Billy graham biography born again pdf

American evangelist (1918–2018)

For other people with similar names, look Bill Graham.

William Printer Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist revivalist, and civil rights advocate,^[1][2] whose broadcasts and world touring featuring live sermons became well known in the mid- to late 20th century. Throughout his career, spanning ornament six decades, Graham rose to prominence as an evangelistic Christian figure in the United States and abroad.

According to a biographer, Graham was considered "among the nigh influential Christian leaders" of the 20th century.^[3] Beginning con the late 1940s and early 1950s, Graham became read out for filling stadiums and other massive venues around influence world where he preached live sermons; these were over and over again broadcast via radio and television with some continuing repeat be seen into the 21st century.^[4] During his offend decades on television, Graham hosted his annual "crusades", enthusiastic live-campaigns, from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. Significant also hosted the radio show Hour of Decision let alone 1950 to 1954. He openly repudiated racial segregation,^[5] level a time of intense racial strife in the Collective States, insisting on racial integration for all of rule revivals and crusades, as early as 1953. He as well later invited Martin Luther King Jr. to preach pointer at a revival in New York City in 1957. In addition to his religious aims, he helped athletic the worldview of a huge number of people who came from different backgrounds, leading them to find tidy relationship between the Bible and contemporary secular viewpoints. According to his website, Graham spoke to live audiences consisting of at least 210 million people, in more pat 185 countries and territories, through various meetings, including BMS World Mission and Global Mission event.^[6]

Graham was close be US presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson (one of his closest friends), and Richard Nixon.^[8] He was also lifelong friends with Robert Schuller, another televangelist extract the founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, whom Evangelist talked into starting his own television ministry.^[9] Graham's evangelism was appreciated by mainline Protestant denominations, as he pleased mainline Protestants, who were converted to his evangelical sign, to remain within or return to their mainline churches.^[10][11] Despite early suspicions and apprehension on his part consider Catholicism—common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants—Graham eventually developed amicable whereabouts with many American Catholic Church figures, later encouraging union between Catholics and Protestants.^[12]

Graham operated a variety of public relations and publishing outlets;^[13] according to his staff, more surpass 3.2 million people have responded to the invitation at Baste Graham Crusades to "accept Jesus Christ as their identifiable savior". Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, likely surpassed billions of people.^[14] As a result incessantly his crusades, Graham preached the gospel to more ancestors, live and in-person, than anyone in the history familiar Christianity.^[13] Graham was on Gallup's list of most pet men and women a record-61 times.^[15]Grant Wacker wrote make certain, by the mid-1960s, he had become the "Great Legitimator", saying: "By then his presence conferred status on presidents, acceptability on wars, shame on racial prejudice, desirability digression decency, dishonor on indecency, and prestige on civic events."

Early life

William Franklin Graham Jr. was born on November 7, 1918, in the downstairs bedroom of a farmhouse at hand Charlotte, North Carolina.^[17] Of Scots-Irish descent, he was excellence eldest of four children born to Morrow (née Coffey) and dairy farmer William Franklin Graham Sr.^[17] Graham was raised on the family dairy farm with his bend in half younger sisters Catherine Morrow and Jean and younger kinsman Melvin Thomas.^[18] When he was nine years old, probity family moved about 75 yards (69 m) from their creamy frame house to a newly built red brick house.^[19][17] He was raised by his parents in the Partner Reformed Presbyterian Church.^[17][20] Graham attended the Sharon Grammar School.^[21] He started to read books from an early length of existence and loved to read novels for boys, especially Tarzan.^[17] Like Tarzan, he would hang on the trees forward gave the popular Tarzan yell. According to his dad, that yelling led him to become a minister.^[22] Gospeller was 15 when Prohibition ended in December 1933, captain his father forced him and his sister Catherine relate to drink beer until they became sick. This created much an aversion that the two siblings avoided alcohol viewpoint drugs for the rest of their lives.^[23]

Graham was amoral down for membership in a local youth group take care of being "too worldly".^[23] Albert McMakin, who worked on significance Graham farm, persuaded him to go see evangelist Mordecai Ham.^[13] According to his autobiography, Graham was 16 while in the manner tha he was converted during a series of revival meetings that Ham led in Charlotte in 1934.^[24][25]

After graduating get out of Sharon High School in May 1936, Graham attended Bobfloat Jones College. After one semester, he found that justness coursework and rules were too legalistic.^[23] He was supposedly apparent expelled, but Bob Jones Sr. warned him not stick at throw his life away: "At best, all you could amount to would be a poor country Baptist cleric somewhere out in the sticks... You have a tone that pulls. God can use that voice of yours. He can use it mightily."^[23]

In 1937, Graham transferred return to the Florida Bible Institute in Temple Terrace, Florida.^[26] From the past still a student, Graham preached his first sermon monkey Bostwick Baptist Church near Palatka, Florida.^[27] In his recollections, Graham wrote of receiving his calling on the Ordinal green of the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Truncheon, which was adjacent to the institute's campus. Reverend Trounce band Graham Memorial Park was later established on the Hillsborough River, directly east of the 18th green and strike from where Graham often paddled a canoe to spruce up small island in the river, where he would look for preaching to the birds, alligators, and cypress stumps. Lead to 1939, Graham was ordained by a group of Austral Baptist clergy at Peniel Baptist Church in Palatka, Florida.^[28][29] In 1940, he graduated with a Bachelor of Study degree.^[30][31]

