Tune in to hear Dr. Luis Palau, a leading figure in evangelical ministries, as he discusses with Dr. James Dobson the urgent need for spiritual awakening in today’s society. From the pressures of modern life to the high divorce rates threatening family stability, Dr. Palau offers thoughtful analysis and passionate appeals for a return to Christian values. This classic broadcast not only sheds light on historical spiritual movements but encourages a renewed commitment to faith-based family leadership, providing timeless wisdom for listeners seeking change in their personal lives and communities.
Well, hello, everyone. I’m James Dobson, and you’re listening to Family Talk, a listener-supported ministry. In fact, thank you so much for being part of that support for James Dobson Family Institute.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, welcome to Family Talk, the broadcast ministry of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I’m Roger Marsh, and on today’s program, we are going back in the archives. We’re going all the way back to 1984 for a powerful conversation Dr. Dobson had with a dear friend of his, the late Dr. Luis Palau. Now, Dr. Palau went home to be with the Lord on March the 11th of 2021 at the tender age of 86. He went to heaven after a three-year battle with lung cancer. Dr. Luis Palau was an amazing man. Actually born in Argentina, he immigrated to the United States where at the age of 19, he hosted his own Christian radio program and then served as a Spanish language translator for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He held crusades much like Billy Graham did, and he was much loved by all of us and by millions of other people the world over. As a matter of fact, Dr. Luis Palau and Reverend Billy Graham were very, very close friends, and they were friends right up until Mr. Graham’s death, and now he and Luis Palau are joined together again in eternity. What we’re going to hear today on Family Talk is a broadcast that actually is the first introduction and interview Dr. James Dobson had with Dr. Luis Palau. As I mentioned, this was recorded back in 1984. He was invited in by Dr. Dobson to do a radio program with him and Boy, they did. They talked for a couple of minutes, then they walked into the studio, and they recorded so much material that it wound up becoming a two-part conversation that aired and really resonated with people all over the world about Dr. Palau’s life, his ministry, and evangelism. So we will hear the first half of that conversation on today’s edition of Family Talk, and then we’ll hear part two of this discussion on the next edition of our broadcast. So here right now is Dr. James Dobson introducing his good friend, Dr. Luis Palau, as they begin with a conversation about the biblical concept of the family on this special edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re often called the Billy Graham of Latin America. Is that a fair assessment? How do you feel about that?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you know, it’s sort of embarrassing in a way because Billy Graham is such a great man of God. I suppose people use it just to quickly say what it is we do, mass crusades on television and radio, and it’s a quick way to describe it. But, you know, Billy is such a tremendous preacher and so superior in the Lord that it’s sort of embarrassing, really.
SPEAKER 03 :
The largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to, I believe, is 19,000 people, and I was keenly aware of how difficult it is to hold the attention of that many people. How in the world do you speak to 700,000? I know that’s not typical, but how do you reach that many people?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it’s the same as 19,000, I think. What they did in Guatemala is that each one brought their transistor radio. We didn’t have a good enough PA system. They didn’t at that point. So they had five radio stations transmitting simultaneously. And thousands of people had their transistor radio up and you could hear the echo all over this massive military field, you know. Everybody just listening. And really, you just, like you do, you have to be anointed by the Spirit. You have to have something to say. You’ve got to say it quickly and with a touch of humor like you do. I think that’s what keeps people with you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, you and I have developed a friendship in recent years. And let me tell you why I felt so strongly about your being here today. Sure. I know that you know how I feel about this. If our country is to survive, it will not be because we have more gifted psychologists and more books and more counseling and more knowledge about the family. But if it’s gonna be successful, if it’s gonna survive the stresses that are on it now, It will be because of a return to those values and that commitment, that relationship with Jesus Christ, which is your ministry. And God has blessed it not only in Latin America, but you’re also preaching in the United States and in Europe as well at this time, aren’t you? That’s right. And you identify with what I just said. That is the answer. That is the future, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 02 :
You’re right. You’re so right. And I tell you, Dr. Dobson, I feel… that unless we have a revival, the United States of America will go the way of all flesh. England is a model of that, a sad model. England has gone, as Dr. Bill Lawrence says, from a missionary sending organization to a mission field in one and a half generations. That’s unbelievable. England used to send all the missionaries of the world. Now, the Archbishop of Canterbury, before the present one, said, Send us missionaries. England is a mission field. And it absolutely is. Now, America is going in that direction.
