Greg Laurie |
Popular Southern California pastor, author and evangelist – and the man some have called "the next Billy Graham" – has joined WorldNetDaily's commentary lineup.
Though Greg Laurie has written periodic columns for WND in the past, Saturday marks his debut as a regular weekly commentator.
Senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., Laurie eschews the comparison to Graham, considering himself one voice among many.
"I take it as the highest compliment, but at the same time, I don't see it that way," he told WND. "He's been such a singular figure in American history. I don't think anyone will fill his shoes."
Laurie is well-known as someone who can clearly communicate the principles of the Bible to many Americans who have never set foot in a church.
"When someone will unapologetically speak from the Bible and do so in an understandable way, it will resonate," says Laurie, 53.
Nearly 3 million people have attended Laurie's Harvest Crusades – stadium events similar to Graham's – across the United States and in Australia since 1990.
He's led Bible studies at the White House and Pentagon and prayed at the Republican National Convention, but his primary mission simply is to "bring the Gospel to those who don't have a relationship with God and introduce them to Christ," he says.
Laurie believes his book "Are We Living in the Last Days? How to be Prepared for the Lord's Return" has special relevance just now.
The book's aim is to "unravel some of the mystery" surrounding end-times events, exploring topics such as important signs of the last days, the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming, Israel's significance in end-times events, America's mysterious absence in Bible prophecy and what will happen during the Tribulation period.
Laurie noted that right after the book came out, there was an earthquake in southeast Asia, one of the largest in history.
"Certainly that is one of the warning signs of the times," he said. "The Middle East, you just see that conflict always raging on. It's not going to be solved through human means, ultimately."
Be sure to visit WND Saturday to read Laurie's inaugural column, and come back every weekend for his latest commentary.