Who is William Franklin?

The Protestant tradition in the United States has produced generation after generation of great preachers, but no one is more recognized and loved than Billy Graham. His crusades were the backbone of a religious movement and tradition, international in scope, which made Graham stand out as a moral man in a seemingly immoral and imperfect world.

A very elderly man in the early 21st century, Graham’s influence was not to be limited by declining health. Rather, it was almost enhanced, as though this generation must see and hear the last of the great preachers. Although his last mission was supposed to be in 2005, at the time of this writing, Graham is still active in his church and ministry.

What made him the Minister?

Although now firmly in the camp of the Southern Baptist Convention, Graham’s family was originally active in the Presbyterian church in Charlotte, North Carolina. (He was born in 1918 and converted to the Baptist church in 1934 as a result of a revival meeting-a frequent event in towns and cities in the South and Midwest.) After high school, Graham attended what is now called Trinity College of Florida and was ordained a minister in 1939. He did further studies at Wheaton College in Illinois, graduating from that prestigious university in 1943.

His real mission in life began just after he graduated from Wheaton, when Graham joined a youth ministry, call the Youth of Christ, and began a series of missions across the United States. Many of these were planned only for a day or two, perhaps a week at the most.

“On this grand tour, Graham inspired and awed his audiences. His mission in New York was given nightly and lasted for nearly 16 weeks!”

His tours were international, first in English-speaking countries like England and Australia, but eventually in highly restricted places, such as Eastern Europe, North Korea, South Africa and the Soviet Union. Most of his success owed itself to an excellent background and a wonderful stage presence; he came across as an enthusiastic and sincerely religious man. His career, if it can be called that, was certainly helped when Henry Luce, publisher of Time, put his picture on the cover of the magazine. William Randolph Hearst, newspaper mogul, pressured his editors to write about Graham. Many wags would say that their motivation was hardly religious: They wanted Graham to represent the conservative, anti-communist viewpoints that they so strongly held. (Ironically, while not proved, it seems that Graham was a lifelong Democrat.)

This grueling schedule, plus his responsibilities as a writer, teacher, administrator and fundraiser, makes Graham’s career all the more remarkable. He is said to have preached in over 180 countries, to some 200 million people throughout his remarkable career-not including hundreds of radio and television broadcasts. What is truly the sign of a hero is that, at age 86 and afflicted with Parkinson’s disease, he organized his last crusade in Flushing, New York. However, because of Hurricane Katrina, he chose to add one more stop: New Orleans. For 2 days he preached at what was called the Festival of Hope to tens of thousands in the ravaged city.

The high-profile life often leads to a high-profile lifestyle, as was clear when some prominent preachers (such as the Bakers) became so infatuated with material success that they lost their way in life (and in some cases ended up in prison). For all his time in the public spotlight and for all his exposure and the attention given to his crusades, there is absolutely no evidence that Graham, his son or even his grandson ever exceeded reasonable expectations in terms of salary and compensations. From the beginning to the end of his preaching career, Graham was always a just and good man who put God’s works ahead of his personal ambitions and for that he is our hero.

Graham has been the adviser to presidents and other prominent men and women. There is no evidence that he ever used those positions of confidence to push a particular agenda, to enhance his mission or to use his influence in any inappropriate way-other than in helping to seek truth through the Bible.

But, alas, our hero is not without controversy. Someone in the public view for so long cannot help but inspire some contentious sentiments. One of the standing views is that Graham expressed views that were anti-Semitic-or, at least, critical of Jews and their influence on American life. Once exposed, Graham immediately apologized for these comments. However, despite the attempt to right the ship, there has always been a lingering suspicion that the anti-Semitism was more than a casual one-time event.

Another controversial aspect of his life is the amount of time he spent with his fellow co-religionists. Graham was extremely close to the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Pope John Paul H-himself a strong advocate of ecumenism and communication with other branches of Christianity. Further, he did not wait for his children to become adults before baptizing them, contrary to the tradition of the Southern Baptist Convention, which believes that children cannot and should not be baptized. Baptism is seen as an acceptance of Jesus, and something that only adults can fully understand and appreciate.

All in all, however, it is fair to say that controversy has been a fairly minor part of Graham’s life and ministry, and that it has tended to revolve around smaller, parochial matters rather than any of the outward religious, financial or political scandals that have beset organized religion and some other preachers and pastors.

The Legacy of the William Franklin

By all evidence, Billy Graham is a man of God, which is just as he intended to be. Part of his legacy was to use his fame and considerable skill in the pulpit to draw huge crowds to rallies and bring people forward to conversion. He organized and practiced on a huge scale. His direct, personal appeal to conversion and to prayer were highly effective, though some might say that they were also rather staged-much like an amusement event or a rock concert. Nevertheless, through his preaching, television and radio performances, books, seminars and media savvy, he has influenced four generations worldwide and made us better for it.

He has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award, honored by Jews (somewhat ironically) and Christians alike and recognized by various civil rights organizations for his good works and benefits to humanity. His work continues through his son and grandson, although no one can ever pretend to take the place of the original genius that is Billy Graham. He has been and will continue to be the standard for mainstream Protestantism worldwide. He is our hero because he is a virtuous man who dedicated his life to others.

Courtesy

Learn more about Graham, his ministry and his mission, by visiting www.billygraham.org. Readers will find a host of resources, including a complete listing of his books, of which his first, Peace With God, was a national best-seller.

Some very interesting archives are stored electronically in Wheaton College’s Website. Visit www.wheaton.edu and search under Billy Graham for more information.