SPEAKER 03 :
You were telling me before we went on the air that only 4% of the people in London attend church at all, ever? That’s absolutely right. And 50% of them have never read the Bible one time.
SPEAKER 02 :
Exactly. Now, in England, across the board, 55 million people. 35% have never read the Bible. In London, the estimate is 50% have never once opened the Bible to read it. Once. This is a serious study by the Bible Societies, by the way.
SPEAKER 03 :
And this was a nation one generation ago which considered itself a Christian nation.
SPEAKER 02 :
Exactly. And two generations ago, you had Queen Victoria, you had Spurgeon and Campbell Morgan and F.B. Meyer, all the great preachers that made England a solid nation. Once a BBC interviewer said to me, why are you in England? Aren’t you flogging a dead horse? Which is a very British phrase. And I said, yes, but of course, God has power to raise dead horse. But London is in a moral crisis and so is all of England. Moral standards have gone down and the nation recognizes it. That’s why they’re asking Billy Graham to come back. They’ve asked us to come back because they feel the young generation does not know the Ten Commandments. The Bible societies in their studies said to Billy and to me, they said, look, take nothing for granted. Don’t say King David. They’ve never heard of King David. Don’t say the prodigal son. They’ve never heard of the prodigal son. Even when you say Jesus, you better say Jesus Christ, the son of God, the founder of Christianity. That’s how far they are. And Americans don’t realize that.
SPEAKER 03 :
I was there in 1969 and in 1972, and I was impressed by these gorgeous, beautiful church buildings and nobody in them. I mean, six, eight, ten people huddled in the middle of these huge churches. Luis, let’s bounce across the water to America now. Is there a direct parallel? Are we going in that same direction? Do you see the same moral decline that you saw there?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I see two things. I see the USA on the one hand, a great vigorous Christianity. You know, we’ve got to praise the Lord for the good things going on in America. We mustn’t allow ourselves to be alarmed to the point where we don’t see the hand of God. Good things happening. among college students, among home Bible studies, your own ministry with the family. Take, you know, all the Bible studies on the radio. Take Chuck Swindoll. Take all the other great men. There’s a great movement of God. On the other hand, you are as alarmed as we are about the divorce rate, about the moral standards, about the low ethical standards. That’s what’s alarming. You see, in Britain… World War I and World War II really demoralized the nation in the sense of de-moralizing it. There has been a decay. Now, America is going in the same direction. The frightening thing is this. The way the family is going in America, unless a revival turns it around, we’ll end up just like Latin America. Now, I’m not insulting Latin America. You know, I come from there. You were born in Argentina. I was born in Argentina, which is way down in South America, so I’m a real Latin, although I’ve become an American now. But, you know, 72% of the population of Latin America is illegitimate. Now, if the USA continues in this trend, you’re going to have the same situation in America. Latin America has all the resources to be a successful continent and actually enjoy a successful standard of living. Why don’t we have it? Because of immorality. I am convinced. I have said it in press conferences. I’ve said it at universities. Nobody’s ever challenged me.
SPEAKER 03 :
There’s a direct relationship between the moral values and behavior and the way the country goes, prosperity included.
SPEAKER 02 :
Absolutely. And, you know, we Christians believe that. You know, your sins will find you out, the Scripture says. And according to your holiness, therefore shall come your success. You know, if we don’t follow holiness… We therefore cannot expect the blessing of God. Now, it isn’t that God necessarily sends fire from heaven. It’s that we set in motion such actions that destroy the nation. In Latin America, you take a man converted to Christ in between 35 and 40 years of age, has usually had three women in his life and children by those three women.
