| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15 |
| WILLIAM FRANKLIN (BILLY) GRAHAM BY DR. JAD JAMAL KHALAF INTRODUCTION The Reverend Dr. William Franklin (Billy) Graham has had a tremendous amount of impact on the history of Christianity. In fact, “William Franklin Graham has received more publicity in his lifetime than almost any other public figure of the 20th Century, including Presidents, Kings, Queens, Generals and Entertainers.” It is so amazing that one individual can have as much impact on the world as Billy Graham has had. This paper will include information dealing with Billy Graham’s own writings as well as other authors who wrote about the life and ministry of Billy Graham. EARLY YEARS On the morning of November 7, 1918, William Franklin (Billy) Graham entered the world around 5:30 P.M. He was born to Mr. and Mrs. W. Frank Graham of Charlotte, North Carolina. At the age of 16, Billy Graham attended a great evangelistic campaign at which he gave his life to Jesus. At the young age of nineteen, he had an urge to devote his time to the ministry of preaching. This would only be the beginning of a life that would be filled with traveling, preaching, and touching lives all around the world. In the fall of 1949, in a circus tent in Los Angeles, California, publicity about Evangelist Billy Graham’s preaching made him famous. This definitely struck the spark that would begin to set revival fires all across America and eventually outside of the United States. From then on, Billy Graham’s ministry of evangelism would literally take him all over the world. IMPACT ON THE WORLD Tens of millions of people of all ages around the world have heard Billy Graham preach. Hundreds of millions of people have seen him on televison or have heard him on the radio. Millions have read his books. All this makes him one of the most known men in the world today. Time after time, Billy Graham has stood up and preached about the salvation plan that God has for mankind. “Did He (Jesus) die for you?”, Graham asks and then responds, “John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’” Billy Graham’s messages from God are “pertinent to every man in every nation on the face of the globe.” Freezing snow, blistering winds, pouring rain, blazing sun, long lines of people, horrible traffic jams, walking long distance, standing outside, sitting in tents, standing up inside, and everything else imaginable does not prevent people from all around the world and from every walk of life. IMPACT ON EVANGELISTS Billy Graham has a heart for fellow ministers. Graham has written books designed especially for ministers. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1983, Billy Graham held the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists. In the history of the Christian Church, there had never been a conference like that one. Itinerant and/or traveling evangelists from many nations on every continent in the world were in attendance. The reason for this gigantic kind of conference is for fellow evangelists to inspire one another, have fellowship with each other, share their practical instructions with fellow evangelists, and to develop their own affirmations. This particular conference produced fifteen affirmations in which more than four thousand itinerant evangelists all together affirmed each affirmation as it was presented. This is just one way, though it is a big way, that Billy Graham has influenced and encouraged evangelists year after year. Deep down inside Billy Graham, there is definitely a spot in his heart for the men who are traveling and have been called to the ministry of evangelism. For years and years to come, evangelists will continue to be inspired by this great man of God. IMPACT ON SOCIETY Throughout the years of his ministry, Billy Graham has answered thousands upon thousands of people’s questions that have been addressed to him in his daily newspaper column called “My Answer.” No doubt, people have problems all over the world. There are many unhappy people as well as happy people who ask for help in solving their problems. Young people, single people, young married couples, grown adults, and elderly people have all written to Graham and have asked him questions. Graham collected many different letters, put them under certain topics, and wrote them down in a book called My Answers. This book deals with a wide range of topics, such as the following: “When Trouble Enters Your Home,” “Solving Problems on the Job,” “How To Make Wrong Things Right,” “When You Face the Sunset Years,” “I Wonder About Salvation,” “The End of the World,” and a host of other topics. Along with My Answers, Billy Graham also wrote another book titled Billy Graham Answers Your Questions. “Hearts are broken, the way seems lost,” says Graham, “but the basic needs of the human heart remain the same.” In Billy Graham Answers Your Questions, topics such as “Tell Us Like It Is”, “The Value of Science”, “The First 20 Years are the Hardest”, “The Better Life”, as well as other topics are discussed. When answering the questions that are sent to him, Billy Graham consults with well- known professors of psychology, philosophy, and sociology but he always returns to the Bible for the basis of his answer. IMPACT ON RADIO, TELEVISION, AND MOVIES Billy Graham has definitely had a tremendous impact on radio, television, and movies. His organization, known as The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has had a hand in most everything that Billy Graham has done. Before his Evangelistic Association was founded, Billy Graham was on the radio spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Eventually, Billy Graham would have a coast-to-coast radio program named “The Hour of Decision.” Soon after deciding to go on the radio waves, Graham made the decision to work for Youth for Christ organization. This was a big step in the young life of Evangelist Billy Graham. If life was not already moving at a fast pace rate, Billy Graham was faced with the decision to go on Sunday’s network television that would be seen by millions of people from coast-to-coast. Later on, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association would begin producing feature Christian films/movies that would air nationwide. All of these decisions definitely had an impact over the air waves. IMPACT ON WRITERS As already mentioned, Billy Graham is one of the best known men alive today. Books after books have been written about him. One need only to type in the name Billy Graham in order to find a host of authors who have devoted their time and writing to learn more about the Evangelist who has shaken the world for Jesus Christ. One writer says, “Just about everybody who meets Billy Graham personally becomes aware that there is something very different about him.” Chuck Ashman, author of The Gospel According to Billy, seems to be a bit critical if Billy Graham. Though Ashman’s book is critical of Billy Graham, at the end Ashman says, “Despite bad lungs, prostate trouble, and phlebitis, Billy appears indestructible, at least compared to others.” For over thirty years, David Frost has spent time getting to know Billy Graham. From the 1960s all the way to the 1990s, Frost aired his conversations with Billy Graham on television. It then is no surprise that Frost collected much of what he had learned and wrote a book called Billy Graham: Personal Thoughts of a Public Man. Charles W. Dullea, S.J., who wrote A Catholic Looks At Billy Graham. Dullea is a moderately conservative Catholic theologian. Dullea looks at and weighs the beliefs, aims, and methods of the world’s best known Christian Evangelist by the name of Billy Graham. The following is a list of some other books about Billy Graham: My Neighbors, the Billy Grahams by Betty Frist, Those Who Came Forward by Curtis Mitchell, The Unheard Billy Graham by David Lockard, and Billy Graham and the New York Crusade by George Burnham and Lee Fisher. These are just a handful of the many, many writers who have authored books on or about Billy Graham. The list could go on and on for quite a while. CONCLUDING REMARKS Since 1947, Billy Graham has held crusades. Michigan, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, and other states in America have had Billy Crusades. London, Switzerland, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ruanda-Urundi, France, Germany, along with many other nations and countries have also been the site of and heard the preaching of Evangelist Billy Graham. It is no question that Billy Graham, who is still alive today, will have an impact on the many generations to come. Videos, books, tapes, compact disks, and other items will be around for the future generations to listen to, watch, and even have the opportunity to hear the Plan of Salvation. God’s Word, the Holy Bible, does not and will not go void. The voice of Billy Graham can be heard echoing in these following words by him: “Something deep down inside of you is speaking to you, urging you, telling you that you need to come down tonight. It’s the Holy Spirit, wooing you to give your life over to Christ, who died for your sins. You may never have another moment like this one. If you do not come tonight, you may never come.” |
| Dr. Jad Khalaf |