REVIVAL! EPISCOPAL EVANGELISM AND BILLY GRAHAM’S LEGACY

From The Living Church

As I woke to the news of Billy Graham’s passing on Feb. 21, I was filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I rejoiced knowing Graham was finally in the arms of his Savior, seeing fully the one he served and loved throughout his earthly life. On the other hand, I felt a sense of loss. Even though I met him only once in graduate school, he was a powerful mentor and teacher to me (and countless other budding evangelists). No matter the ecclesial family in which we dwell — or whether we agreed with him on matters of doctrine and practice — we must celebrate the way Billy Graham served as a beacon for the public proclamation of the gospel in our world for just short of a century. In his lifetime, he reached more people with the good news of Jesus Christ than anyone else in human history. Graham’s life has much to say to Episcopalians as we embark on a renewed focus on evangelism and revivals throughout the Episcopal Church.

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2018/03/05/revival-episcopal-evangelism-billy-grahams-legacy/

Billy Graham's legacy is the evangelical pursuit of politics instead of Jesus

From NBC (and the Dean of the The Episcopal Cathedral in Denver)-

From an early age, I was drawn to the glamour and excitement of the religious venues and personalities that dotted the area of Texas in which I grew up — in the shadow of Bishop T.D. Jakes’s Potter’s House, Jan and Paul Crouch’s TBN studios, and Benny Hinn’s annual healing crusades — which makes me wonder why I didn’t attend Billy Graham’s “Metroplex Mission” in October 2002 when I was 12.

Graham had held a crusade at the same Dallas Cowboys stadium 31 years prior (one of its earliest and most sought after names) My mother, who was 12 at the time and living in the area, didn’t attend that one either. At that time, de facto segregation was the rule of schools, churches, and businesses throughout much of the land, so it wouldn’t have occurred to her to attend.

Much of Graham’s preaching focused not on the pressing issues of his time — other than mentioning from time to time the Cold War — but on personal conversion and salvation. This homiletical orientation represented the logic of Southern Baptist ministers and lay people of his generation: Social transformation only comes through individuals “giving their life to Jesus Christ.”

More here-

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/billy-graham-s-legacy-evangelical-pursuit-politics-instead-jesus-ncna850821

Billy Graham Built a Movement. Now His Son Is Dismantling It.

From Politico-

As a young boy growing up in an Episcopal household, I watched Billy Graham at least a dozen times as he preached his straightforward gospel of sin and salvation on national television. I was dazzled by what I later learned to describe as his charisma. He was tall and handsome. There was a sweet urgency in his voice. And he didn’t seem to be hiding anything behind his deep-set blue eyes. So I may be unduly forgiving of his faults. But I still view him as a good man who was ultimately chastened by his chumminess with Nixon, who worked hard to transcend the racism and anti-Semitism that swirled around him as a farm boy in North Carolina, and who understood (at his best) that the Christian message (at its best) is about love rather than fear, inclusion rather than exclusion.

When he spoke to the nation at the post-9/11 memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral, he spoke of evil, but he did not denounce Islam. Throughout his career, Graham was criticized by fundamentalists for working with Catholics and liberal Protestants at his crusades. He prayed with Democratic and Republican presidents. And instead of castigating Christianity’s religious rivals, he focused on preaching Christ. When asked to join in common cause with Jerry Falwell after the foundation of the Moral Majority in 1979, Graham refused to yoke his organization to the cultural wars of the Religious Right and the Republican Party. And almost immediately after saying during a 1993 crusade in Columbus, Ohio, that AIDS might be “a judgment of God,” he retracted those words, telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer a few days later, “I don't believe that and I don't know why I said it. . . . To say God has judged people with AIDS would be very wrong and very cruel. I would like to say that I am very sorry for what I said.”

More here-

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/24/billy-graham-evangelical-decline-franklin-graham-217077

The Rev. Billy Graham's Casket Will 'Lie In Honor' At The Capitol

From NPR-

Throughout his career as a preacher, the Rev. Billy Graham's message of faith drew massive crowds of believers to tents, arenas and stadiums. Next week, mourners will have a final opportunity to turn out for Graham.

His casket will lie in honor in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 1.

The public viewing for the internationally famous spiritual leader who is credited with changing the face of evangelical Christianity in America, was arranged by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Both Republican leaders will deliver remarks.

It is a rare privilege for civilians to be honored in this way, a distinction that usually is reserved for presidents or members of Congress, although they technically lie "in state." The practice changed in 1998 when Congress voted to recognize two Capitol Police officers who died in the line of duty.