Graham then enrolled in Wheaton College in Wheaton, Algonquian. During his time there, he decided to accept magnanimity Bible as the infallible word of God. Henrietta Mears of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood in Calif. was instrumental in helping Graham wrestle with the outgoing. He settled it at Forest Home Christian Camp (now called Forest Home Ministries) southeast of the Big Income Lake area in southern California.^[32][33] While attending Wheaton, Dancer was invited to preach one Sunday in 1941 dispute the United Gospel Tabernacle church. After that, the fold repeatedly asked Graham to preach at their church impressive later asked him to become the pastor of their church. After Graham prayed and sought advice from government friend Dr. Edman, Graham become their church's pastor.^[34]

In June 1943, Graham graduated from Wheaton College^[35] with a order in anthropology.^[36] That same year, Robert Van Kampen, clerk of the National Gideon Association, invited Graham to evangelize at Western Springs Baptist Church, and Graham accepted rectitude opportunity on the spot. While there, his friend Torrey Johnson, pastor of the Midwest Bible Church in City, told Graham that his radio program, Songs in depiction Night, was about to be canceled due to deficit of funding. Consulting with the members of his sanctuary in Western Springs, Graham decided to take over Johnson's program with financial support from his congregation. Launching blue blood the gentry new radio program on January 2, 1944, still cryed Songs in the Night, Graham recruited the bass-baritoneGeorge Beverly Shea as his director of radio ministry.

In 1948, in a Modesto, California hotel room, Graham and jurisdiction evangelistic team established the Modesto Manifesto: a code reminisce ethics for life and work to protect against accusations of financial, sexual, and power abuse.^[37] The code includes rules for collecting offerings in churches, working only farm churches supportive of cooperative evangelism, using official crowd estimates at outdoor events, and a commitment to never suit alone with a woman other than his wife (which become known as the "Billy Graham rule").^[38][39]

Graham was 29 when he became president of Northwestern Bible College link with Minneapolis in 1948. He was the youngest president conduct operations a college or university in the country, and taken aloof the position for four years before he resigned play a part 1952. Graham initially intended to become a chaplain atmosphere the Armed Forces, but he contracted mumps shortly sustenance applying for a commission. After a period of recovery in Florida, he was hired as the first full-time evangelist of the new Youth for Christ (YFC), co-founded by Torrey Johnson and the Canadian evangelist Charles Templeton. Graham traveled throughout both the United States and Accumulation as a YFCI evangelist. Templeton applied to Princeton Doctrinal Seminary for an advanced theological degree and urged Revivalist to do so as well, but he declined whereas he was already serving as the president of Northwest Bible College.^[41]

Crusades

Main article: List of Billy Graham's crusades

The good cheer Billy Graham Crusade was held on September 13–21, 1947, at the Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, Michigan, spreadsheet was attended by 6,000 people.^[42] Graham was 28 period old then, and would rent a large venue (such as a stadium, park, or even a street); though the crowds became larger, he arranged for a power of up to 5,000 people to sing in put in order choir. He would preach the gospel and invite near to come forward (a practice begun by Dwight Fame. Moody); such people were called "inquirers" and were obtain the chance to speak one-on-one with a counselor backing clarify questions and pray together. The inquirers were generally given a copy of the Gospel of John exalt a Bible study booklet.

In 1949, Graham scheduled far-out series of revival meetings in Los Angeles, for which he erected circus tents in a parking lot.^[13][43] Operate attracted national media coverage, especially in the conservative Publisher chain of newspapers, although Hearst and Graham never met.^[44] The crusade event ran for eight weeks–five weeks person than originally planned. Graham became a national figure, gather heavy coverage from the wire services and national magazines.^[45] Pianist Rudy Atwood, who played for the tent meetings, wrote that they "rocketed Billy Graham into national distention, and resulted in the conversion of a number sustenance show-business personalities".^[46]

In 1953, Graham was offered a five-year, $1 million contract from NBC to appear on television opposite President Godfrey, but he had prior commitments and turned-down representation offer to continue his live touring revivals.^[47] Graham retained crusades in London that lasted 12 weeks, and out New York City crusade at Madison Square Garden, rotation 1957, ran nightly for 16 weeks. At a 1973 rally, attended by 100,000 people, in Durban, South Africa—the first large mixed-race event in apartheid South Africa—Graham boldly declared that "apartheid is a sin".^[48][49] In Moscow, State, in 1992, one-quarter of the 155,000 people in Graham's audience went-forward at his call.^[23] During his crusades, soil frequently used the altar call song, "Just As Uncontrolled Am".^[50] In 1995, during the Global Mission event, fiasco preached a sermon at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that was transmitted by satellite equal 185 countries and translated into 116 languages.^[51]

By the day of his last crusade in 2005 in New Dynasty City, he had preached 417 live crusades, including 226 in the US and 195 abroad.^[52][53][54]

Student ministry

Graham spoke speak angrily to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Urbana Student Missions Conference at minimum nine times – in 1948, 1957, 1961, 1964, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1984, and 1987.^[55]

At each Urbana conference, flair challenged the thousands of attendees to make a loyalty to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives. He often quoted a six-word phrase that was reportedly written in the Bible of William Whiting Borden, the son of a wealthy silver magnate: "No material comfort, no retreat, no regrets".^[56] Borden had died in Empire on his way to the mission field.^[57]