SPEAKER 03 :
Not just relationships. You’re talking about he has lived with or had sex with three women outside of his own home and family.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, yes. I’m not talking about casual sex, as they say nowadays. I’m talking about living with a woman for a period of time as though they were husband and wife. Maybe the first time when he’s 18. Maybe 18 to 23, one woman, three children. 24 to 30, second woman, two or three children. 30 to 40, another woman, another two or three children. You see, Latin America is absolutely populated by this situation. Now, that kind of looseness, it’s not that the Latins are worse than anybody else. We are nice people. You know, the thing is this. When you don’t have a biblical standard, or if the standard is there but you don’t have the power of God at work in you, therefore, the way you live affects your attitude towards the family. Who are you loyal to? Who do you appeal to? And when you have a low view of… the family. Therefore, either previously you had a low view of God and following you have a lower view of God because a young man, as we all know, who sees hypocrisy and duplicity in the father and mother or who finds them unreliable. How can you speak about God our Father when in the little person’s mind the father is that man that just walked out or the father is the man that he saw sleeping with another woman? Therefore, their image of God goes down. And it’s a downward cycle, not only a revival. That’s why we come back to your statement, Jim, that only a revival will bring things back to God. Because a revival is a breakthrough into the society. It’s breaking up the molds. A revival is a confrontation. That’s what it really amounts to, between the way our culture is going and the demands of God.
SPEAKER 03 :
How does it start? I feel a little bit like the mice that agreed there ought to be a bell on the neck of the cat, but nobody knew how to get it there. How do we turn our hearts toward God? Where does a revival begin?
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s a deep question. I think of Latin America and some places where I have seen touches of revival. And I think it starts with a few concerned people. And America has them, like you, like so many others, like Bill Bright and so many others that have a burden for revival. You have to have the burden. But, you know, then has to come a breaking and a cleansing. I think the burden has got to go beyond us talking about it. I think we have to get on our knees and pray. You know, the old timers used to talk about praying through.
SPEAKER 03 :
And a word called repentance that I don’t hear much anymore. Tell us what repentance is.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you know, I think repentance comes. It’s part of when a group of men or women altogether come and they say, Oh, God, this cannot go on. And then you begin to search the mind of God and you will not let up until you feel that there has been a breakthrough. Until you sense that the hand of God has touched something and you say, the Lord has answered. Now we must act. Then you leave that place with an authority that is supernatural. And then God uses individuals to begin to touch the conscience. Because repentance begins with a conscience that comes alive, doesn’t it? And so therefore, that’s why I think your ministry to the family can be used of God to bring repentance. And I would… I encourage you that among other things that you’re doing, you’re not just counseling us and giving us good ideas on how to handle the grandparents and memories, all those things that have blessed me that you’ve had on the program, but also it touches our conscience. The conscience is where revival starts. Unless the conscience comes alive that I’m not living up to God’s standards, I will never repent. And the family, I think, is in the West where we most feel our guilt, and we should. And the family is the window into the soul of the West, I feel. That’s why we emphasize the family, and that’s why we’re thrilled by what the Lord is doing here. You’ve got to keep a balance also. Now, I think on the one hand, there must be a call to repentance. But, you know, you’ve got to compare nations also to keep your balance. America has failed. Thousands of godly families, beautiful families. And, you know, comparing to most of the world, there’s more concern for the family in this country probably than any other country in the world.
SPEAKER 03 :
And yet we have the highest divorce rate of any nation in the civilized world.
SPEAKER 02 :
But maybe that’s why we have a concern. Because we see the disaster taking place. We are hardly aware why it happened. And it’s because we’ve turned away from God. And we’ve turned away as a nation. Again, I say there are millions of godly families. But as a nation, we have downgraded the Word of God. And you know, if there’s one thing that Great Britain is paying for, is their low view of Scripture. In other words, they have allowed themselves to doubt the Word of God. I have not heard all your programs, but I know you have a high view of Scripture. In England, they have sowed so many doubts, and I bring England because it hurts America. There are, you know, cousins, and therefore what our cousins do over there affects us here. The low view of Scripture, I mean, if you begin as church leaders to doubt the authority of the Bible, if you begin to play games and sort of flirt with low view of Scripture, and all right, I’m not going to get on this program, and you may not even want me to. You may clip me off. But if you begin to play games about creation, you begin to play games about the flood, you begin to play games about Jonah and the whale. You take one section out, where do you stop? Yes, sir. Then you begin to doubt the virgin birth. Eventually, nothing counts. And although people will say, and in Europe they’ll say this, Jim, They’ll say, oh, we believe in the Word of God, and we wouldn’t think of checking with anything. But, of course, you’ve got to be realistic. The moment you said that, but we’ve got to be realistic, you might as well throw the whole thing out the window. Either the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God that you can trust. Right. Or you might as well set up your own religion and go ahead and anything goes. And in a sense, the moment you try to bring down ethical standards, what the Word says, what the Ten Commandments clearly state about ethics and the family, you might as well throw it all out.
