Billy Graham Dead at 99

Called ‘America’s Pastor’

Christian evangelical minister Billy Graham, who advised presidents from Truman to Obama, is dead at the age of 99. He claimed to have spoken live to over 200 million people in nearly every country around the globe, and billions via his broadcasts, making him the most powerful preacher of the 20th century. Graham started speaking to live mass audiences in 1947, via his Billy Graham Crusades.

Graham retired to the family’s home in North Carolina in 2005, but in 2012, as NCRM was first to report, Graham endorsed Mitt Romney for president then scrubbed his website of statements calling the Mormon religion a cult.

“A cult is any group which teaches doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of the Christian faith. It is very important that we recognize cults and avoid any involvement with them,” Graham’s site stated. “Some of these groups are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spiritists, Scientologists, and others.”

Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, took a far different path from his father, choosing to spread divisiveness and hate, especially against the LGBT community and Muslims. He has fully aligned himself with President Donald Trump.

Billy Graham also denounced homosexuality, but did not build his career around doing so. In 2012 the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, run, by Franklin Graham, ran full page ads using Billy Graham’s image to ask North Carolinians to vote against same-sex marriage in the Tar Heel state.

Image by Paul M. Walsh via Wikimedia and a CC license