Graham also restricted evangelistic meetings on a number of college campuses: weightiness the University of Minnesota during InterVarsity's "Year of Evangelism" in 1950–51, a 4-day mission at Yale University giving 1957, and a week-long series of meetings at goodness University of North Carolina's Carmichael Auditorium in September 1982.^[58]

In 1955, he was invited by Cambridge University students resist lead the mission at the university; the mission was arranged by the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, with Writer pastor-theologian John Stott serving as Graham's chief assistant. That invitation was greeted with much disapproval in the mail columns of The Times.^[59]

Evangelistic association

In 1950, Graham founded greatness Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) with its headquarters meet Minneapolis. The association relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, scuttle 2003,^[60] and maintains a number of international offices, specified as in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Buenos Aires.^[48] BGEA ministries have included:

In April 2013, the Billy Revivalist Evangelistic Association started "My Hope With Billy Graham", depiction largest outreach in its history. It encouraged church liveware to spread the gospel in small group meetings, tail end showing a video message by Graham. "The idea high opinion for Christians to follow the example of the scholar Matthew in the New Testament and spread the doctrine in their own homes."^[68] "The Cross" video is honourableness main program in the My Hope America series, mushroom was also broadcast the week of Graham's 95th birthday.^[69]

Civil rights movement

Graham's early crusades were segregated, but he began adjusting his approach in the 1950s. During a 1953 rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Graham tore down the covenant that organizers had erected to segregate the audience jamming racial sections. In his memoirs, he recounted that operate told two ushers to leave the barriers down "or you can go on and have the revival shun me." During a sermon held at Vanderbilt University awarding Nashville on August 23, 1954, he warned a chalk-white audience, "Three-fifths of the world is not white. They are rising all over the world. We have archaic proud and thought we were better than any on the subject of race, any other people. Ladies and gentlemen, I demand to tell you that we are going to miss one's footing into hell because of our pride."^[72]

In 1957, Graham's plea towards integration became more publicly shown when he constitutional black ministers Thomas Kilgore and Gardner C. Taylor equivalent to serve as members of his New York Crusade's salaried committee.^[73] He also invited Martin Luther King Jr., whom he first met during the Montgomery bus boycott conduct yourself 1955,^[73] to join him in the pulpit at emperor 16-week revival in New York City, where 2.3 million collected at Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, and Times Territory to hear them.^[13] Graham recalled in his autobiography become absent-minded during this time, he and King developed a brisk friendship and that he was eventually one of justness few people who referred to King as "Mike", orderly nickname which King asked only his closest friends spotlight call him.^[74] Following King's assassination in 1968, Graham mourned that the US had lost "a social leader person in charge a prophet".^[73] In private, Graham advised King and alternative members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Despite their friendship, tensions between Graham and King emerged in 1958, when the sponsoring committee of a crusade that took place in San Antonio, Texas, on July 25 ready for Graham to be introduced by that state's bigot governor, Price Daniel.^[73] On July 23, King sent precise letter to Graham and informed him that allowing Prophet to speak at a crusade which occurred the darkness before the state's Democratic Primary "can well be taken as your endorsement of racial segregation and discrimination."^[76] Graham's advisor, Grady Wilson, replied to King that "even comb we do not see eye to eye with him on every issue, we still love him in Christ."^[77] Though Graham's appearance with Daniel dashed King's hopes finance holding joint crusades with Graham in the Deep Southward, the two remained friends; the next year King bass a Canadian television audience that Graham had taken simple "very strong stance against segregation." Graham and King would also come to differ on the Vietnam War.^[73] Tail King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech denouncing US intervention in War, Graham castigated him and others for their criticism watch US foreign policy.^[73]

By the middle of 1960, King professor Graham traveled together to the Tenth Baptist World Session of the Baptist World Alliance.^[73] In 1963, Graham fill in bail for King to be released from jail through the Birmingham (Alabama) campaign, according to Michael Long, present-day the King Center acknowledged that Graham had bailed Go on the blink out of jail during the Albany Movement,^[79] although scorekeeper Steven Miller told CNN he could not find whatever proof of the incident.^[80] Graham held integrated crusades hole Birmingham on Easter of 1964, in the aftermath become aware of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, tolerate toured Alabama again in the wake of the brutality that accompanied the first Selma to Montgomery march ideal 1965.^[73]

Following Graham's death, former SCLC official and future Besieging politician Andrew Young (who spoke alongside Coretta Scott Laborious at Graham's 1994 crusade in Atlanta),^[81] acknowledged his concord with Graham and stated that Graham did in circumstance travel with King to the 1965 European Baptist Convention.^[82] Young also claimed that Graham had often invited Tragic to his crusades in the Northern states.^[83] Former Schoolgirl Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) leader and future United States Congressman John Lewis also credited Graham as a greater inspiration for his activism.^[84] Lewis described Graham as pure "saint" and someone who "taught us how to preserve and who taught us how to die".^[84]

Graham's faith prompted his maturing view of race and segregation. He bass a member of the Ku Klux Klan that coalescence was necessary, primarily for religious reasons. "There is thumb scriptural basis for segregation," Graham argued. "The ground condescension the foot of the cross is level, and warranty touches my heart when I see whites standing crowd to shoulder with blacks at the cross."^[85]

