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| | Billy Graham has preached the message of [[Christianity]] around the [[world]], reaching live audiences of 210 million people in 185 countries. He has led hundreds of thousands of people to make personal decisions to accept [[Jesus Christ]] into their lives. | | Billy Graham has preached the message of [[Christianity]] around the [[world]], reaching live audiences of 210 million people in 185 countries. He has led hundreds of thousands of people to make personal decisions to accept [[Jesus Christ]] into their lives. |
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| − | {{Infobox Celebrity
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| − | | name = Billy Graham |
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| − | | birth name = Williams Franklin Jr. Graham |
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| − | | image = Billy Graham bw photo, April 11, 1966.jpg |
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| − | | caption = Billy Graham, April 1966. |
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| − | | birth name = William Franklin Graham Jr |
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| − | | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1918|11|7}}
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| − | | birth_place = [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[North Carolina]], [[United States of America|United States]] |
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| − | | nationality = [[United States|American]] |
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| − | | death_date = |
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| − | | death_place = |
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| − | | occupation = [[Evangelism|Evangelist]] <br>
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| − | | salary = |
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| − | | spouse = [[Ruth Graham]] (died 2007) |
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| − | | networth = |
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| − | | website = [http://www.billygraham.org/ BillyGraham.org] |
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| − | }}
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| − | '''William Franklin Graham, Jr., [[Order of the British Empire|KBE]]''' (born [[November 7]] [[1918]]) better known as '''Billy Graham''', is an [[evangelism|evangelist]] and an [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] [[Christian]]. He has been a spiritual adviser to multiple [[President of the United States|U.S. presidents]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D61E3AF93AA35751C1A964958260|title=The Transition; Billy Graham to lead Prayers|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|date=1992-12-09|accessdate=2007-12-24}}</ref> and was number seven on [[The Gallup Organization|Gallup's]] [[Gallup's List of Widely Admired People|list of admired people]] for the [[20th century]]. He is a member of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]].
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| − | Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than anyone who has ever lived.<ref name="cincinnati post">{{cite news |title= BILLY GRAHAM: A MAN WITH A MISSION.(SPECIAL SECTION) |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87912863.html|publisher=''Cincinnati Post'' |date=[[June 27]], [[2002]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> As of 1993, more than 2.5 million people had stepped forward at his crusades to "accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour."<ref name="time1993">http://205.188.238.109/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979573,00.html ''Time'', ''God's Billy Pulpit'', November 15, 1993</ref> As of 2002, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped two billion.<ref name="cincinnati post"/>
| + | ===[[Billy Graham Crusades]]=== |
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| − | ==Biography== | + | ==Quotes== |
| − | ==='''Early life'''===
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| − | Born on a dairy farm near [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], Billy Graham was raised in the [[Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church]] by his parents, Morrow Coffey and William Franklin Graham. In 1933, when [[Prohibition in the United States]] ended, Graham's father forced Graham and his sister Catherine to drink beer until they threw up, which created a lifelong aversion, in both of them, to alcohol.<ref name="time1993"/> According to the Billy Graham Center, Billy Graham was converted in 1934 during a series of revival meetings in Charlotte which were led by evangelist [[Mordecai Ham]].<ref>[http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/faq/13.htm Who led Billy Graham to Christ and was it part of a chain of conversions going back to Dwight L. Moody?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, he was turned down for membership in a local youth group because he was "too worldly."<ref name="time1993"/> He was persuaded to go see Ham at the urging of a local [[African-American]] who worked at the Graham farm.<ref name="baptisthistory">{{cite news |title= Billy Graham: an appreciation: wherever one travels around the world, the names of three Baptists are immediately known and appreciated--Jimmy Carter, Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr. One is a politician, one an evangelist, and the other was a civil rights leader. All of them have given Baptists and the Christian faith a good reputation. (Biography) |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87912863.html|publisher=''Baptist History and Heritage'' |date=[[June 22]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref>
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| − | {{Southern Baptists}}
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| − | After graduating from Sharon High School in May 1936, Graham attended Bob Jones College (now [[Bob Jones University]]), then located in [[Cleveland, Tennessee]], for one semester but found it too legalistic in both coursework and rules.<ref name="time1993"/> At this time he was influenced and inspired by Pastor Charley Young from Eastport Bible Church. He was almost expelled, but [[Bob Jones, Sr.]] warned him not to throw his life away: "At best, all you could amount to would be a poor country Baptist preacher somewhere out in the sticks... You have a voice that pulls. God can use that voice of yours. He can use it mightily."<ref name="time1993"/> Graham transferred to the Florida Bible Institute, now [[Trinity College of Florida]], in 1937, which had less strict rules,<ref name="time1993"/> where he met and was engaged to a fellow student, who decided to break off the engagement because she felt Graham did not have enough "religious purpose."<ref name="satevepost">{{cite news |title= Billy Graham: the world is his pulpit |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-4151300.html|publisher=''The Saturday Evening Post'' |date=[[March 1]], [[1986]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> Graham eventually graduated from [[Wheaton College, Illinois|Wheaton College]] in [[Illinois]] with a degree in [[anthropology]], in 1943. It was during his time at Wheaton that Graham decided to take the [[Bible]] as the [[infallibility|infallible]] Word of God. [[Henrietta Mears]]<ref>[http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/mighty/portraits/henrietta_mears_213642.html Kintera.org - The Giving Communities<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> of the First [[Presbyterian Church USA|Presbyterian]] Church of [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] was instrumental in helping Graham wrestle with the issue, which was settled at Forest Home Christian camp (now called Forest Home Ministries) southeast of the [[Big Bear Lake, California|Big Bear area]] in [[Southern California]]. A memorial there marks the site of Graham's decision.