More here-

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/22/587981078/the-rev-billy-grahams-casket-will-lie-in-honor-at-the-capitol

and here-

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/02/billy_graham_only_4th_private.html

An Evangelical Saint

From The Weekly Standard-

But Graham’s singular achievement was not in drawing people to his meetings; it was in his challenge to the dominance of midcentury Protestant liberalism. After World War II, attendance in the American churches now known as “mainline”—the Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, Church of Christ, and Disciples of Christ denominations—was at its peak. But cultural prestige and political influence had come at the cost of confessional clarity; the mainline denominations were (as indeed they still are) more interested in keeping up with the fast-evolving morality of our popular culture than in challenging it. By the late 1950s, many Christians were realizing that there wasn’t much point in busying oneself with church if it required no special belief other than a general assent that being good is better than being bad.

Graham showed Americans that Christianity, if it was true at all, placed demands on them, and they had to respond with a yes or a no. He realized that Christian belief wasn’t worth the trouble if it involved no risk and no sacrifice. Jesus’ disciples weren’t martyred for espousing some form of elevated do-goodism; they were martyred for believing that Jesus was the eternal son of God and that he was raised from the dead, bodily and not spiritually or metaphorically, on the third day.

More here-

http://www.weeklystandard.com/an-evangelical-saint/article/2011704

Billy Graham was on the wrong side of history

From The Guardian-

When Billy Graham stands before the judgment seat of God, he may finally realize how badly he failed his country, and perhaps his God. On civil rights and the environmental crisis, the most important issues of his lifetime, he championed the wrong policies.

Graham was on the wrong side of history.

The world’s most famous evangelist let his apocalyptic anticipation of the coming kingdom of God blind him to the realities of living in this world.

For Graham, the Bible had a clear message for Christians living in what he believed were humans’ last days on earth. Individuals alone can achieve salvation; governments cannot. Conversions change behaviors; federal policies do not.

These convictions shaped the evangelist’s views on civil rights.

In the late 1950s, Graham integrated his revivals and seemed to support the burgeoning civil rights movement. This is the Graham most Americans remember.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/21/billy-graham-wrong-side-history?CMP=share_btn_fb

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Curry on the death of the Rev. Billy Graham

From ENS-

The following is a statement from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry on the death of the Rev. Billy Graham, well-known evangelist.

The phrase “a big tent” is often used to suggest gracious openness and respect for varieties and diversities of people and perspectives. It reflects the sentiment of the old spiritual that says, “There’s plenty good room in my Father’s kingdom.”

The crusades and ministry of the Rev. Billy Graham was a big tent, a revival tent — big, gracious, welcoming, and deeply grounded in the love that is the way of Jesus.

Before it was popular or widely accepted, Billy Graham required that his crusades must be interracial without a hint of segregation in the body of Christ at worship. Before the ecumenical movement had really taken hold in the culture, Billy Graham’s crusades were intentionally ecumenical. He was spiritual advisor to presidents and leaders of the nation, from both political parties, from many persuasions. As a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, he related to people of many faiths with genuine respect and a manner of love, reflecting the very spirit and teaching of Jesus.

More here-

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/episcopal-church-presiding-bishop-curry-death-rev-billy-graham

Billy Graham, the Last Nonpartisan Evangelical?

From The New York Times-

It’s difficult to overstate the influence of the Rev. Billy Graham — who died at 99 in his Montreat, N.C., home on Wednesday — on American public life, and indeed the world, over the past century. It’s estimated that the globe-trotting preacher shared the Christian message with 215 million people in more than 185 countries, an effort that resulted in millions of conversions. Life magazine once listed him as one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century, and a Ladies’ Home Journal survey once ranked him as a top figure in “achievements in religion” — second only to God.

But Mr. Graham’s legacy stretches beyond his public influence to his personal integrity. He wasn’t a huckster, which is why you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would speak ill of the man even before his passing.

Mr. Graham died in the house where he lived for decades and was known for wearing modest attire. He lived without a hint of scandal — notoriously faithful to his wife, Ruth — and, according to a biography by Roger Bruns, “his personal finances and that of his organization have been impeccably honest.”

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/opinion/billy-graham-nonpartisan-evangelical.html

Billy Graham, America's pastor, has died

From USA Today- (Additional links below)

The world's best-known evangelist, the Rev. Billy Graham, has died. He was 99.