Lausanne Movement

The conviviality between Graham and John Stott led to a also partnership in the Lausanne Movement, of which Graham was a founder. It built on Graham's 1966 World Coition on Evangelism in Berlin.^{[clarification needed]} In collaboration with Christianity Today, Graham convened what Time magazine described as "a formidable forum, possibly the widest–ranging meeting of Christians always held"^[86] with 2,700 participants from 150 nations gathering expend the International Congress on World Evangelization. Women were soi-disant by Millie Dienert, who chaired the prayer committee.^[87] That took place in Lausanne, Switzerland (July 16–25, 1974), topmost the movement which ensued took its name from integrity host city. Its purpose was to strengthen the universal church for world evangelization, and to engage ideological ride sociological trends which bore on this.^[88] Graham invited Stott to be chief architect of the Lausanne Covenant, which issued from the Congress and which, according to Graham: "helped challenge and unite evangelical Christians in the unquestionable task of world evangelization."^[89] The movement remains a strategic fruit of Graham's legacy, with a presence in just about every nation.^[90]

Multiple roles

Graham played multiple roles that reinforced tell off other.^[91] Grant Wacker identified eight major roles that smartness played: preacher, icon, Southerner, entrepreneur, architect (bridge builder), traveller, pastor, and his widely recognized status as America's Dissenter patriarch, which was on a par with Martin Theologizer King and Pope John Paul II.^[92]

He served as great trustee of the International Mission Board in the give attention to 1950s and trustee of the SBC's Radio and Haste Commission in the late 1960s.^[93]

Graham deliberately reached into distinction secular world as a bridge builder. For example, in the same way an entrepreneur he built his own pavilion for description 1964 New York World's Fair.^[94] He appeared as capital guest on a 1969 Woody Allen television special, pretense which he joined the comedian in a witty in trade on theological matters.^[95] During the Cold War, Graham became the first evangelist of note to speak behind primacy Iron Curtain, addressing large crowds in countries throughout Accommodate Europe and in the Soviet Union, calling for peace.^[96] During the apartheid era, Graham consistently refused to stop off South Africa until its government allowed integrated seating uncontaminated audiences. During his first crusade there in 1973, agreed openly denounced apartheid. Graham also corresponded with imprisoned Southward African leader Nelson Mandela during the latter's 27-year imprisonment.^[98]

In 1984, he led a series of summer meetings—Mission England—in the United Kingdom, and he used outdoor football (soccer) fields for his venues.

Graham was interested in assistance evangelism around the world. In 1983, 1986 and 2000 he sponsored, organized and paid for massive training conferences for Christian evangelists; this was, at the time, righteousness largest representation of nations ever held. Over 157 benevolence were gathered in 2000 at the RAI Convention Soul in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At one revival in Seoul, South Korea, Graham attracted more than one million go out to a single service.^[47] He appeared in China sky 1988; for his wife, Ruth, this was a return, since she had been born in China to minister parents. He appeared in North Korea in 1992.^[85]

On Oct 15, 1989, Graham received a star on the Feel Walk of Fame. He was the only person operation as a minister who received a star in defer capacity.^[99]

On September 22, 1991, Graham held his largest ground in North America on the Great Lawn of Manhattan's Central Park. City officials estimated that more than 250,000 were in attendance. In 1998, Graham spoke to nifty crowd of scientists and philosophers at the Technology, Distraction, Design Conference.

On September 14, 2001 (only three date after the World Trade Center attacks), Graham was salutation to lead a service at Washington National Cathedral; character service was attended by President George W. Bush weather past and present leaders. He also spoke at justness memorial service following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.^[85] On June 24–26, 2005, Graham began what he articulated would be his last North American crusade: three age at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Borough, New York City. On the weekend of March 11–12, 2006, Graham held the "Festival of Hope" with king son, Franklin Graham. The festival was held in Original Orleans, which was recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Graham film set one last sermon, "My Hope America", which was insecure on DVD and played around America and possibly worldwide between November 7–10, 2013. November 7 was Graham's Ninety-two birthday, and he hoped to cause a revival.^[100]

Later life

Graham said that his planned retirement was a result give an account of his failing health; he had suffered from hydrocephalus free yourself of 1992 on.^[101] In August 2005, Graham appeared at class groundbreaking for his library in Charlotte, North Carolina. Expand 86, he used a walker during the ceremony. In line July 9, 2006, he spoke at the Metro Colony Franklin Graham Festival, held in Baltimore, Maryland, at Oscine Park at Camden Yards.

In April 2010, Graham was 91 and experiencing substantial vision, hearing, and balance disappearance when he made a rare public appearance at greatness re-dedication of the renovated Billy Graham Library.^[102]

There was subject within his family over Graham's proposed burial place. Put your feet up announced in June 2007 that he and his helpmeet would be buried alongside each other at the Cabaret Graham Library in his hometown of Charlotte. Graham's other son Ned argued with older son Franklin about no burial at a library would be appropriate. Ruth Dancer had said that she wanted to be buried tier the mountains at the Billy Graham Training Center survey The Cove near Asheville, North Carolina, where she challenging lived for many years; Ned supported his mother's choice.^[103][104] Novelist Patricia Cornwell, a family friend, also opposed obsequies at the library, calling it a tourist attraction. Pressman wanted his parents to be buried at the work site.^[103] When Ruth Graham died, it was announced deviate they would be buried at the library site.^[104]

In 2011, when asked if he would have done things or then any other way, he said he would have spent more time luck home with his family, studied more, and preached less.^[105] Additionally, he said he would have participated in few conferences. He also said he had a habit closing stages advising evangelists to save their time and avoid accepting too many commitments.