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| − | ===Family===
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| − | In 1943, Graham married Wheaton classmate [[Ruth Graham|Ruth Bell]] (1920–2007), whose parents were Presbyterian [[missionaries]] in [[People's Republic of China|China]], where her father, [[L. Nelson Bell]], was a general surgeon. He met Ruth at Wheaton: “I saw her walking down the road towards me and I couldn’t help but stare at her as she walked. She looked at me and our eyes met and I felt that she was definitely the woman I wanted to marry.” Ruth thought that he "wanted to please God more than any man I'd ever met."<ref name="satevepost"/> They married two months after graduation and later lived in a [[log cabin]] designed by Ruth in the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] in [[Montreat, North Carolina]].<ref name="time1993"/> Ruth died on [[June 14]], [[2007]], at age 87. They had five children together: Virginia (Gigi) Graham Foreman (b. 1945); [[Anne Graham Lotz]] (b. 1948—runs AnGeL ministries); Ruth Dienert (b.1950); [[Franklin Graham]] (b.1952—administers his international relief organization called [[Samaritan's Purse]] and will be his father's successor at Billy Graham Ministries);<ref>[http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ Samaritan's Purse | International Relief<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[Ned Graham]] (b.1958— pastor who runs East Gates International,<ref>[http://www.eastgates.org/awordfrombg.html East Gates International<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> which distributes [[Christianity|Christian]] literature in China). Graham has 19 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
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| − | ===Ministry===
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| − | ====Beginning====
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| − | {| class="videos" style="width: 20em; float:right; font-size:95%" cellspacing="4"
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| − | !<big>'''Billy Graham - What's Going on?!'''</big>
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| − | [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sow0gfXXHGY&rel=1&feature=related Related Videos]
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| − | While still a seminarian at Wheaton College, Graham was ordained a Southern Baptist minister in 1939 and served briefly as pastor of the Village Church in [[Western Springs, Illinois]], not far from Wheaton, in 1943-44. While there, a friend of Graham's, Torrey Johnson, pastor of the Midwest Bible Church in [[Chicago]], told Graham that his radio program "Songs in the Night" was about to be cancelled for lack of funding. Consulting with the members of his church in Western Springs, Graham decided to take over Johnson's program with financial support from his parishioners. Launching the new and revitalized radio program on [[January 2]] [[1944]], still called "Songs in the Night," Graham recruited the [[baritone]] [[George Beverly Shea]] as his director of radio ministry. While the radio ministry continued for many years, Graham decided to move on in early 1945. He served as president of [[Northwestern College (Minnesota)|Northwestern College]] in [[Minnesota]] in 1948, and at age 30 was (and still is) the youngest person to serve as a sitting college president.
