Billy Graham

:For other uses, see Billy Graham (disambiguation) and Bill Graham.

Biography

He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Raised as a Presbyterian, Billy Graham made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ in 1934 during a revival meeting conducted by Mordecai Ham. Graham was ordained in 1939 by a Southern Baptist church. After graduating Sharon High School in May 1936,Graham attended Bob Jones College (Now Bob Jones University) before transfering. Graham graduated from the Florida Bible Institute, now called Trinity College of Florida, in 1940 and graduated from Wheaton College in 1943. It was during his time at Wheaton that Graham decided to take the Bible as the infallible "word of God." Henrietta Mears of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood was instrumental in helping Graham wrestle with the infallibility issue, which was settled at Forest Home Christian camp (now called Forest Home Ministries) southeast of the Big Bear area in Southern California. A simple memorial there still marks the site of Graham's decision. He also married Ruth Bell, whose parents were Christian missionary doctors in China. He and his wife have three daughters, two sons (including Franklin Graham, who now administers his organization), 20 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.

Related Topics:
Charlotte, North Carolina - Presbyterian - 1934 - Mordecai Ham - 1939 - Sharon High School - 1936 - Bob Jones University - Trinity College of Florida - Wheaton College - 1943 - Bible - Infallible - Henrietta Mears - Presbyterian - Hollywood - Big Bear area - California - Ruth Bell - Missionary - China - Franklin Graham

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Graham joined Youth for Christ after graduating from Wheaton. He traveled throughout the United States and Europe as an evangelist. Graham scheduled a series of missions in Los Angeles in 1949. The missions went on for 8 weeks after being originally schedule for only 3 weeks. This happened on many other of his early missions. He had missions in London which lasted 12 weeks, and a New York City mission in Madison Square Garden in 1957 which ran nightly for 16 weeks.

Related Topics:
Youth for Christ - United States - Europe - Los Angeles - 1949 - London - New York City - Madison Square Garden - 1957

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According to Ben Bagdikian's The Media Monopoly, Graham was catapulted out of obscurity by news moguls William Randolph Hearst and Henry Luce who thought that Graham would be helpful in promoting their conservative anti-communist views. Hearst sent a telegram to his editors reading "Puff Graham" and they did, putting him on the cover of TIME in 1954.

Related Topics:
Ben Bagdikian - The Media Monopoly - William Randolph Hearst - Henry Luce - TIME

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Dr. Graham served as the President of Northwestern College in Minnesota from 1948 to 1952. He founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, headquartered in Minneapolis. The Association later relocated to Charlotte, N.C. BGEA Ministries have included:

Related Topics:
Northwestern College - Minnesota - 1948 - 1952 - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association - Minneapolis

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• Hour of Decision, a weekly radio program broadcast around the world for over 50 years
• Mission television specials which are regularly broadcast in prime time in almost every market in the U.S. and Canada
• A newspaper column, My Answer, carried by newspapers across the United States
• Decision magazine, the official publication of the Association
• passageway.org, the teen website of the BGEA
• World Wide Pictures, which has produced and distributed over 130 productions

On June 24, 2005, Billy Graham began what he has said will be his last North American Crusade, at Flushing Meadows Park in New York City. Graham said that this was due to his failing health. He has suffered from Parkinsons Disease for about 15 years, has had fluid on the brain, pneumonia, broken hips, and recently revealed that he is suffering from prostate cancer. In August, 2005, a frail Graham appeared at the groundbreaking for his library in Charlotte, North Carolina. At 86, Rev. Graham was forced to use a walker to get around during the ceremony.

Related Topics:
June 24 - 2005 - Flushing Meadows Park

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Politically, and perhaps quite surprising to many, Graham is a registered (if somewhat nominal) Democrat; but he is still very close to the powerful Bush family.

Related Topics:
Democrat - Bush family

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