As a child I remember seeing the
photos of Billy Graham on the covers of Décision,
the French edition of Decision Magazine
in our living room. Later my father joined the Board of Trustees of the Billy
Graham Association, a position he held until his death in 2009. In the 1980s
Billy Graham would call our home once or twice a year to ask my father for advice
on pertinent issues.
From 1997 to 2001 I researched
and wrote a Ph.D. dissertation on Billy Graham’s theology of evangelism. It was
during these times of gathering books, articles, and sermons that I began to grasp
the worldwide impact of this man. It is amazing to consider how God could use the
determination, calling, and giftedness of one man who preached his first
revival in Palatka, Florida in 1937.
It is hard to capture the
overall impact of Billy Graham. Likely more people heard the biblical gospel emitted
by his vocal cords than any other living human. Dr. Graham was aggressive in
using the latest communicative technology to preach the gospel. It is very likely
that the verbal spiritual impact of Graham may only be exceeded by the words on
the pages of the millions of Bibles printed by the many Bible societies of the
world.
When considering the legacy of
Billy Graham, five highlights come to mind.
- Moral Uprightness
In 1937, it is said that the Graham
team gathered at the peach farm of Cliff Barrow’s father. Graham asked them to
consider all the ways that evangelists had fallen in the past. They came up
with a list of four pitfalls:
- Sexual Immorality
- Exaggerating Numbers
- Speaking Negatively of the Lord’s Anointed
- Financial Indiscretion
As Graham’s ministry is
considered from the hindsight of 80 years, God protected this man and his
evangelism team from any of these pitfalls. What an example and legacy to God’s
faithfulness!
- Gospel Focus
Graham’s ministry did not drift
from a focus on the ministry of the gospel. When some of his contemporaries
drifted from a biblical priority, Graham did not. Others in his early entourage
shifted into social ministry. Not Graham. He continued preaching a biblical
gospel far into his 80 years of evangelism ministry.
- Evangelistic Priority
Hand-in-hand with an emphasis on
a ministry of the gospel is the evangelistic priority of Billy Graham. His
priority remained the spiritual needs of those to whom he was called. While his
organization began to support humanitarian ministry after 1975, the greater majority
of the funding sent to the Billy Graham Association supported spiritual
ministry.
- Cooperative Agenda
Cooperation between
Bible-believing Christians became an enthusiastic focus of Graham crusades. His
love for God’s people in various denominations provides an ongoing legacy that Graham
championed. While ecumenism may be considered a concern in Graham’s ministry,
Graham wanted to focus on love over doctrinal particularities.
- Biblical Basis
Perhaps the most important
legacy of Graham was the often repeated statement in his preaching, “The Bible
says…” Beginning from his early ministry, Graham would punctuate his sermons
with citations of the Bible. “The Word of God says…” “The Bible says…” No one
who heard Graham could be unsure that his source of authority and his source of
power in preaching was the Bible.
Perhaps this last legacy is his
greatest legacy. Graham preached with an undaunted commitment to the authority
and power of the Bible. As we mourn the passing of Billy Graham today, may
there be many who follow his example of an unashamed commitment to the Word of
God.