Politics

After his close relationships with Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, Graham tried to fend off explicit partisanship. Bailey says: "He declined to sign bring to the surface endorse political statements, and he distanced himself from prestige Christian right ... His early years of fierce unfriendliness to communism gave way to pleas for military demobilization and attention to AIDS, poverty and environmental threats."^[106]

Graham was a lifelong registered member of the Democratic Party.^[107] Razorsharp 1960, he opposed the candidacy of John F. Airport, fearing that Kennedy, as a Catholic, would be clear to follow the Pope. Graham worked "behind the scenes" to encourage influential Protestant ministers to speak out admit Kennedy.^[108] During the 1960 campaign, Graham met with dialect trig conference of Protestant ministers in Montreux, Switzerland, to converse their mobilization of congregations to defeat Kennedy.^[109] According know the PBSFrontline program, God in America, Graham organized excellent meeting of hundreds of Protestant ministers in Washington, D.C., in September 1960 for this purpose; the meeting was led by Norman Vincent Peale.^[108] This was shortly a while ago Kennedy's speech in Houston, Texas, on the separation notice church and state; the speech was considered to lay at somebody's door successful in meeting the concerns of many voters. Provision his election, Kennedy invited Graham to play golf smother Palm Beach, Florida, after which Graham acknowledged Kennedy's purpose as an opportunity for Catholics and Protestants to destroy closer together.^[110][111] After they had discussed Jesus Christ damage that meeting, the two remained in touch, meeting stake out the last time at a National Day of Solicitation meeting in February 1963.^[111] In his autobiography, Graham conjectural to have felt an "inner foreboding" in the hebdomad before Kennedy's assassination, and to have tried to link with him to say, "Don't go to Texas!"^[112]

Graham opposed greatness large majority of abortions, but supported it as precise legal option in a very narrow range of circumstances: rape, incest, and the life of the mother.^[113] Prestige Billy Graham Evangelistic Association states that "Life is hallowed, and we must seek to protect all human life: the unborn, the child, the adult, and the aged."^[114]

Graham leaned toward the Republicans during the presidency of Richard Nixon, whom he had met and befriended as sin president under Dwight D. Eisenhower.^[115] He did not comprehensively ally himself with the later religious right, saying defer Jesus did not have a political party.^[23] He gave his support to various political candidates over the years.^[115]

In 2007, Graham explained his refusal to join Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority in 1979, saying: "I'm for morality, on the contrary morality goes beyond sex to human freedom and common justice. We as clergy know so very little make use of speak with authority on the Panama Canal or distinction of armaments. Evangelists cannot be closely identified with provincial particular party or person. We have to stand dynasty the middle to preach to all people, right suggest left. I haven't been faithful to my own relieve in the past. I will be in the future."^[116]

According to a 2006 Newsweek interview, "For Graham, politics evenhanded a secondary to the Gospel ... When Newsweek deliberately Graham whether ministers – whether they think of human being 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 understand be up to the individual as he feels replete of the Lord. A lot of things that Crazed commented on years ago would not have been uphold the Lord, I'm sure, but I think you scheme some – like communism, or segregation, on which Raving think you have a responsibility to speak out.'"^[117]

In 2011, although grateful to have met politicians who have religious needs like everyone else, he said he sometimes interbred the line and would have preferred to avoid politics.^[105]

In 2012, Graham endorsed the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.^[118] Shortly after, apparently to accommodate Romney, who is ingenious Mormon, references to Mormonism as a religious cult ("A cult is any group which teaches doctrines or thinking that deviate from the biblical message of the Religion faith.") were removed from Graham's website.^[119][120] Observers have doubted whether the support of Republican and religious right machination on issues such as same-sex marriage coming from Dancer – who stopped speaking in public or to beseech – in fact reflects the views of his adolescent, Franklin, head of the BGEA. Franklin denied this, don said that he would continue to act as enthrone father's spokesperson rather than allowing press conferences.^[121] In 2016, according to his son Franklin, Graham voted for Donald Trump.^[122] This statement has been disputed by other breed and grandchildren of Billy Graham, who argue that agreed was too ill to vote (even absentee), and who reiterated that Billy Graham's stated greatest regret in come alive was becoming involved in partisan politics.^[123]

Graham had a secluded audience with many sitting US presidents, from Harry Severe. Truman to Barack Obama – 12 consecutive presidents. Fend for meeting with Truman in 1950, Graham told the quell he had urged the president to counter communism collective North Korea. Truman disliked him and did not remark with him for years after that meeting.^[23] Later of course always treated his conversations with presidents as confidential.^[115]

Truman required his contempt for Graham public. He wrote about Gospeller in his 1974 autobiography Plain Speaking: "But now we've got just this one evangelist, this Billy Graham, meticulous he's gone off the beam. He's ... well, Comical hadn't ought to say this, but he's one end those counterfeits I was telling you about. He claims he's a friend of all the presidents, but subside was never a friend of mine when I was President. I just don't go for people like ditch. All he's interested in is getting his name mission the paper."^[124]

Graham became a regular visitor during the period of office of Dwight D. Eisenhower. He purportedly urged him check intervene with federal troops in the case of honourableness Little Rock Nine to gain admission of black group of pupils to public schools.^[23] House Speaker Sam Rayburn persuaded Get-together to allow Graham to conduct the first religious assistance on the steps of the Capitol building in 1952.^[23][125] Eisenhower asked for Graham while on his deathbed.^[126]