SPEAKER 03 :
Luis, in the closing moments of this broadcast, I’d like you to talk specifically to somebody, a certain person that I have in mind. We try on this broadcast to have a certain individual in mind for each program, and it varies from program to program. I’d like you to talk to the man who knows the way. He was raised in it, or at least he’s heard it. Maybe at one time in his life he was walking with Christ. But now he’s gotten wrapped up in his job and in his work, and he’s not leading his own family spiritually. And he knows it isn’t right, but he’s got all these pressures on him. What do you have to say to him?
SPEAKER 02 :
In Latin America, religion has always been considered the domain of women and children. So when I started out… I used to pray, Lord, give me a burden for the men and use me to reach out to the men. I am convinced that it’s still scriptural and it does bless nations when, in God’s order of things, men become a model. Usually, I must come on scripturally from my viewpoint. I don’t want to hurt your listeners or whatever.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, that’s why I asked you the question, because I feel strongly about what you’re about to say.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I feel this way, that God appointed the man to lead in spiritual issues as well as other issues, but especially spiritually. And I feel that we men honor or dishonor God By the way we walk and by the way we act. And, you know, Colossians says, husbands, love your wives and don’t be harsh with them. And our little boys and girls are watching us. How do I treat my wife? And then he goes on to say, fathers, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged. Now, you’ve used those verses many times. But the thing that I would say to a man is this, man, what example are you giving your children? When you die, what will your children say about you as a man? Will they say, my father was a hypocrite? Will they say, as some fellows have said to me, in my father’s home, I never heard a prayer to God in all my life? I say to men, man, have you become such a pagan? Are you so heathen that you have never opened the Word of God and let your boys and girls in the Word of God? I often say to men, man, have you ever gotten on your knees? Beside your bed with your wife beside you, put your arm around her and read one chapter, just one chapter from the Word of God, the Bible. Have you ever, with your arm around your wife, on your knees beside your bed, led your woman in prayer to God? And I often say to men, and I’d like to say to your men right now, I have seen more men whose families were, if not breaking up, cold and unwarm. Take advantage of this counsel. Get on their knees. Put their arm around their wife. Open the Bible to John chapter 1. Read it. The man read it. And then say to his wife, we are going to talk to God. And the love that comes when a man leads his wife to God is so profound. I often tell men, you know… I am gone a lot from home. But when I take my wife, Pat, in my arms and I lead in prayer, I begin to cry. You know, it’s an amazing thing. And it’s not that I’m a crybaby. I’m a pretty hard-nosed character. But there’s something fantastically beautiful when a man takes his wife in his arms and they talk to God. The love, the warmth is unbelievable. It seems like the two souls just merge into one. Now, a man who doesn’t do that is a disgrace to manhood. A man who doesn’t do that is a shame to himself. He’s dishonoring his creator. He is being less than manly when he never, do you know there are men, Jim, who in their entire lives have never led their wives in one talk with God. There are men who have never said to their children, let’s talk to your heavenly father. Even if they’re teenagers, before they leave the door, you know, give them a hug and touch their cheek and say, buddy, I’m going to be praying for you all day. What a difference to send them out on the street, having first been in the Word before breakfast or after breakfast and on your knees talking to your Heavenly Father. So a man is a man. when he leads his wife in the things of God, when he leads his children in the things of God, and when he makes God the center of his home. Otherwise, what is the meaning of life? And the final thing I’ll say is what I often say to men, and I feel great authority in saying it. What memories are you going to leave behind? My father died when I was only 10 years old, and the memories I have of my father are so strong. I saw him on his knees reading the book of Proverbs. My image of him is seeing him in the Lord’s Supper, calling out a psalm or calling out a hymn. My image of him is my dad. It was a big businessman in his day, standing on a street corner beside the missionary, passing out tracks and talking to people who insulted him and spat on him and threw rocks or mud at him. And there was my dad, you know. So I want to be that kind of man. And I say to every man listening to your program today, what kind of a man are you? What images are you leaving in your children’s minds?
