Times Colonist September 28, 2006 Adrian Chamberlain Billy Graham's grandson believes many Canadian youths are on a highway to Hell. So he has teamed up with Christian rockers and local churches to erect a righteous roadblock in Victoria. "Canada's gone very liberal compared to the United States. A lot of young people do not know Christ anymore," said 31-year-old Will Graham, who works for his granddad's organization in Asheville, N.C. "The Billy Graham office in Canada believes that Canada is on the verge of being totally agnostic in one generation." To help stem the secular slide, the Calgary-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada has for months quietly worked with young people and about 50 churches -- mostly evangelical -- in this city. Since February, teens have attended sessions with names like Hallofuzion, Gravity, Primal Fuel. They have enjoyed concerts by Christian bands. And they have learned about prayer and Jesus Christ. Now this ambitious youth initiative, operating under the umbrella title Epicentre, is poised for its big public lift-off. Saturday's event at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre (dubbed ignition) showcases three Christian acts: Tree63, Joy Williams and Salvador. These musicians aren't famous like Christian bands Creed and Jars of Clay, yet that hasn't hurt sales. About 4,400 tickets for ignition have already sold -- 500 shy of a sell-out. "It will be by far the largest Christian gathering of youth, or mobilization of youth, that our city has ever seen," says pastor Andy Moore of Glad Tidings Church. In typical rock-show fashion, the musicians' images will be shown on huge video screens at the concert. But what makes the event radically different from garden-variety rock concerts will be Will Graham's invitation for audience members to accept Christ into their lives. In this task he'll be assisted by 250 volunteer counsellors -- all trained in Victoria -- who will approach those stepping forward. "We want people to come to know Christ," he said. "We want to see all people, because everyone's a sinner. And without Christ, they'll spend eternity in Hell." There has been a modicum of conventional advertising for ignition, including video ads targeting young people in movie theatres. The concert has been mostly a word-of-mouth phenomenon, with such churches as Glad Tidings Pentecostal, Lambrick Park, Friendship Baptist and Church of the Nazarene spreading the news. Since 2004, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada has staged similar youth programs leading to Christian rock concerts in medium-sized Canadian cities: Barrie, St. Johns and Halifax. Plans are already underway for another in London, Ont. Robert Burkinshaw is a professor at Christian-based Trinity Western University who has written on the history of evangelicalism in British Columbia. He says Billy Graham's crew are middle-of-the-road evangelists who have had a presence in Canada since the 1960s. That's not to say some of the religious leader's ideas wouldn't horrify liberals. In 2002, Graham apologized after an old tape-recording surfaced in which he had agreed with Richard Nixon that liberal Jews dominated the media. Yet overall, he is widely viewed as a moderate -- a man who has been a registered member of the Democratic Party and is pals with Bill Clinton. Dion Collins, the Calgary-based youth ministries manager for Canada's Billy Graham association, says reaching teens through rock music is no more insidious than MTV. "We believe God created music, so why shouldn't we celebrate it the same why as everyone else?" Gary Laderman, who teaches religious history at Atlanta's Emory University, says such a use of music reflects Christian evangelists' increasing use of pop culture. "It's both shrewd and genuine," he says. "Religious institutions have always been shrewd. On the other hand, they're very authentic in their desire -- in some cases -- to help people." It appears what grandson Will Graham and company are most interested in doing Saturday night is encouraging young Victorians to follow Christ. "If Jesus was willing to die on the cross for the sins of the world -- my sins, your sins -- and he did it publicly, then I invite people to get out of their seats," he said. "Not that I can save them. Only Jesus Christ can save them."