Billy Graham

Billy Graham
Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer · Public domain · source
Name	William Franklin Graham Jr.
Birth date	November 7, 1918
Birth place	Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Death date	February 21, 2018
Death place	Montreat, North Carolina, United States
Occupation	Evangelist, preacher, author
Spouse	Ruth Bell (m. 1943)
Children	5 (including Franklin, Anne)

Billy Graham

William Franklin Graham Jr. was an American evangelical Christian preacher and evangelist whose career spanned six decades and who became a leading figure in 20th-century Protestantism. He organized large-scale revival meetings, engaged with political and cultural leaders, and helped found numerous organizations and institutions that shaped modern evangelicalism. His ministries connected to global events, influential figures, and major media platforms, leaving a complex legacy across religion, politics, and media.

Early life and education

Graham was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and raised on a dairy farm near Asheville, North Carolina and Boone, North Carolina. He attended Biola University for a short period before transferring to Florida Bible Institute and then enrolling at Wheaton College (Illinois), where he studied under figures associated with the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, and teachers influenced by D. L. Moody's legacy. At Wheaton he came under the mentorship of evangelical leaders connected to the Northern Baptist Convention and engaged with campus ministries linked to the Young Men’s Christian Association and the National Association of Evangelicals network. He later attended Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary for theological training while forming early ties to publishers such as HarperCollins and periodicals like Christianity Today.

Ministry and evangelistic career

Graham launched his public evangelistic ministry through revival meetings driven by organizations including the Youth for Christ movement and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He conducted crusades in venues ranging from tents and stadiums—such as Madison Square Garden, Soldier Field, Wembley Stadium, and The Hollywood Bowl—to televised events that aired on networks like NBC, CBS, and ABC. His outreach leveraged emerging mass media platforms including Radio Corporation of America (RCA) recordings, television, and print partnerships with publishers such as Word Books and Victor Books. Graham collaborated with musicians, evangelists, and figures from movements like the Charismatic movement and the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy era, while organizing large conferences with organizations such as the National Association of Evangelicals and the Lausanne Movement. He founded institutions including the Billy Graham School of Missions and engaged in international campaigns spanning South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, often coordinating with national churches like the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church on public events.

Theology and public influence

Graham’s theology was rooted in conservative evangelical doctrines influenced by teachers associated with Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Calvinist and Arminian traditions, as debated in seminaries like Princeton Theological Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary. His statements addressed issues debated within bodies such as the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches USA, and movements connected to Pentecostalism and Neo-evangelicalism. He weighed in on cultural debates alongside authors published by HarperCollins, theologians associated with Dallas Theological Seminary, and public intellectuals appearing in outlets like Time (magazine) and Life (magazine). Graham’s stances on race, social justice, and ecumenism intersected with historical events such as the Civil Rights Movement, the presidencies of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Relationships with political and religious leaders

Graham cultivated relationships with U.S. presidents including Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, often delivering invocations or serving as an informal spiritual advisor. International leaders such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl, Lech Wałęsa, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, and Nelson Mandela intersected with Graham’s international ministries through meetings, diplomatic settings, and ecumenical forums like the World Evangelical Alliance and the World Council of Churches. Religious counterparts included figures such as Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Billy Sunday, Aimee Semple McPherson, John Stott, C. S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (influence), Reinhold Niebuhr (debate), and leaders of denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church.

Personal life and family

Graham married Ruth Bell in 1943; she was the daughter of Franklin F. Bell and had family ties to missions work including connections to China Inland Mission and missionaries influenced by Hudson Taylor. The Grahams raised five children, among them Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz, who pursued ministries connected to organizations like the Samaritan’s Purse and the Women’s Missionary Union. The family home and ministries were linked to institutions such as Asbury University and charitable entities including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and foundations that supported theological education at schools like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Liberty University.

Later years, death, and legacy

In later years Graham’s activities were overseen by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and archival preservation occurred at the Billy Graham Library and archives shared with institutions like Wake Forest University and Davidson College. He experienced health issues common to aging public figures and communicated through aides associated with organizations like the National Religious Broadcasters and the Media Research Center. Graham died in 2018 at his home in Montreat, North Carolina; memorials involved ecumenical participation from leaders representing the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals, and global evangelical networks such as the Lausanne Movement and the World Evangelical Alliance. His influence is studied in academic settings at universities including Duke University, Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Emory University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and theological seminaries such as Fuller Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary, and debated in media outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Category:Evangelical leaders Category:American Christian clergy