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, Luis, you and I recently attended the birthday party of Billy Graham. And Shirley and I were riding home together on the freeway after that. And we were sharing with one another what we were thinking during that evening because, as you recall, they showed films of his entire ministry and the power of the Lord was there. Yes. And I remember saying to her, Shirley, what was going through my mind is that God is expanding our outreach and doing great things, I think, through what we’re attempting to do. But if I get so caught up in that, that I don’t take the time to do exactly what you’re talking about with my children, my family, with my wife. then I will live to regret it. You said it. And there is no good work. I don’t care what you do for a living, even if you speak to 700,000 people, as you have, if you don’t take the time for that responsibility you’re talking about right now, then you’ve missed the first priority.
SPEAKER 02 :
You’ve said it. You’re a failure. You know, I don’t care who listens to you. I don’t care if you’ve got pictures in the White House and with Queen Elizabeth. What is the point if at the end of your life, You are not godly. It’s just not worth it.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, you’ve been listening to a special edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk and a conversation Dr. Dobson had with the late evangelist Dr. Luis Palau, whose heart for families and passion for spiritual revival remain as relevant today as when this conversation was first recorded. His challenge for men to lead their families spiritually and his warning about the consequences of moral decline speak directly to the challenges that we currently face in culture today, do they not? Dr. Dobson will be back in just a moment with some closing thoughts, so do stay with us for that. Now, if today’s program touched your heart or if you know someone who needs to hear this message, I encourage you to share it. You can do so using the Family Talk app or you can also go to drjamesdobson.org forward slash Family Talk. You’ll find this broadcast along with other helpful resources there. As we reflect on Dr. Palau’s reminder about the importance of spiritual leadership in the home, I want to share with you about a special resource that celebrates family gatherings around the table, something that we’ll all be thinking about in just a couple of weeks at Easter time. Shirley and Danae Dobson have created a beautiful book together entitled Welcome to Our Table that shares cherished recipes, inspirational stories, and memories from the Dobson family gatherings. Award-winning photographer Julie Johnson has artfully photographed each recipe with special attention to the delicious dishes and lovely table settings. Now, this lovely book is as much a family memoir as it is a cookbook, offering lessons and blessing others through the art of hospitality. Now, we’d love to send you a copy of Shirley Dene’s book. It’s our way of thanking you for your gift of any amount in support of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute today. So request your copy of Welcome to Our Table when you go to drjamesdobson.org. Or you can request your copy of Welcome to Our Table over the phone when you call 877-732-6825. You know, these broadcasts and resources are made possible through the generous support of friends like you who share our commitment to preserving and promoting biblical family values. Your gift today will help us continue broadcasting messages of hope and biblical truth to families all across America. To make a secure donation online, go to drjamesdobson.org, or you can send your gift through the U.S. Postal Service, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, Post Office Box 39000, Colorado Springs, Colorado, the zip code 80949. And now, here once again is Dr. James Dobson with some closing thoughts for today’s program.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, this is James Dobson again. You’ve been listening to an interview with Dr. Luis Palau, a wonderful, much-loved evangelist who held crusades, much like the ones that Billy Graham led all over the world. But in his case, especially in Latin America, where he was most known, Luis and I had just met on the afternoon that we recorded the program that you just heard. And we’re going to hear the second half of that tomorrow. There is a surprise. Something dramatic happened at the end of the second interview. And I hope that you will be with us next time. God’s blessings to you all.
SPEAKER 01 :
This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
