Posted on 02/21/2018 2:43:39 PM PST by Nextrush
Billy Graham was part of the conservative movement in 20th Century Protestantism as 'fundamentalist' and 'modernist' divisions split up the major denominations and led to independent churches and para-church organizations sprouting up across the country.
Dr. Graham spent the 1940's as a touring evangelist for Youth for Christ.
Graham preached from town to town. Tents were erected for evangelistic meetings and he went here, there and everywhere from coast to coast. A series of meetings were held in my area (York,PA) in 1948.
Then one day a famous man, a wealthy wan and a man with a media empire walked into Billy Graham's preaching in a tent in Southern California.
William Randolph Hearst was near the end of his tumultuous life but gave one more order to those who worked for him.
"Puff Graham"
The power of that publicity allowed Billy Graham to build his own evangelistic organization and move forward reaching out in all directions to all churches while maintaining his committment to simple evangelistic preaching of Christ with an altar call.
But the meetings would be in large arenas and stadiums now and involve even celebrities. In his 1957 New York crusade Dr. Graham had Dr. Martin Luther King as song leader.
Dr. King and his organization worked with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assocation to learn how to organize a King began to build his own movement.
Radio and television were used by Graham, with a weekly "Hour of Decision" radio program first broadcast on the ABC Radio Network in the 1950's. Evangelistic meetings were recorded for broadcast on television stations in the USA and around the world.
The Billy Graham efforts also included the use of music recordings and motion pictures, produced under the name of "World Wide Pictures".
"Decision" magazine was published based on the message that Dr. Graham preached to his audiences challenging them to make a "decision" for Jesus Christ.
The liberal forces in Protestantism were none too pleased with Billy Graham and neither were the more conservative elements I associated with in my youth.
The more "fundamentalist" forces saw him as too liberal, working with liberal churches in his evangelistic activities. I recall broadcasting against Dr. Graham's visits to Communist countries under auspices of government run churches in the 1980's. Those meetings probably drew some of the largest crowds ever when he visited Eastern Europe, in the hundreds of thousands of people.
The "liberal" elements just didn't like evangelism. The liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America even published a tract for the vestibules of its churches that I saw in the 1970's lumping Billy Graham's evangelism with those of the more conservative elements and denouncing it as incompatible with authentic Christian belief as they saw it.
Dr. Graham's ministry brought him close to world leaders, to the Presidents of the United States in his lifetime including Richard Nixon most prominently at a time of deep trouble and division within the nation as a whole.
In closing, I am reminded of Dr. Graham's call for a turning to Christ, of his remarks that the problems of the world cannot be resolved 'apart from the person of Jesus Christ".
The 'decision' to follow Christ as I see it is one in the moment, every moment of every day. Millions came forward at meetings, but it's what happened after the evangelistic meetings that made the difference in lives then and makes the difference in my life and the life of others today.
The decisions I make an you make in the moments of our lives and making the decisions that Christ would have made himself are the best way I see to remember the life and work of Dr. Billy Graham.
RIP..............
(EXPANDED WEDNESDAY PM)
So why should I go to your blog?
Beautifully done message.
some people are able to do more good in this life than others, naturally so and none of us is perfect but
Graham did a whole lot of people good...
he deserves thanks
I don’t see where he asked anyone to.
“So why should I go to your blog?”
He posted this in its entirety in the proper section of FR.
Now apologize for being rude especially in a memorial post.
...and then go to your room for a time out.
(-;
You should be so lucky to leave a legacy the likes of Billy Graham
A power greater than ourselves put him in the place he was, that’s for sure.
Can you enlighten me? What did Billy Graham do that was so great?
My memory of him was that he preached before enormous crowds and "ministered" to high-profile celebrities.
He was very handsome and fairly articulate. He seemed to have a lot of confidence.
Other than that, I don't know how he was different than any other mass-media evangelist.
What did I miss?
But I've seen enough links..posted by he/she...to know..that's the idea.
I'm in my room...and taking a time out.
Mr. Graham preached The Gospel of Jesus Christ through out the world. Samaritans Purse has feed the hungry, given a hand up to the down trodden, been a balm to the afflicted, and helped at every turn
Plus the lives changed and hearts opened through his alter calls are memorable all on their own
Thanks for the tribute and history lesson. I nearly forgot about Hearst’s “Puff Graham.” The Lord works in mysterious ways.
I tweeted the link to your blog. Hope many see it.
;)
Billy Graham writes: “We should accept abortion in these cases: rape or incest or if the delivery of the child is a threat to a mother’s life.”
In the 1996 copyright revised 2001 edition
Lost ALL respect for him when he said Hillary would make a good president. If he has that much respect for a horribly deviant woman, then he can preach to and try to impress someone else. For her, I have a great deal of respect.
And then he removed the Mormon “religion” as a cult on his website, saying that they were also Christians.
I know that no one is perfect, but I think we gotta’ be honest about him “mainstreaming” himself in his later years.
OK, thank you for that information.
I had heard of Samaritan’s Purse, but did not know it was associated with the Billy Graham ministry.
Very impressive.
Yup while Billy was preaching around the world Franklin was running Samaritan’s Purse and following right behind.
Not bad for a guy who lived baseball and wanted to be a pro baseball player
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
How dare you let her push you around like that?!?
Now get back over here.
And don't let other people tell you what to do!
And do it *NOW* dammit.
{;^)~
When God works in us, there are great things that can be done.
Forgiveness is one of the great things because to be bitter and resentful is so self-destructive and has the potential to work to cause someone to strike out and hurt others in revenge.
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