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| − | Initially, Graham intended to become a [[chaplain]] in the armed forces, but shortly after applying for a commission he came down with a severe case of [[mumps]] that ended that plan. After a period of recuperation in [[Florida]], Graham went on to co-found [[Youth for Christ]] with evangelist [[Charles Templeton]]. He traveled throughout the [[United States]] and [[Europe]] as an evangelist. Unlike many evangelists then and now, Graham had little formal theological training; he turned down offers to attend [[Princeton Theological Seminary]].<ref name="time1993"/>
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| − | ====Hearst intervention====
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| − | Graham scheduled a series of [[revival meeting]]s in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in 1949. He erected a series of [[circus]] tents in a parking lot.<ref name="cincinnati post"/> The missions went on for eight weeks after being originally scheduled for only three weeks. The Los Angeles revival is considered to be the time when Graham became a national religious figure.<ref name="time100">http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/graham01.html ''Time'', ''Billy Graham'', June 14, 1999</ref>
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| − | This is because Graham received assistance from powerful news mogul [[William Randolph Hearst]], whose interest in Graham is a mystery; the two never met.<ref name="worldscollide">{{cite news |title= When worlds collide: politics, religion, and media at the 1970 East Tennessee Billy Graham Crusade. (appearance by President Richard M. Nixon) |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19592304.html|publisher=''Journal of Church and State'' |date=[[March 22]], [[1997]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> Most observers believe that Hearst appreciated Graham's patriotism, appeals to youth, and thought that Graham would be helpful in promoting his conservative anti-communist views.<ref>"In 1949, for example, [[William Randolph Hearst]], head of one large publishing empire, and Henry Luce, chief of another, Time, Inc., were both worried about communism and the growth of liberalism in the United States." "Billy Graham, an obscure evangelist holding poorly attended tent meetings in Los Angeles. (...) Hearst and Luce interviewed the obscure preacher and decided he was worthy of their support. Billy Graham became an almost instantaneous national and, later, international figure preaching anticommunism. In late 1949, Hearst sent a telegram to all Hearst editors: "Puff Graham." The editors did - in Hearst newspapers, magazines, movies, and newsreels. Within two months Graham was preaching to crowds of 350,000." (from Ben Bagdikian, ''The Media Monopoly'', Boston, Mass Usa: Beacon Press, 2000 6th ed., p. 39 ff)</ref><ref name="worldscollide"/> Hearst sent a [[telegram]] to his newspaper editors reading "Puff Graham" during Billy Graham's late 1949 Los Angeles crusade.<ref name="time1993"/>[http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Qf5Yonhr5CsJ:www.dupageheritage.org/yps/graham.html+%22puff+graham%22&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=23] The result of the increased media exposure from Hearst's newspaper chain and national magazines<ref name="worldscollide"/> caused the crusade event to run for eight weeks—five weeks longer than planned. [[Henry Luce]] put him on the cover of ''[[TIME]]'' in 1954.
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| − | At the Los Angeles revival, a fellow evangelist accused Graham of setting religion back 100 years. Graham replied, "I did indeed want to set religion back, not just 100 years but 1,900 years, to the [[Book of Acts]], when first century followers of [[Christ]] were accused of turning the [[Roman Empire]] upside down."<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | ===Middle years===
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| − | Graham was offered a five-year, $5 million contract from [[NBC]] to appear on television opposite [[Arthur Godfrey]], but he turned it down in favor of continuing his touring revivals.<ref name="satevepost"/> Graham had missions in [[London]] which lasted 12 weeks and a [[New York City]] mission in [[Madison Square Garden]] in 1957 which ran nightly for 16 weeks. He also led his first crusade in [[Australia]] in 1959.
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| − | Graham served as the president of Northwestern College in Minnesota from 1948 to 1952. He founded the [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]] in 1950, headquartered in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]. The association later relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. BGEA Ministries have included:
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| − | *''[[Hour of Decision]]'', a weekly radio program broadcast around the world for over 50 years
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| − | *Mission television specials which are regularly broadcast in prime time in almost every market in the U.S. and Canada
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| − | *A newspaper column, ''My Answer'', carried by [[newspaper]]s across the United States
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| − | *''Decision'' magazine, the official publication of the Association
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| − | *Founded ''[[Christianity Today]]'' in 1956 with [[Carl F. H. Henry]] as its first editor
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| − | *[http://www.passageway.org Passageway.org], the teen website of the BGEA
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| − | *[[World Wide Pictures]], which has produced and distributed over 130 productions
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| − | He opposed [[Racial segregation|segregation]] during the 1960s and refused to speak to segregated auditoriums, once dramatically tearing down the ropes that organizers had erected to separate the audience.<ref name="nytimes03172002">''New York Times'', ''Billy Graham Responds to Lingering Anger Over 1972 Remarks on Jews'', 17 March, 2002</ref><ref name="baptisthistory"/> Graham said, "There is no scriptural basis for segregation. ... The ground at the foot of the cross is level, and it touches my heart when I see whites standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks at the cross."<ref name="baptisthistory"/> Graham paid bail money to secure the release of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], from jail during the 1960s [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)|civil rights struggle]]; he invited King to join him in the pulpit at his 16-week revival in New York City in 1957.<ref name="nytimes03172002"/> During that 16-week stint, Graham was heard by 2.3 million listeners, who gathered to hear him at [[Madison Square Garden]], [[Yankee Stadium]] and [[Times Square]].<ref name="cincinnati post"/> King and Graham became friends, with Graham becoming one of the few whites to call King by his birth name "Mike."{{Fact|date=September 2007}}<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | ===Later years===
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| − | During the [[Cold War]], Graham became the first evangelist of note to speak behind the [[Iron Curtain]], addressing large crowds in countries throughout [[Eastern Europe]] and in the [[Soviet Union]], calling for [[peace]]<ref> http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1627139,00.html, Duffy, Michael and Gibbs, Nancy. TIME. <i>Billy Graham: A Spiritual Gift to All</i>, 2007-31-05. Retrieved on 2007-24-11.</ref> . During the [[Apartheid]] era, Graham consistently refused to visit [[South Africa]] until its government finally allowed attending audiences to sit desegregated. His first crusade there was in 1973, during which he openly denounced apartheid.