From the gangly 16-year-old baseball-loving teen who found Christ at a tent revival, Graham went on to become an international media darling, a preacher to a dozen presidents and the voice of solace in times of national heartbreak. He was America's pastor.

Graham retired to his mountain home at Montreat, N.C., in 2005 after nearly six decades on the road calling people to Christ at 417 all-out preaching and musical events from Miami to Moscow. His final New York City crusade in 2005 was sponsored by 1,400 regional churches from 82 denominations.

"Billy Graham grew up in what most would consider humble, ordinary beginnings but because he yielded himself to God, he was used to accomplish the extraordinary — forever impacting the lives of countless people," said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

More here-

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/21/billy-graham-americas-pastor-has-died/858017001/

and here-

http://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/evangelist-billy-graham-dies-99/story?id=53241650 

and here-

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/21/rev-billy-graham-prominent-christian-evangelist-dead-at-99-fox-news-confirms.html

and here-

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/billy-graham-1918/

and here-

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/billy-graham-america-s-pastor-dead-age-99-n701276

The Sin of Tolerance

From Christianity Today-

This article originally appeared in the February 2, 1959 issue of Christianity Today.

Billy Graham's ministry to the big cities, widened in its outreach by radio and television, is one of the outstanding contributions to the resurgence of evangelical Christianity in our generation. His radio message on "The Sin of Tolerance" has been especially blessed. Reprints are available from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis.

One of the pet words of this age is "tolerance." It is a good word, but we have tried to stretch it over too great an area of life. We have applied it too often where it does not belong. The word "tolerant" means "liberal," "broad-minded," "willing to put up with beliefs opposed to one's convictions," and "the allowance of something not wholly approved."

Tolerance, in one sense, implies the compromise of one's convictions, a yielding of ground upon important issues. Hence, over-tolerance in moral issues has made us soft, flabby and devoid of conviction.

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/octoberweb-only/graham-sermon-sin-of-tolerance.html

Ecumenical History Under the Radar

From Sojourners-

The same week that President Donald Trump was meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, another historic event was taking place, as the Global Christian Forum facilitated a groundbreaking encounter with major global bodies representing most every part of world Christianity.

The unprecedented meeting — which gathered leaders from the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, the Pentecostal World Fellowship, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity to talk, eat, plan, and pray together — was the result of groundwork laid over decades.

In 1955, Billy Graham, already well known as a young evangelist, traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with Willem Visser ‘t Hooft, the first general secretary of the newly formed World Council of Churches. A picture in the lobby of the WCC’s Ecumenical Institute at the Chateau de Bossey, where last month’s meeting was held, shows Graham and Visser ‘t Hooft meeting and talking over coffee. But in the years following, relationships between the WCC and the evangelical community went south.

More here-

https://sojo.net/articles/ecumenical-history-under-radar?utm_content=buffer18202&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Q&A: Billy Graham biographer talks about impact of Charlotte-born evangelist

From Charlotte NC-

Q Some Anglican publications have picked up something else that’s new with your book. Apparently, Billy Graham, you write, said that if he had it to do all over again, he’d be an “evangelical Anglican.” First, what is an evangelical Anglican?

A I’m not so sure, either.

Q In his crusades, he seemed to have little use for high-church rituals, bells, incense. Did he change later in life?

A I think that, in principle, he was intrigued by ritual and liturgy. He also had some very warm words to say about Greek Orthodox (worship) later in life. I think this was a genuine statement, but it was in principle. In fact, I don’t ever see him really engaging in any kind of a high-church tradition except ecumenically. He attended most of the World Council of Churches meetings. He had many Catholic friends. But I think this was more of – maybe not fantasy, but a self-image (thing).

Read more here:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/11/06/5297102/qa-billy-graham-biographer-talks.html#storylink=cpy

65 years ago, Altoona was Billy Graham's crucible

From Altoona-

In the fall of 1949, the Rev. Billy Graham led an eight-week series of revival meetings in Los Angeles, drawing multitudes and making converts of celebrities and commoners. He rocketed into the headlines and hasn't left them since, even today at age 95 and in frail health.

But there almost was no Los Angeles, no epochal career preaching to hundreds of millions as the 20th century's dominant personality in evangelical Christianity.

Sixty-five years ago this month, before most people had ever heard of him, Rev. Graham's evangelistic career was nearly buried here in the Central Pennsylvania railroad hub of Altoona.

