RIP: US Evangelist Billy Graham.

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Religion never was my thing but I'm sure this may interest some folks. If I recall as a child I was taken with the family to one of his outdoor conventions back in the 1970's.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43142263
Regards,
Jay.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
My family trooped down to the big lakefront convention center in Chicago to hear Rev. Graham in the late fifties. The crowd was vast and we were shuffled into another vast side room where we heard the speech/sermon via microphones, and of course I'd seen him, and saw him, many times later on TV. I was impressed at the reception when they passed the big popcorn buckets for offering. My family was long instated in a local established church, so we weren't "saved" into Rev. Graham's particular style of Christianity, but we were certainly interested in the magnitude. Many years later, my dad, still going to the family church for sixty some years or more, liked to travel to one or two mega-churches, and even took me to one, just to sample a different version and style of worship. I think even Rev. Graham realized later in life that, in trying to minister to Presidents and other high level politicians, he had perhaps gotten too close to their political positions, as tapes with Nixon and LBJ suggest. But Billy launched religion on TV in the media age and rose above at least most of the scandals generated around other men of the cloth. His wholesomeness, though sometimes grating in the face of difficult times and issues, seemed to help many people find a centered and positive place in their lives, and for that he can be respected and remembered.

 

molach95

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 19, 2017
108
2
I think my grandmother actually went to one of his outdoor conventions when he visited Scotland. She wasn't evangelical by any means but he had enough of an impact that even a staunch traditional Presbyterian like her wanted to at least have that experience.

 

smittyd

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2018
830
907
45
Pennsylvania
Very sad to hear of his passing . My Grandparents went to many of his sermons. He was a good man for sure.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
I might not personally be a success at religion, but it seems to be a source of joy, comfort, and incentive toward good behavior for many people. Leaders like Reverend Graham and Shmuley Boteach strike me as the future of religion: reminding people that they have to get over themselves and do some good before any touch of the divine will grace them.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
He even visited my remote minicountry, Faroe Islands, sometime in the nineties I think. I'm not interested in the stuff, but still got the clear impression that he was an honorable man. Not all evangelical preachers are.

 

midwestpipesmoker70

Can't Leave
Nov 28, 2011
431
433
IL
He is the only "tv" evangelist that I could listen to (not that I normally sit and watch them) and really comes off to me as a man of integrity. I read his autobiography which was very interesting and really showed what kind of man he is. Rest in Peace.

 

joeman

Can't Leave
Mar 6, 2016
310
36
South Carolina
While there are many poor examples out there claiming to represent the gospel...Billy Graham was not only preaching the good news, but his life was a real example of it. I promise I'm not looking to start a forum-prohibited religious debate...but one quick response just to balance a previous post above. Billy's sole message (the gospel) is not one that demands you do some good before any touch of the divine will grace you...in fact, it's quite the opposite. The strongest example is the apostle Paul, (penned about half the new testament) who was actively persecuting and killing Christians when he met Christ. The ensuing radical change in his life was the result.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
I forgot to mention, of my experience (I was aged about 11 - 12) all I can really recall of the event was nearly falling into one of the hastily dug field latrines that were built for the event. It was my first experience of using such a 'convenience'......I'll never forget it.
Now that did put the fear of god into me I can tell you..........
Regards,
Jay.

 

mahew

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 30, 2017
116
40
Kentucky Hills and Hollers
Something I have observed in my lifetime has been the unwillingness of people to openly discuss politics and religion. Arguably two of the most important things in our lives. I am not trying to be political or preachy here, but I find it interesting that we have become a society that is uncomfortable with our ability to share and understand differing opinions. How can we possibly begin to understand each other without intelligent discussion? Sorry if this is a little off topic, but it got me thinking....
R.I.P.

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,213
SE PA USA
I was raised Jewish. We had a wonderful babysitter who had worked on the farm that later became the subdivision that I grew up in. She was in her late 60's, and lived in a tidy little trailer behind the big house that she had raised her family in, and given to one of her kids when she got married. I spent many afternoons in that wonderful, cozy trailer, sitting on the floor watching Billy Graham with her and my my sister. I was too young to understand his message, but not too young to understand that he was a good man.

 
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
I believe Billy Graham was truly a man of integrity and who not only cared about what was going on in the world at any particular time of his long ministry, but individual people as well. He has influenced world leaders throughout the decades of half the last century and well into this century. That's really something. May he rest in peace.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,206
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
A good run has come to an end. A gentle man, tolerant of others with an unswerving belief in right and wrong. A man of God, who understood a democracy could not survive without a firm understanding of right and wrong.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,206
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
A good run has come to an end. A gentle man, tolerant of others with an unswerving belief in right and wrong. A man of God, who understood a democracy could not survive without a firm understanding of right and wrong. No situational ethics for him!

 

oldtoby

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2011
798
341
Rest in peace, Billy.
As Steve said, Heaven added another bright star.

 

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
13,140
21,409
77
Olathe, Kansas
Graham was one of the truly great preachers of our time. He was a man blessed with honor and integrity. I was raised Catholic but Graham was the greatest speaker of the Gospel I ever heard. Rest in Peace, Reverend Billy.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
Two of Christianity's biggest blows have come to pass. The death of Pope John Paul 2 and now Billy Graham. I'm sure Graham was given a standing ovation as he walked though the gates of heaven.

 
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