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| − | At one revival in [[Seoul, South Korea]], Graham attracted an audience of one million to a single service.<ref name="satevepost"/> He appeared in China in 1988—for Ruth, this was a homecoming since she had been born in China to missionary parents. He appeared in [[North Korea]] in 1992.<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | On September 14, 2001, in the aftermath of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Dr. Graham led a prayer and remembrance service at [[Washington National Cathedral]] attended by President [[George Walker Bush|George W. Bush]] and past and present leaders. He similarly spoke at the memorial service following the [[Oklahoma City bombing]] in 1995.<ref name="baptisthistory"/> On [[June 24]] [[2005]], Billy Graham began what he has said would be his last North American crusade, at [[Flushing Meadows Park]] in New York City. But on the weekend of [[March 11]]–[[March 12]], [[2006]] Billy Graham held the "Festival of Hope" with his son, Franklin Graham. The festival was held in [[New Orleans]], which was recovering from [[Hurricane Katrina]].
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| − | Graham said that his planned retirement was because of his failing health. He has suffered from [[Parkinson's disease]] for about 15 years, has had fluid on the [[brain]], [[pneumonia]], broken hips, and it has been recently revealed that he is suffering from [[prostate cancer]]. In August 2005, a frail Graham appeared at the groundbreaking for his library in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then 86, the Rev. Graham used a walker to get around during the ceremony. On [[July 9]], [[2006]], Graham spoke at the Metro Maryland Franklin Graham Festival, held in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], at [[Oriole Park at Camden Yards]].
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| − | On August 18, 2007, Graham, 88, was in fair condition in Mission Health & Hospitals in [[Asheville, North Carolina]], after treatment for intestinal bleeding, but his condition was not life-threatening.<ref name="ABC12.com"> http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=nation_world&id=5582690 ''ABC12.com'', ''Evangelist Billy Graham hospitalized'', 19 August, 2007</ref>
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| − | Billy Graham has preached Christianity to live audiences of nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories through various meetings including [[Mission World]] and [[Global Mission]]. Graham has also reached hundreds of millions more through television, video, film, and webcasts.<ref>http://www.billygraham.org/mediaRelations/bios.asp?p=1 Billy Graham Bio</ref>
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| − | {| class="videos" style="width: 20em; float:right; font-size:95%" cellspacing="4"
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| − | !<big>'''Billy Graham - Crusade in Pittsburgh, 1993!'''</big>
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| − | </YouTube>
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| − | Related Videos
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| − | [http://youtube.com/watch?v=wTEbE2tj8Go&rel=1&feature=related related videos]
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| − | ===Crusades===
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| − | Billy Graham has conducted over 41 [[Revival meeting|evangelistic crusades]] since 1948. He began this form of ministry in 1947 and continued until recently. He would rent a large venue, such as a stadium, park, or street. He had a group of up to 5,000 people to sing in a choir and then preached the [[gospel]] and invited people to come forward. These people, called inquirers, were then given the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a counselor who clarified any questions the inquirer may have had and would pray with that person. The inquirers were often given some resources such as a [[Gospel of John]] or [[Bible]] study booklet. In [[Moscow]] in 1992, one-fourth of the 155,000 in his audience came forward upon his request.<ref name="time1993"/>
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| − | ==Politics==
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| − | Politically, Graham has been a registered member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and leaned [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] during the presidency of his friend [[Richard Nixon]].<ref name="worldscollide"/> He has not completely allied himself with the [[religious right]], saying that Jesus did not have a political party.<ref name="time1993"/> He does not openly endorse political candidates, but he has given his support to some over the years.<ref name="worldscollide"/>
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| − | He refused to join [[Jerry Falwell]]'s [[Moral Majority]] in 1979, saying: "I'm for morality, but morality goes beyond sex to human freedom and social justice. We as clergy know so very little to speak with authority on the [[Panama Canal]] or superiority of armaments. Evangelists cannot be closely identified with any particular party or person. We have to stand in the middle in order to preach to all people, right and left. I haven't been faithful to my own advice in the past. I will be in the future."<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | According to a 2006 ''[[Newsweek]]'' interview, "For Graham, politics is a secondary to the Gospel... When ''Newsweek'' asked Graham whether ministers — whether they think of themselves as evangelists, pastors or a bit of both — should spend time engaged with politics, he replied: 'You know, I think in a way that has to be up to the individual as he feels led of the Lord. A lot of things that I commented on years ago would not have been of the Lord, I'm sure, but I think you have some—like communism, or segregation, on which I think you have a responsibility to speak out.'"{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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| − | ===Pastor to Presidents===