A look back at Billy Graham's 1949 revival in Altoona

Before Rev. Billy Graham's 1949 triumph in Los Angeles, he had to endure two difficult weeks with a revival in Altoona.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/06/22/altoona-billy-graham-1949-revival/stories/201406220099#ixzz35Mc3SbbO

Billy Graham hospitalized with respiratory problems

From USAToday-

The Rev. Billy Graham has been taken to a hospital in Asheville, N.C., with respiratory problems, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

"Mr. Graham is in the hospital with a respiratory congestion issue, similar to what he had a few weeks ago," Mark DeMoss said. "As was the case then, we expect he will be able to return home in a day or two."

Graham, who celebrated his 95th birthday earlier this month with a party in Asheville, was taken to Mission Hospital.

Graham's birthday celebration featured hundreds of well-wishers and what is being characterized as his final sermon.

More here-

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/20/rev-bill-graham-hospitalized/3650707/

Evangelist Billy Graham being treated in North Carolina hospital for bronchitis

From NBC-

Evangelist Billy Graham is being treated at a North Carolina hospital for bronchitis, officials said Sunday.

Graham, 93, was admitted overnight to Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., near his home in Montreat, for evaluation and treatment of a pulmonary infection. He was resting comfortably Sunday and his condition was stable, the hospital said in a statement.

David Pucci, the pulmonologist treating Graham, said earlier that Graham was being given antibiotics.

"This morning, Mr. Graham watched his grandson, Will Graham, on television preaching at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C. Later, he enjoyed a visit from his daughter, Gigi, and one of his grandchildren. They ate lunch together and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon," Graham's spokesman, A. Larry Ross, said in a statement.

More here-

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/12/13243958-evangelist-billy-graham-being-treated-in-north-carolina-hospital-for-bronchitis?lite

Billy Graham lands in hospital

From the Charlotte Observer-

Evangelist Billy Graham was resting comfortably Wednesday night in an Asheville hospital after being admitted with a possible case of pneumonia.

A statement from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said Graham was admitted Wednesday morning to Mission Hospital for respiratory problems. It's Graham's fifth hospital stay since 2007. In May, he spent five days at Mission, also for pneumonia.

Pulmonologist Mark Hellreich was treating the 93-year-old Graham.

Larry Ross, Graham's longtime spokesman, said the evangelist recently developed a cough, congestion and a slight fever. Doctors decided to keep Graham overnight for observation as a precaution.

According to the statement, Graham was alert when he was admitted, smiling and waving at hospital employees.

Meanwhile in Charlotte, several well-wishers gathered at the Billy Graham Library to pray for his recovery.

Read more:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/01/2816851/billy-graham-lands-in-hospital.html#ixzz1fIHDubXW

Legendary evangelist Billy Graham, 92, treated for pneumonia at North Carolina hospital

From The New York Daily News-

Evangelist Billy Graham was resting comfortably in a North Carolina hospital Wednesday night where doctors were treating him for pneumonia that hampered his breathing.

Spokesman Larry Ross said Graham's medical team doesn't believe his condition is life threatening.

Two of his children - Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz - had no plans Wednesday to return early from mission trips overseas, Ross said.

The 92-year-old high-profile preacher, who has met or ministered to every US president since 1950, was rushed to Mission Hospital in Asheville near his home early Wednesday after suffering what Ross called "a pulmonary challenge" overnight.

He "had episodes of sweating and coughing," Ross said. "He had a slight fever and experienced difficulty breathing. But he was never in any distress or in an acute situation."

Initial testing suggested pneumonia but diagnostic studies showed Graham's heart was heart was normal.

Read more:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/05/12/2011-05-12_legendary_evangelist_billy_graham_92_treated_for_pneumonia_at_north_carolina_hos.html#ixzz1M8pSH8c6

The Economist on Rick Warren as Billy Graham's successor

What I like about Rick Warren is his desire to be involved in the great social issues of our day. That would be issues plural not some narrow agenda. I also seem to remember him saying that he would work side by side with those who have the same mission regardless of theological differences.

"This required entrepreneurial skills of a high order. Mr Graham founded two of the most powerful organisations in post-war evangelicalism, Christianity Today and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Mr Warren has become a one-man dispenser of “purpose”. More than 400,000 pastors have attended his seminars on the “purpose-driven church”, and more than 30m people have bought his book, “The Purpose-Driven Life”. Mr Graham has preached to some 215m people in 185 countries. Mr Warren, though not yet in that league, is also going global, not only with his preaching but also with his charitable work. He is now emphasising poverty, HIV-AIDS, global warming and overseas aid."

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11920933

A Time magazine piece about his social work is here

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1830147,00.html