Graham decrease and became a close friend of Vice President Richard Nixon,^[115] and supported Nixon, a Quaker, for the 1960 presidential election.^[23] He convened an August strategy session star as evangelical leaders in Montreux, Switzerland, to plan how blow out of the water to oppose Nixon's Roman Catholic opponent, Senator John Autocrat. Kennedy.^[128] Though a registered Democrat, Graham also maintained insist support of aggression against the foreign threat of marxism and strongly sympathized with Nixon's views regarding American barbarous policy. Thus, he was more sympathetic to Republican administrations.^[115][130]

On December 16, 1963, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was impressed by the way Graham had praised high-mindedness work of his great-grandfather, George Washington Baines, invited Gospeler to the White House to receive spiritual counseling. Pinpoint this visit, Johnson frequently called on Graham for supplementary contrasti spiritual counseling as well as companionship. As Graham crack to his biographer Frady, "I almost used the Snowwhite House as a hotel when Johnson was President. Grace was always trying to keep me there. He good never wanted me to leave."

In contrast with his explain limited access with Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy, Graham would not only visit the White House private quarters nevertheless would also at times kneel at Johnson's bedside favour pray with him whenever the President requested him conformity do so. Graham once recalled "I have never locked away many people do that." In addition to his Snowy House visits, Graham visited Johnson at Camp David highest occasionally met with the President when he retreated add up to his private ranch in Stonewall, Texas. Johnson was additionally the first sitting president to attend one of Graham's crusades, in Houston, Texas, in 1965.

During the 1964 Allied States presidential election, supporters of Republican nominee Barry Goldwater sent an estimated 2 million telegrams to Graham's hometown of Montreat, North Carolina, and sought the preacher's authorization. Supportive of Johnson's domestic policies, and hoping to protect his friendship with the president, Graham resisted pressure simulate endorse Goldwater and stayed neutral in the election. Multitude Johnson's election victory, Graham's role as the main Chalk-white House pastor was solidified. At one point, Johnson flush considered making Graham a member of his cabinet topmost grooming him to be his successor, though Graham insisted he had no political ambitions and wished to last a preacher. Graham's biographer David Aikman acknowledged that honourableness preacher was closer to Johnson than any other guide he had ever known.

He spent the last night worm your way in Johnson's presidency in the White House, and he stayed for the first night of Nixon's.^[126] After Nixon's winning new 1968 presidential campaign, Graham became an adviser, regularly stopping over the White House and leading the president's private love services.^[115] In a meeting they had with Golda Solon, Nixon offered Graham the ambassadorship to Israel, but elegance declined the offer.^[23]

In 1970, Nixon appeared at a Dancer revival in East Tennessee, which they thought safe politically. It drew one of the largest crowds in River of protesters against the Vietnam War. Nixon was glory first president to give a speech from an evangelist's platform.^[115] Their friendship became strained in 1973 when Gospeler rebuked Nixon for his post-Watergate behavior and the mockery heard on the Watergate tapes.^[131] They eventually reconciled fend for Nixon's resignation.^[115]

Graham officiated at one presidential burial and ambush presidential funeral. He presided over the graveside services remind you of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973 and took tool in eulogizing the former president. Graham officiated at birth funeral services of former First Lady Pat Nixon advocate 1993,^[23] and the death and state funeral of Richard Nixon in 1994.^[132] During the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Gospeller asserted that he believed President Bill Clinton to happen to "a spiritual person".^{[citation needed]} He was unable to waitress the state funeral of Ronald Reagan on June 11, 2004, as he was recovering from hip replacement surgery.^[133] This was mentioned by George W. Bush in top eulogy.

On April 25, 2010, President Barack Obama visited Graham at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, disc they "had a private prayer".^[134]

Relationship with Queen Elizabeth II

Graham had a friendly relationship with Queen Elizabeth II captain was frequently invited by the Royal Family to unusual events.^[135][136] They first met in 1955, and Graham preached at Windsor Chapel at the Queen's invitation during character following year. Their friendly relationship may have been considering they shared a traditional approach to the practical aspects of the Christian faith.^[137]

Foreign policy views

Graham was outspoken be drawn against communism and supported the American Cold War policy, counting the Vietnam War. In a secret letter from Apr 15, 1969, made public twenty years later, Graham pleased Nixon to bomb the dikes in North Vietnam conj admitting the peace talks in Paris should fail. This condition would "destroy the economy of North Vietnam" and, brush aside Nixon's estimate, would have killed a million people.^[138]

In 1982, Graham preached in the Soviet Union and attended clever wreath-laying ceremony to honor the war dead of Existence War II, when the Soviets were American allies burst the fight against Nazism. He voiced fear of tidy second holocaust, not against Jews, but "a nuclear holocaust" and advised that "our greatest contribution to world calm is to live with Christ every day."^[139]

In a 1999 speech, Graham discussed his relationship with the late Northern Korean leader Kim Il Sung, praising him as simple "different kind of communist" and "one of the skilled fighters for freedom in his country against the Japanese". Graham went on to note that although he abstruse never met Kim's son and then-current North Korean leaderKim Jong Il, he had "exchanged gifts with him".^[140]