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| − | Graham has had a personal audience with every sitting [[President of the United States|United States President]] since [[Harry Truman]].<ref name="worldscollide"/> He visited in the [[Oval Office]] with Truman in 1950, urging Truman to counter [[communism]] in North Korea. However, Graham and his accompanying pastors were not aware of Washington protocol; they appeased the press corps waiting outside with details of the visit, with the three pastors even acquiescing to the calls of the press to kneel on the [[White House]] lawn, as if praying.<ref name="worldscollide"/> This led to Truman calling Graham a "counterfeit" publicity seeker, and Truman did not speak to Graham for years afterward.<ref name="time1993"/><ref name="worldscollide"/> Graham has often told the story, usually as a warning that he would not reveal his conversations with world leaders.<ref name="worldscollide"/> Graham became a regular in the Oval Office during the tenure of [[Dwight Eisenhower]], who he urged to intervene with federal troops in the case of the [[Little Rock Nine]],<ref name="time1993"/> and it was at that time, on a Washington [[golf course]], that he met and became close friends with Vice-President [[Richard Nixon]].<ref name="worldscollide"/> Eisenhower asked to see Graham on his deathbed.<ref name="washpost1991">{{cite news |title= The President Preacher; In Crisis, White House Turns to Billy Graham |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1044879.html|publisher=''The Washington Post'' |date=[[January 18]], [[1991]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> Graham also counseled [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Bill Clinton]], and the [[Bush family]].<ref name="time100"/>
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| − | The single notable exception among modern presidents is [[John F. Kennedy]], with whom Graham golfed; but Kennedy was [[Roman Catholic]];<ref name="martinbiopost">{{cite news |title= The Essence of Billy Graham; A Warm but Honest Biography of the Evangelist |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1091805.html|publisher=''The Washington Post'' |date=[[October 25]], [[1991]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> Graham enjoyed a friendship with Nixon and prominently supported him over Kennedy in the [[United States presidential election, 1960|1960 presidential election]].<ref name="time1993"/> Nixon wrote to Graham after that election: "I have often told friends that when you went into the ministry, politics lost one of its potentially greatest practitioners."<ref name="time1993"/> Graham spent the last night of Johnson's presidency in the White House, and he stayed for the first night of Nixon's.<ref name="washpost1991"/>
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| − | After Nixon's victorious [[United States presidential election, 1968|1968 presidential campaign]], Graham was an adviser, visiting the White House and leading some of the private church services that the President organized there.<ref name="worldscollide"/> Nixon offered Graham the ambassadorship to [[Israel]] in a meeting they had with [[Golda Meir]], but Graham turned down Nixon's offer.<ref name="time1993"/> Nixon appeared at one of Graham's revivals in [[East Tennessee]] in 1970; the event drew one of the largest crowds to ever gather in Tennessee.<ref name="worldscollide"/> Nixon became the first President to give a speech from an evangelist's platform.<ref name="worldscollide"/> However, their friendship became strained when Graham rebuked Nixon for his post-[[Watergate scandal|Watergate]] behavior and the profanity heard on the [[Watergate tapes]]; they eventually reconciled after Nixon's resignation.<ref name="worldscollide"/> Graham announced at that time, "I'm out of politics."<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | After a special law was passed on his behalf, Graham was allowed to conduct the first religious service on the steps of the [[United States Capitol|Capitol building]] in 1952.<ref name="time1993"/> When Graham was hospitalized briefly in 1976, three Presidents called in one day to wish him well: former President Nixon, current President Ford and President-Elect Carter.<ref name="washpost1991"/>
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| − | He was one of Reagan's personal guests at his inauguration and gave the benediction at [[George H.W. Bush]]'s inauguration.<ref name="washpost1991"/> He stayed at the White House the night before George H.W. Bush (who called Graham "America's Pastor") launched the [[Persian Gulf War]].<ref name="time100"/> Two days before the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]], Graham spoke at a prayer breakfast in Florida with George W. Bush in attendance but did not officially endorse him.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} At a New York revival in 2005, Bill Clinton recalled how he had attended Graham's revival as a boy in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], in 1959.<ref name="baptisthistory"/>
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| − | Graham has also spoken at one presidential funeral and one presidential burial. Graham presided over the graveside services for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973 and took part in eulogizing the former President with former [[Texas]] Democratic Governor [[John Connally]], an LBJ protégé and fellow [[Texas|Texan]] who was wounded in the [[John F. Kennedy Assassination|assassination]] that made LBJ president. Graham also spoke at Connally's funeral and the funeral of former First Lady [[Pat Nixon]] within one week of each other in June 1993.<ref name="time1993"/> He also spoke at the funeral of Richard Nixon in 1994. Graham was unable to officiate the [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|state funeral of Ronald Reagan]] on [[June 11]], [[2004]], because of recent double [[hip replacement]] surgery, which former President George H.W. Bush acknowledged during his eulogy. Graham had been Reagan's first choice. Because Graham was hospitalized, Rev. [[John Danforth]], a [[Missouri]] Republican Senator during Reagan's tenure, officiated the funeral. Failing health prevented Rev. Graham from officiating at the [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford]] in [[Washington D.C.]], on [[January 2]], [[2007]], as well as the funeral of former First Lady [[Lady Bird Johnson]] in July 2007.
