Eckhart Tolle

William Franklin Graham (November 7, 1918), also known as Billy Graham, was an evangelical-Christian preacher. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.

early years

Son of the marriage between William Franklin Graham I and Morrow Coffey. He has Scottish Irish ancestry. Billy was the eldest of four brothers.

In the United States there was a time when dry law was established; for 1933, when this after several years comes to an end, Billy’s father forces him and his sister Katherine to drink so much beer, to the point of vomiting. This experience caused both teenagers to create a revulsion towards drugs and liquor.

I study in the Sharon High School.

When Billy Graham wanted to be part of the youth group of a church in his town, but was rejected because its members considered him too mundane. By 1937 he studied at the Florida Bible Institute (Trinity College of Florida High School). He also studied and graduated in 1943, with a degree in anthropology at Wheaton College.

The beginning

Billy served in 1943 as pastor of the village church in Illinois. The following year, a friend told the pastor that his radio program would be canceled due to lack of funds, that’s when Billy, after talking with the members of his church, makes the decision to work in the radio ministry.

Modest Manifesto: Pence Rule

In 1948, Graham and his evangelical group created the code of ethics for life and work, “Modest Manifesto” (Pence rule). This code was born so that evangelical followers could protect themselves against financial, power and sexual accusations. That code has several rules that must be carried out:

– Collect offerings in churches.

– Work only with churches that support cooperative evangelism.

– Use official estimates

– never be alone with another woman that is not your wife, unless there is another person with them.

At the age of 29, Billy becomes president of the Christian-evangelical college Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. He worked at the university until 1952.

After World War II, he joined Youth for Christ (co-founded Charles Templeton and Torrey Johnson). Postwar, Billy travels throughout the United States and Europe preaching.

Its recognition increased thanks to the Los Angeles crusades in 1949. This event lasted eight weeks and was covered by the country’s media. Graham carried out more than 400 crusades, in approximately 185 countries; it is said that all this was in the six continents.

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

He was the founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (AEBG). The association was present in various media:

  • “Hour Of Decision”: a weekly program which was broadcast around the world and was on the air for more than 50 years.
  • Specials on TV.
  • “My Answer”: a column in different newspapers in the United States.
  • “Decision”: an official magazine of the AEBG.
  • “Christianity Today”: a Christian magazine that first came out in 1956.
  • Passageway.org: website of a children’s program of the AEBG.
  • “World Wide Picture”: film producer.

Billy Graham was accompanied by several famous figures, and among those, 12 are presidents of the United States. Shared with: George H.W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Harry Truman, Queen Isabel, mother teresa, John Paul II, Barack Obama, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedyamong others.

In 1969, he participated as a guest in the television program of Woody Allen. The chapter took place between a talk on theology.

The preacher wrote 33 books, which were translated into 40 languages. The books published by Billy Graham are:

  • “Calling Youth to Christ” (1947).
  • “America’s Hour of Decision” (1951).
  • “I Saw Your Sons at War” (1953).
  • “Peace with God” (1953).
  • “Freedom from the Seven Deadly Sins” (1955).
  • “The Secret of Happiness” (1955).
  • “Billy Graham Talks to Teenagers” (1958).
  • “My Answer” (1960).
  • “Billy Graham Answers Your Questions” (1960).
  • “World Aflame” (1965).
  • “The Challenge” (1969).
  • “The Jesus Generation” (1971).
  • Angels: God’s Secret Agents (1975).
  • “How to Be Born Again” (1977).
  • “The Holy Spirit” (1978).
  • “Till Armageddon” (1981).
  • “Approaching Hoofbeats” (1983).
  • “A Biblical Standard for Evangelists” (1984).
  • “Under the Hills” (1986).
  • “Facing Death and the Life After” (1987).
  • “Answers to Life’s Problems” (1988).
  • “Hope for the Troubled Heart” (1991).
  • “Storm Warning” (1992).
  • “Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham” (1997).
  • “Hope for Each Day” (2002).
  • “The Key to Personal Peace” (2003).
  • “Living in God’s Love: The New York Crusade” (2005).
  • “The Journey: How to Live by Faith in an Uncertain World” (2006).
  • “Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well” (2011).

Personal life

Billy married Ruth Bell in 1920. He met Ruth while studying at Wheaton College. His wife Ruth Bell Graham passed away in 2007.

The marriage had five children: Virginia, Anne, Ruth, Franklin and Nelson. Billy had 19 grandchildren, 44 great grandchildren, or 9 great great grandchildren.

Billy Graham was against preaching in places where the audience was divided between “black and white people.” Because of this, Billy was considered a civil rights activist. But it was somewhat curious, since his fight was intermittent, since in certain places he argued for the fight against segregation and they refused to preach, but in others he preached as if the public were not divided, he turned a blind eye and said that “The Bible had nothing to say about segregation.” Years later, he returned to declare himself against segregation and racism. Paid bail for release Martin Luther King Jr., After that, he invites him to meet with him in a campaign.

Graham is accused of being an anti-Semite after some conversations and statement he had with Richard Nixon 30 years ago. All this can be seen in “The Richard Nixon Tapes”.

Billy Graham: Diseases and Death

The preacher retired due to his health problems. Billy Graham began to suffer from Parkinson’s. He also suffered from other problems with his health: pneumonia, prostate cancer, hip fractures and hydrocephalus.

Billy Graham died of natural causes at the age of 99on February 21, 2018 in Montreat, North Carolina, United States.

After his passing, Graham had a tribute at the Capitol Rotunda from United States.

Eckhart Tolle