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This is a complete and accurate transcript of the oral history interview of
Carlos Rene Padilla (CN 361 T4) in the Archives of the Billy
Graham Center. No spoken words have been omitted, except for any non-English
phrases which could not be understood by the transcribers. If the transcriber
was not completely sure of having gotten what the speaker said, "[?]" was inserted
after the word or phrase in question. If the speech was inaudible or indistinguishable,
"[unclear]" was inserted. Grunts and verbal hesitations, such as "ah" or "um"
were usually omitted. Readers should remember that this is a transcription of
spoken English, which, of course, follows a different rhythm and rule than written
English. This brief follow-up interview was conducted on the telephone later
on the same day as the face-to-face interview recorded on T1, T2 and T3.
. . . Three dots indicate an interruption or break in the train of thought within the sentence on the part of the speaker.
. . . . Four dots indicate what the transcriber believes to be the end of an incomplete sentence.
( ) Words in parentheses are asides made by the speaker.
[ ] Words in brackets are comments by the transcriber.
This transcription, made by Nathan Hollenbeck and Paul Ericksen, was completed in July 2000.
Collection 361, T4. Telephone interview of C. Rene Padilla by Paul A. Ericksen on March 12, 1987.
ERICKSEN: ....is a continuation of an oral history interview with Rene Padilla recorded on March 12th. My question relates to the Lausanne covenant and [pauses] the...the call to radical discipleship. What I was wondering was whether there was any sort of...whether you were censured by the Graham Association [Billy Graham Evangelistic Association] or anyone officially of the Lausanne organizing committee [Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization] for what...for your involvement.
PADILLA: [sound quality diminished due to interview being conducted over the phone] I personally was not. I was free to speak my mind. I think Paul Little had quite a bit to do with that. He worked so that speakers would feel free to say what they felt and what they thought, and so...so I did.
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: No problem, no. I knew that some of the people related to the Billy Graham [Evangelistic] Association were not very happy with me...
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: ...but I was not censored.
ERICKSEN: Did you get any feedback after...afterward? I guess, I didn't mean censored, I meant more [pauses] reprimanded, or....
PADILLA: No.
ERICKSEN: No.
PADILLA: No. I mentioned in my interview there was a backlash.
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: In a way I felt that some people were not very happy to include me among the safe speakers anymore [laughs].
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: And I suppose some of them felt that what I had said there was not quite Evangelical according to their own definitions.
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: But I... I... I had no...no problem with the Billy Graham Association as such. And as a matter of fact, you know, it's interesting that a few months later I happened to be in Montreat invited by the Presbyterians for a retreat, and somehow Billy Graham became acquainted with that, and he made an effort to see me and talk with me personally and we had a very wonderful time.
ERICKSEN: Hmm.
PADILLA: I know that, well, Billy Graham is a man of stature in many ways, and some of his colleagues and those who are working with him are not necessarily of the same kind of...would not exactly interpret what I said the way he did.
ERICKSEN: Uh-huh.
PADILLA: But he himself was sympathetic. He said he was very, very challenged by what I said, and I thought that after Lausanne in many ways Billy Graham did include many of the emphases that came out of Lausanne in his own ministry.
ERICKSEN: Hmm.
PADILLA: And he showed a much wider concern for social issues, and I believe that in a real way he incorporated the social dimension of the gospel into his own preaching. [pauses] Is that enough? [laughs]
ERICKSEN: I think so. I [pauses] thought about it afterward and it seemed like a question that would be helpful to have your input on.
PADILLA: Uh-huh.
ERICKSEN: So, thanks again.
PADILLA: Okay. [recorder turned off]
END OF TAPE