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| − | ===Foreign policy views===
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| − | Graham has been outspoken against communism and supportive of U.S. [[Cold War]] policy, including the [[Vietnam War]]. However, in a 1999 speech, Graham discussed his relationship with the late North Korean dictator [[Kim Il Sung]], praising him as a "different kind of communist" and "one of the great fighters for freedom in his country against the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]]." Graham went on to note that although he had never met Kim's son and current North Korean [[dictator]] [[Kim Jong Il]], he had "exchanged gifts with him."<ref>http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2553945.ece Independent Article, '' Preacher power: America's God squad'', 25 July, 2007</ref> Graham has given a globe surmounted with doves to the North Korean Friendship Museum.
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| − | ===Graham about peace and the war in Iraq===
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| − | :"During a March 12th, 1991 CBS broadcast of Billy Graham's Long Island, New York crusade, Graham said in reference to the war, "As our President, President Bush, has said, it is not the people of Iraq we are at war with. It is some of the people in that regime. Pray for peace in the middle east, a just peace."
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| − | <ref>[http://procinwarn.com/billy.htm Quotation of section]</ref>
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| − | :"In a speech January 16, 1991, Billy Graham declared: "There come times when we have to fight for peace." He went on to say that out of the present war in the Gulf may "come a new peace and, as suggested by the President, a new world order."" (March 1991 CIB Bulletin)"
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| − | <ref>[given source: March 1991 CIB Bulletin]</ref>
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| − | ==Selection of burial site==
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| − | Until releasing a June 13, 2007 press release saying he and his wife would be buried alongside each
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| − | other at the Billy Graham Library in his hometown of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], there had been controversy over where the burial place would be. Graham's younger son Ned had argued with older son Franklin about whether burial at a library was appropriate. Ruth Graham had said she did not want to be buried in Charlotte but in the mountains near [[Asheville, North Carolina]], where she had lived for many years; Ned supported his mother's choice.<ref name="washpostburial">{{cite news |title= A Family at Cross-Purposes |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201338.html|publisher=''Washington Post'' |date=[[December 13]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> Novelist [[Patricia Cornwell]], a family friend, also opposed burial at the library, calling it a tourist attraction. Franklin wanted his parents to be buried at the library site.<ref name="washpostburial"/>
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| − | ==Controversy==
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| − | In 1994, [[H.R. Haldeman]]'s diaries revealed that Graham had taken part in conversations speaking of "[[Jew]]ish domination of the media." The allegations were so at odds with Graham's public image that most did not believe his account, and Jewish groups paid little attention. Graham released a statement denying that he talked "publicly or privately about the Jewish people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in the most positive terms." He said, "Those are not my words."<ref name="nytimes03172002"/>
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| − | In 2002, however, newly declassified "Richard Nixon tapes" confirmed remarks made by Graham to President Nixon three decades earlier. Captured on the tapes, Graham agreed with Nixon that Jews control the [[American media]], calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with Nixon.<ref name="bbcregret">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1850077.stm BBC, ''Graham Regrets Jewish Slur'', 2 March, 2002</ref> "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain,"<ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2063030/ Slate Article by David Greenberg, Assistant Professor
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| − | Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University</ref> said Graham, agreeing with Nixon's comments about Jews and their influence in American life. Later, Graham mentions that he has friends in the media who are Jewish, including [[A.M. Rosenthal]], saying they "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he tells Nixon, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."<ref name="bbcregret"/> These remarks were highly controversial to some Jewish leaders that characterized them as [[antisemitic]], such as [[Abraham Foxman]].<ref name="nytimes03172002"/>
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| − | When the tapes were released, Graham apologized for his remarks, stating that "although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently made ... They do not reflect my views, and I sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks,"<ref>http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=32770 Eric J Greenberg, United Jewish Communities</ref> and "If it wasn't on tape, I would not have believed it. I guess I was trying to please... I went to a meeting with Jewish leaders and I told them I would crawl to them to ask their forgiveness."<ref name="newsweek1">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14204483/site/newsweek/page/5/ ''Newsweek'', ''Pilgrim's Progress'', page 5 </ref> According to ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine, "the shock of the revelation was magnified because of Graham's longtime support of [[Israel]] and his refusal to join in calls for the conversion of the Jews."<ref name="newsweek1"/>
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| − | ===Other issues===
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| − | *[[Malcolm Boyd]] expressed dismay at Graham's silence and alleged hypocrisy involving the [[Vietnam War]] and [[Watergate]] scandal. In his essay "Superchrist of a Superstate," Boyd states: "[Graham] must surely be considered a religious leader, but it is a serious question now to what extent he has compromised his position as a moral leader."
