their heads for it. An evangelist is a proclaimer of Good News. That's what I am. I'm not a prophet. The few times I tried to make prophetic statements, I caused a big stir that doesn't help. Because that's not my gift! My gift is to come into a town and bring the Good News. We know the Good News will change people, eventually change families and eventually have an effect on society. It takes two generations.
I said to Mark, do you denounce these things? I don't find that the Apostle Paul denounced, even as an apostle and an evangelist, he didn't attack the dignitarial Roman Empire. He proclaimed the Good News. And 300 years later, the whole empire was changed.
So, my goal is if the door opens, I know why the Lord opened it for me: to proclaim the Good News of my son; do not be ashamed of him; speak well of him and call people to faith and repentance. That's my calling. Other people have other callings and they should go ahead and do it.
Luis Palau is the founder of the Luis Palau Association, a ministry based in Portland, Ore., that is committed to innovative evangelism throughout the world. He is a famed evangelist who has spoken before live audiences in 72 countries to more than 25 million people. He has also authored more than 50 books and booklets in English and Spanish.