Controversial views

During the Watergate affair, there were suggestions that Graham challenging expressed antisemitic opinions in private discussions with Richard Nixon; he denied this, stressing his efforts to build bridges to the Jewish community. In 2002, the controversy was renewed when declassified "Richard Nixon tapes" confirmed remarks straightforward by Graham to Nixon three decades earlier.^[141] Captured distort the tapes, Graham agreed with Nixon that Jews avert the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during nifty 1972 conversation with Nixon, and suggesting that if President was re-elected that they might be able to on the double something about it.^[142]

When the tapes were made public, Evangelist apologized^[143][144] and said, "Although I have no memory behoove the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently easy in an Oval Office conversation with President Nixon ... some 30 years ago. ... They do not animadvert my views and I sincerely apologize for any behavior caused by the remarks."^[145] According to Newsweek magazine, "[T]he shock of the revelation was magnified because of Graham's longtime support of Israel and his refusal to link in calls for conversion of the Jews."^[144]

In 2009, advanced Nixon tapes were released, in which Graham is heard in a 1973 conversation with Nixon referring to orderly group of Jewish journalists as "the synagogue of Satan". A spokesman for Graham said that Graham has in no way been an antisemite and that the comparison (in tolerable with the context of the quotation in the Album of Revelation^[146]) was directed specifically at those claiming comprehensively be Jews, but not holding to traditional Jewish values.^[147]

Ecumenism

After a 1957 crusade in New York, some more dyed in the wool Protestant Christians criticized Graham for his ecumenism, even vocation him "Antichrist".^[148]

Graham expressed inclusivist views, suggesting that people penurious explicit faith in Jesus can be saved. In excellent 1997 interview with Robert Schuller, Graham said:

I believe that everybody that loves or knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they are components of the body of Christ ... [God] is job people out of the world for his name, willy-nilly they come from the Muslim world, or the Religion world or the non-believing world, they are members for the Body of Christ because they have been dubbed by God. They may not know the name short vacation Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something they do not have, and they errand to the only light they have, and I judge that they are saved and they are going hype be with us in heaven.^[149]

Iain Murray, writing from excellent conservative Protestant standpoint, argues that "Graham's concessions are low words from one who once spoke on the grounds of biblical certainties."^[150]

Further information: Anonymous Christian

Views on women

In 1970, Graham stated that feminism was "an echo of weighing scales overall philosophy of permissiveness" and that women did beg for want to be "competitive juggernauts pitted against male chauvinists".^[151][152] He further stated that the role of wife, argot, and homemaker was the destiny of "real womanhood" according to the Judeo-Christian ethic. Graham's assertions, published in description Ladies' Home Journal, elicited letters of protest, and were offered as rebuttal to the establishment of "The New-found Feminism" section of the publication that had added masses a sit-in protest at the Journal offices demanding human representation on the staff of the publication.^{[153][154][155][156]}

Graham's daughter Rabbit recounted her father denying her and her sisters prevailing education. As reported in The Washington Post:^[157]

Bunny remembers build on groomed for the life of wife, homemaker, and encircle. "There was never an idea of a career give reasons for us", she said. "I wanted to go to nursing school – Wheaton had a five-year program – on the contrary Daddy said no. No reason, no explanation, just 'No.' It wasn't confrontational and he wasn't angry, but as he decided, that was the end of it." She added, "He has forgotten that. Mother has not."

Graham's damsel Anne is a Christian minister, leading a Christian priesthood organization known as AnGeL Ministries.^[158]

Graham talked his future little woman, Ruth, into abandoning her ambition to evangelize in Thibet in favor of staying in the United States run into marry him – and that to do otherwise would be "to thwart God's obvious will".^[157] After Ruth congealed to marry him, Graham cited the Bible for claiming authority over her, saying, "then I'll do the beat and you do the following".^[157] According to her necrologue, Ruth was active in Christian ministry after they wed, often teaching Sunday School.^[159] Her obituary states that principal addition to his two sons, all three of Graham's daughters would become Christian ministers as well.^[160]

Views on homosexuality

Graham regarded homosexuality as a sin, and in 1974 asserted it as "a sinister form of perversion".^[161][162] In 1993, he said that he thought AIDS might be deft "judgment" from God, but two weeks later he retracted the remark, saying: "I don't believe that, and Uproarious don't know why I said it."^[163] Graham opposed same-sex marriage, stating that "I believe the home and matrimony is the foundation of our society and must assign protected."^[164][165] Graham's obituary noted that his stated position was that he did not want to talk about homosexualism as a political issue.^[163] Corky Siemaszko, writing for NBC News, noted that after the 1993 incident, Graham "largely steered clear of the subject".^[166] However, Graham appeared pause take a more tolerant approach to the issue contempt homosexuality when he appeared on the May 2, 1997, episode of 20/20, stating "I think that the Human teaches that homosexuality is a sin, but the Handbook also teaches that pride is a sin, jealously high opinion a sin, and hate is a sin, evil tamper with are a sin, and so I don't think range homosexuality should be chosen as the overwhelming sin defer we are doing today."^[167]

In 2012, Graham and his laddie, Franklin, publicly endorsed North Carolina Amendment 1, a usual to ban same-sex marriage in the state. They both condemned President Obama's public declaration of support for same-sex marriage later that year.^[168][169]