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| − | *Graham has received some criticism from leaders of The [[Southern Baptist Convention]] on his view of baptism. He has mostly supported a [[believers baptism]] view; however he has said in interviews that [[infant baptism]] is also an acceptable and historic practice. All of Graham's children were baptized as infants.
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| − | *Graham has been careful to receive reasonable compensation far below what other television evangelists would later receive. Graham, along with his associates that he called the "Team," created in 1948 what one of them called, "The Modesto Manifesto," because they produced it in [[Modesto]], [[California]]. They decided among themselves to avoid certain problems that gave evangelists a bad name. The first item on the list was a matter of money, to which Graham was sensitive, because of the practices of some unscrupulous evangelists. (The "manifesto" proceeded to note the dangers of sexual immorality, criticism of local churches, and exaggerated publicity.).<ref>[http://wallwatchers.org/mw2.1/F_SumRpt.asp?EIN=410692230 MinistryWatch Summary Report<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://reference.aol.com/history/biography/_a/billy-graham/20050413141109990014 Billy Graham - AOL Research & Learn<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The official biography of Graham is John C. Pollock's ''Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography'' (1966). Other helpful biographical studies include William G. McLoughlin's ''Billy Graham: Revivalist in a Secular Age'' (1960), Curtis Mitchell's ''Billy Graham: The Making of a Crusader'' (1966), ''The Reader's Companion to American History'' (1997), Gospel Communications Network (GCN), ''Time Daily'' (Nov. 95), and ''People'' (1997).<ref>[http://reference.aol.com/history/biography/_a/billy-graham/20050413141109990014 Billy Graham - AOL Research & Learn<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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| − | *In 1993, Graham said in [[Columbus, Ohio]], "Is [[AIDS]] a judgment of God? I could not say for sure, but I think so." After seeing letters criticizing that comment, Graham later said, "I remember saying it, and I immediately regretted it and almost went back and clarified the statement," and "To say God has judged people with AIDS would be very wrong and very cruel."[http://www.aegis.com/news/ads/1993/AD931840.html][http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=1818]
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| − | *Graham would not allow himself to be seen or photographed in public with his daughters or any other women without his wife, Ruth, present. He did not want to give any sort of impression of [[adultery|marital infidelity]].{{Fact|date=April 2007}} When then-First Lady of [[Arkansas]] [[Hillary Clinton]] invited him to lunch as he arrived in Little Rock for a crusade in 1989, Graham declined and said, "<ref name="time1993"/> "I don't eat with beautiful women alone" and met her in a hotel dining room instead.<ref name="time1993"/>
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| − | *Graham once said, "I fully adhere to the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith for myself... but as an American, I respect other paths to God." His refusal to proselytize to Jews, in particular, differed from the Southern Baptist Convention.<ref name="nytimes03172002"/> This was controversial since some Christians equated respecting with believing{{Fact|date=December 2007}}, inferring that he thought there were other ways to God than through [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]].
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| − | ==Awards and honors==
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| − | Graham has continually received many honors in surveys, including "Greatest Living American" and consistently ranking among the top admired people in America and the world.<ref name="satevepost"/> Between 1950 and 1990, he appeared on Gallup's list of most admired people more than anyone else.<ref name="century">{{cite news |title= The Billy pulpit: Graham's career in the mainline. |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-111114181.html|publisher=''Christian Century'' |date=[[November 15]], [[2003]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> The [[United States Postal Service]] has said that Graham is one of the few Americans, along with the current President, who will be delivered mail that simply reads his name and the country: "Billy Graham, America."<ref name="century"/>
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| − | He has received the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] from the [[United States Congress]] and the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] from Reagan, America's highest civilian honors.<ref name="century"/> The Congressional Gold Medal was given to him in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Building in 1996, presented by President [[Bill Clinton]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]] Majority Leader [[Bob Dole]].<ref name="goldmedal">{{cite news |title= Billy and Ruth Graham awarded Congressional Gold Medal for service. |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18252882.html|publisher=''Knight-Ridder News Service'' |date=[[May 2]], [[1996]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref> In December 2001, he was presented with an honorary knighthood, [[Order of the British Empire|Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (KBE), for his international contributions to civic and religious life over 60 years.
