Global InformationBilly Graham information
The Reverend Billy Graham | |
|---|---|
 Graham in 1966 | |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1939 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Franklin Graham Jr. November 7, 1918 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, 2018 (aged 99) Montreat, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Denomination | Baptist (Southern Baptist Convention) |
| Spouse |
Ruth Bell
(m. 1943; died 2007) |
| Children | 5, including Gigi, Anne and Franklin |
| Profession | Evangelist |
| Education |
|
| Signature |  |
| President of Northwestern College | |
| In office 1948–1952 | |
| Preceded by | William Bell Riley |
| Succeeded by | Richard Elvee |
| President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association | |
| In office 1950–2001 | |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Franklin Graham |
William Franklin Graham Jr. (/ˈɡreɪəm/; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, and a civil rights advocate[1][2] whose broadcast and live sermons became well known internationally in the mid-to-late 20th century. During a career spanning six decades, Graham was a prominent evangelical Christian figure in the United States.
According to a biographer, Graham was considered "among the most influential Christian leaders" of the 20th century.[3] Graham held large indoor and outdoor rallies with sermons that were broadcast on radio and television, with some still being re-broadcast into the 21st century.[4] In his six decades on television, Graham hosted annual crusades, evangelistic campaigns that ran from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. He also hosted the radio show Hour of Decision from 1950 to 1954. He repudiated racial segregation[5] and insisted on racial integration for his revivals and crusades, starting in 1953. He later invited Martin Luther King Jr. to preach jointly at a revival in New York City in 1957. In addition to his religious aims, he helped shape the worldview of a huge number of people who came from different backgrounds, leading them to find a relationship between the Bible and contemporary secular viewpoints. According to his website, Graham preached to live audiences of 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories through various meetings, including BMS World Mission and Global Mission event.[6]
Graham was particularly close to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson (one of Graham's closest friends),[7] and Richard Nixon.[8] He was also lifelong friends with Robert Schuller, another televangelist and the founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, whom Graham talked into starting his own television ministry.[9] Graham's evangelism was appreciated by mainline Protestant denominations, as he encouraged those mainline Protestants who were converted to his evangelical message to remain within or return to their mainline churches.[10][11] Despite his early suspicions and apprehension, common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants towards Catholicism, Graham eventually developed amicable ties with many American Catholic Church figures and later encouraged unity between Catholics and Protestants.[12]
Graham operated a variety of media and publishing outlets.[13] According to his staff, more than 3.2 million people have responded to the invitation at Billy Graham Crusades to "accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior".
Graham's estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped billions of people.[14] As a result of his crusades, Graham preached the gospel to more people in person than anyone in the history of Christianity.[13] Graham was on Gallup's list of most admired men and women a record 61 times.[15] Grant Wacker writes that by the mid-1960s, he had become the "Great Legitimator": "By then his presence conferred status on presidents, acceptability on wars, shame on racial prejudice, desirability on decency, dishonor on indecency, and prestige on civic events."[16]
- ^ "Why Billy Graham Was a Champion of the Civil Rights Movement". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "Billy Graham and Racial Equality" (PDF). Billy Graham Evangelical Association. 2014.
- ^ Billy Graham: American Pilgrim. Oxford University Press. June 26, 2017. ISBN 978-0-19-068352-8. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
Billy Graham stands among the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century.
- ^ Swank jr, J. Grant. "Billy Graham Classics Span 25 Years of Gospel Preaching for the Masses". TBN. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ Ellis, Carl (February 24, 2018). "Preaching Redemption Amidst Racism: Remembering Billy Graham". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ "Media: Bios – William (Billy) F. Graham". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Archived from the original on January 31, 2007.
- ^ Aikman 2010, p. 203.
- ^ "The Transition; Billy Graham to lead Prayers". The New York Times. December 9, 1992. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- ^ "Dr. Robert H. Schuller". Crystal Cathedral Ministries. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ^ Killen, Patricia O'Connell; Silk, Mark. Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The None Zone. Rowman Altamira. p. 84.
In the 1957 revival in New York City Graham partnered with mainline Protestant denominations and insisted that those who were converted at the revivals return to their mainline churches.
- ^ Wacker, Grant (November 15, 2003). "The Billy pulpit: Graham's career in the mainline". The Christian Century. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
Crusade counselors are instructed to return the favor by sending "inquirers" back to mainline churches when requested.
- ^ Sweeney, Jon M. (February 21, 2018). "How Billy Graham shaped American Catholicism". America. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
A few years later, in 1964, Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston (who, as archbishop, had even endorsed a Graham crusade in Boston in 1950) met with Mr. Graham upon returning from Rome and the Second Vatican Council, declaring before a national television audience that Mr. Graham's message was good for Catholics.
- ^ a b Horstmann, Barry M. (June 27, 2002). "Man with a mission". Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
- ^ Molly Worthen (February 4, 2015). "Evangelical Boilerplate". The Nation. Retrieved 2 April 2023. "[...] during his sixty years of full-time evangelism, 215 million people heard him preach in person, and another 2 billion tuned in to telecasts. His radio (and later television) show Hour of Decision reached 20 million homes in the 1950s..."
- Jeff Tiberii (February 21, 2018). "Evangelist Billy Graham, Who Reached Millions, Dies At 99" North Carolina Public Radio. wunc.org. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Jennifer Mulson (Feb 2, 2020). "New Billy Graham exhibit dedicated to evangelist's life, ministry". The Colorado Springs Gazette. gazette.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Tim Funk (Feb. 21, 2018) "Key moments in the long life of Billy Graham". Gray Media Group. wbtv.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Jeaneane Payne (February 21, 2018). "Billy Graham is now face to face with his leader". Knoxville Daily Sun. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Evan Garcia (February 21, 2018). "Billy Graham, 'America's Pastor,' Got His Start in the Chicago Area". WTTW, Chicago. news.wttw.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Encyclopedia.com – Billy Graham. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Phil Anderson (21 February 2018). "Evangelist Billy Graham, a counselor to several presidents, dies at age 99". The Topeka Capital-Journal; Gannett. cjonline.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Tanda Gmiter (21 February 2018). "Billy Graham, dead at 99, known for 'Crusades' with Michigan roots". MLive Media Group. mlive.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Ben Cosgrove. "LIFE With Billy Graham: Rare Photos From the Early Years of His Career". Life Magazine. life.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gallup 2018 most admired listwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wacker 2014, pp. 24–25.