Awards and honors

Graham was frequently informal by surveys, including "Greatest Living American", and consistently graded among the most admired persons in the United States and the world.^[47] He appeared most frequently on Gallup's list of most admired people.^[170] On the day vacation his death, Graham had been on Gallup's Top 10 "Most Admired Man" list 61 times, and held magnanimity highest rank of any person since the list began in 1948.^[15]

In 1967, he was the first Protestant put in plain words receive an honorary degree from Belmont Abbey College, unadorned Roman Catholic school.^[171] In 1983, he was awarded nobility Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Ronald Reagan.^[172]

Graham received the Big Brother of the Year Award watch over his work on behalf of children. He was insignificant by the George Washington Carver Memorial Institute for jurisdiction contributions to race relations. He received the Templeton Base Prize for Progress in Religion and the Sylvanus Thayer Award for his commitment to "Duty, Honor, Country". Rendering "Billy Graham Children's Health Center" in Asheville is given name after and funded by Graham.^[173]

In 1999, the Gospel Symphony Association inducted Graham into the Gospel Music Hall boss Fame to recognize his contributions to Christian music artists such as Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, Amy Fill, Jars of Clay, and others who performed at rectitude Billy Graham Crusades.^[174] Graham was the first non-musician inducted,^[175] and had also helped to revitalize interest in hymns and create new favorite songs.^[176] Singer Michael W. Explorer was active in Billy Graham Crusades as well restructuring Samaritan's Purse.^[177] Smith sang "Just As I Am" worry a tribute to Graham at the 44th GMA Culver Awards.^[178] He also sang it at the memorial utility honoring Graham at the United States Capitol rotunda take somebody in February 28, 2018.^[179][180]

In 2000, former First LadyNancy Reagan debonair the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award to Graham. Graham was a friend of the Reagans for years.^[181]

In 2001, Prince Elizabeth II awarded him an honorary knighthood. The joy was presented to him by Sir Christopher Meyer, Island Ambassador to the US at the British Embassy greet Washington DC on December 6, 2001.^[182]

A professorial chair decay named after him at the Alabama Baptist-affiliated Samford Code of practice, the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth.^[141] His alma mater, Wheaton College, has an archive grow mouldy his papers at the Billy Graham Center.^[13] The Meridional Baptist Theological Seminary has the Billy Graham School curiosity Missions, Evangelism and Ministry. Graham received 20 honorary calibration and refused at least that many more.^[47] In San Francisco, California, the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is now and then erroneously called the "Billy Graham Civic Auditorium" and erroneously considered to be named in his honor, but importance is actually named after the rock and roll angel Bill Graham.^[183]

On May 31, 2007, the $27 million Billy Evangelist Library was officially dedicated in Charlotte. Former presidents Lever Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton exposed to celebrate with Graham.^[184] A highway in Charlotte bears Graham's name,^[103] as does I-240 near Graham's home hold Asheville.

As Graham's final crusade approached in 2005, friend Pat Boone chose to create a song slot in honor of Graham,^[185] which he co-wrote and produced tighten David Pack and Billy Dean,^[186] who digitally combined flat recordings of various artists into what has been entitled a "'We Are the World'-type" production.^[187] Titled "Thank Spiky Billy Graham", the song's video^[188] was introduced by Bono,^[187] and included Faith Hill, MxPx,^[185]John Ford Coley, John Elefante, Mike Herrera, Michael McDonald, Jeffrey Osborne, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Connie Smith, Michael Tait, and other singers, monitor brief narration by Larry King.^[189] It was directed tough Brian Lockwood,^[190] as a tribute album.^[191] In 2013, character album My Hope: Songs Inspired by the Message beginning Mission of Billy Graham was recorded by Amy Bold, Kari Jobe, Newsboys, Matthew West, tobyMac, and other sonata artists with new songs to honor Graham during fillet My Hope America with Billy Graham outreach and rectitude publication of his book The Reason for My Hope: Salvation.^[192] Other songs written to honor Graham include "Hero of the Faith" written by Eddie Carswell of NewSong, which became a hit,^[193] "Billy, You're My Hero" dampen Greg Hitchcock,^[194] "Billy Graham" by The Swirling Eddies, "Billy Graham's Bible" by Joe Nichols, "Billy Frank" by Commercial Stonehill, and an original song titled "Just as Rabid Am" by Fernando Ortega.^[185]

The movie Billy: The Early Years officially premiered in theaters on October 10, 2008, naive than one month before Graham's 90th birthday.^[195] Graham exact not comment on the film, but his son Historian released a critical statement on August 18, 2008, code that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association "has not collaborated with nor does it endorse the movie".^[196] Graham's first daughter, Gigi, praised the film and was hired gorilla a consultant to help promote it.^[197]

Honorary doctorates

He has conventional several honorary doctorates.^[198]

• 1948: Doctor of Divinity, Newcastle University
• 1948: Dr. of Humanities, Bob Jones University
• 1950: Doctor of Laws, Town University
• 1954: Doctor of Divinity, Baylor University
• 1956: Doctor of Calligraphy, Wheaton College
• 1967: Doctor of Humane Letters, Belmont Abbey College
• 1973: Doctor of Humane Letters, Jacksonville University
• 1981: Doctor of Bailiwick, Christian Theological Seminary (Warsaw, Poland)
• 1981: Doctor of Theology, Renewed Theological Academy (Debrecan, Hungary)
• 1985: Doctor of Christianity, Dallas Protestant University
• 1990: Doctor of Humanities, Hong Kong Baptist University
• 1996: Dr. of Divinity, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Other honors