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| − | In 1971, Graham's hometown of Charlotte held "Billy Graham Day," at which President Nixon made an appearance.<ref name="worldscollide"/> On [[May 30]], [[1999]], Graham was invited to give the pre-race invocation at the [[Indianapolis 500]]. On [[May 31]], [[2007]], the $27 million [[Billy Graham Library]] was officially dedicated in Charlotte. Graham was present along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.<ref>[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4664743.html]</ref><ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3231108 ABC News: 3 Ex-Presidents Open Graham Library<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A highway in Charlotte also bears Graham's name.<ref name="washpostburial"/> In addition, in 1986, Graham was given North Carolina's highest honor, the [[North Carolina Award]], for public service.<ref name="ncaward">{{cite news |title= A MAN IN FULL; EVEN THOSE FAMILIAR WITH BILLY GRAHAM'S LIFE, EXHIBIT MAY OFFER REVELATIONS.(LIFE) |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-80571622.html|publisher=''News and Record, Piedmont Triad, North Carolina'' |date=[[June 3]], [[2001]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 }}</ref>
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| − | In 2000, Former [[First Ladies of the United States|First Lady]] [[Nancy Reagan]] presented the [[Ronald Reagan Freedom Award]] to Rev. Graham. Graham has been a friend of the Reagans for years.<ref>[http://www.reaganfoundation.org/programs/cpa/awards.asp Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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| − | He has received the Big Brother of the Year Award for his work on behalf of the welfare of children. He has been cited by the [[George Washington Carver]] Memorial Institute for his contributions to race relations. He has received the [[Templeton Prize|Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion]] and the [[Sylvanus Thayer Award]] for his commitment to "Duty, Honor, Country." The "Billy Graham Children's Health Center" in Asheville is named after and funded by Graham.<ref name="goldmedal"/>
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| − | In 1971, he received an award from the [[National Conference of Christians and Jews]]; after the Nixon tapes appeared, Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League called for Graham to return the award.<ref name="nytimes03172002"/> He was honored by the [[American Jewish Committee]] with its National Interreligious Award for his efforts on behalf of Jewish-Christian relations; the committee called him one of the century's greatest Christian friends of Jews.<ref name="nytimes03172002"/>
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| − | For providing a platform during his events for many [[Christian music]]al artists, Graham was inducted into the [[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]] in 1999 by the [[Gospel Music Association]]. A professorial chair is named after him at the Southern Baptist [[Samford University]], the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth.<ref name="nytimes03172002"/> His alma mater Wheaton College hosts his papers at the Billy Graham Center.<ref name="cincinnati post"/> [[The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]] has the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth. Graham has received 20 honorary degrees and refused at least that many more.<ref name="satevepost"/>
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| − | In 1990, the band [[The Swirling Eddies]] gave homage to Graham with its song "Billy Graham" on the album ''[[Outdoor Elvis]]''.
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| − | ==Footnotes==
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − | ==References==
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| − | * [http://www.billygraham.org/ Billy Graham Evangelical Association]
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| − | * [http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/graham_billy.html Biofile: Billy Graham, a biography page]
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| − | * [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/3367.htm Financial summary of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]
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| − | * [http://www.prettygoodnews.com/form_990/hagee_spreadsheet.pdf Executive salaries, Christian ministries]
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | {{sisterlinks|Billy Graham}}
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| − | * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1850077.stm Anti-Semitic charges]
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| − | * [http://www.bgtc.info/ Billy Graham Training Center]
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| − | * [http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/exhibits/NYC57/088.ram Streaming video clip from 1957 event in Times Square]
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| − | * [http://www.demossnewspond.com/bgea/index.htm Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Newsroom]
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| − | * [http://www.indypendent.org/?p=298/ New York journalist goes to Graham's crusade and the gay pride march]
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| − | * [http://www.martygrant.com/gen/graham/graham-billy.htm Rev. Billy Graham Genealogy (NC & SC)]
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| − | * [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sow0gfXXHGY Billy Graham - What's Going on?! A documentary of him on YouTube]
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| | ==Links== | | ==Links== |
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| | [[Category:Famous Christians]] | | [[Category:Famous Christians]] |
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| − | ''Modified after Wikipedia's article''
| + | {{stub}} |
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | [[Billy Graham Crusades]]
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