On November 7, 1918 on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, a baby was born. William Franklin Graham, Jr., better known as Billy, would be known from an early age for his powerful voice, a voice that found its purpose as a preacher of the Gospel. A preacher that would speak to an estimated 210 million people in live audiences around the globe over a nearly sixty year career.
For my generation, it is hard to grasp just how influential he was. I think I speak for many millennials and Gen Z’ers when I say that for me, Billy Graham was simply another historical figure. Admired, yes. Spoken of with respect by older family members, yes. Understood? Not so much.
So I sat down to study what this man meant to millions and watch several hours of YouTube footage of him in action. What follows are three things I noticed about this giant of Christianity.
1: He took the Great Commission seriously and he would witness to anyone.
If you want to understand Billy Graham, just watch him in action. His big “Crusades” or revival meetings were filmed for broadcast, and thanks to the internet, you can still hear and see him in action at Los Angeles in 1949 or Madison Square Garden in 1957.
Perhaps more profound are snippets showing him give witness to the love of Christ one-on-one. Consider this clip from 1969 where he is talking with Woody Allen.
Woody is squirming throughout the conversation, but Graham keeps gently prodding him. The graciousness of a true Christian gentleman shines through as he talks about the Christian faith with Woody. Now, multiply this conversation by the thousands of people he spoke to individually, and you can easily understand why so many were led to Christ, renewed their faith, or were given something to think about by this man.
Even in his twilight years, he went not only where he would be welcomed with open arms, but also places he could reasonably expect hostility. In 1998, he spoke on the problem of sin at the TED Conference. Twenty plus years later, his amicable but forceful reminder that there are problems in this world that cannot be solved by the cleverness of man are still as pertinent as they were then, or back in his prime when he was thundering against the world’s best minds being put to use designing more and more destructive nuclear weapons in the 1950s.
2: He set clear standards for personal conduct
Remember the media mocking Mike Pence for following the “Billy Graham Rule”? Then the misconduct and abuse by men like Harvey Weinstein was revealed, and suddenly, forbidding private late night dinners with members of the opposite sex didn’t seem so stupid. Christianity has always had its share of grifters and snakes, and Billy Graham made certain that his organization would not bring reproach on the cause of Christ by allegations of sexual or financial misconduct.
Beyond standards to prevent sexual misconduct, Graham set high standards for financial dealings as well. He refused to take a share of the “love offerings” given at his crusades, instead accepting a healthy but reasonable salary equivalent to what a well-paid minister at a large urban church would make, and lived simply instead of enriching himself on his popularity. After every crusade, he had the proceeds audited by independent accountants and established an independent board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
In a world of prosperity preachers begging their followers to donate money to help them buy Gulfstream jets, Billy Graham’s code of honor and adherence to the Bible’s advice to flee the appearance of evil still represent the gold standard for Christians to follow.
3: He made mistakes, and learned from them
Every sitting U.S. President from Harry Truman to Barack Obama met with Billy Graham, and he was able to build deep relationships with several. But the first time Graham met with a President, he got in hot water. His meeting with Harry Truman was awkward for both parties. Graham and his team were not properly briefed beforehand on the correct protocol, and overstayed their allotted time. After leaving the meeting, Graham and his three associates chatted with reporters on the White House lawn about their conversation with Truman and posed for pictures while praying. Truman was not impressed, and Graham learned a hard lesson about life in the public eye. From that day forward, he was much more cautious and respectful about private conversations with public figures.
He would develop a close relationship with Richard Nixon, beginning when Nixon was VP for Eisenhower. This loyalty would cloud his judgement during Watergate, and many observers felt he propped up Nixon longer than was prudent. He would later reflect that if he could have done something different, he would have avoided partisan politics entirely. Understandable, considering that his close relationship with presidents, especially Nixon, was one of the few sources of fodder for critics of his ministry. His number one concern was always to share the Gospel, and he would certainly not have wanted someone to reject that Gospel because they felt it was only for a certain subgroup of people, say Republicans. Prioritizing reaching souls for Christ over culture warring is a way in which many modern Christians could learn from Graham.
Final Thoughts
More than any other individual, Billy Graham created the third way of Evangelicalism, avoiding both insular fundamentalism and theological liberalism. He helped build strong institutions like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Christianity Today magazine to train and encourage other Christians, and inspired countless prominent Christian leaders who are still active today. For evangelical Protestants, Billy Graham built the edifice of Christianity we know, and his gracious and bold example of faithful Christian witness needs to be remembered and emulated. Thank you, Billy Graham.
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