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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Reflection Essay: “Billy Graham’s America”
Submitted to Dr. Russell Woodbridge, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the completion of any course
THEO 650-D01
Public Theology
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Billy Graham is a well-known Evangelist who has preached the Gospel to a large
number of people, across different parts of the globe. His life and ministry act as a
source of inspiration for Christians and people belonging to other religious backgrounds.
He has contributed to Christianity by reaching out to millions of people through
meetings, such as Mission World as well as Global Mission. In order to spread the
message of Jesus Christ, Graham has also used diverse communication mediums such as
television, radio, and webcasts to encourage people to live with Christ
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.
Throughout his life, Graham has served as an influential Christian leader who has spread
the message of Jesus Christ. He has used Bible as the main instrument to guide people
towards the path of Christ and Christianity. Due to his immense contribution to
Christianity, he is considered to be a household name. At a very young age he became
the pastor of the United Gospel Tabernacle. Once he had taken the path that Jesus
Christ had shown him, there was no looking back for him. He took part in a diverse
range of preaching engagements and ministry activities. He used these opportunities to
make people aware of Jesus Christ and the important role that he plays for mankind.
One of the most inspiring things about Billy Graham was that he was a highly
compassionate and loving human being. By using the Gospel he wanted to save most of
the people by exposing them to Jesus Christ. In order to make sure that his message
reached to ar and wide audience he penned approximately 33 books. Through his books
and ministry he has transformed the lives of millions of people.
I believe that the work of Graham is highly inspiring and motivating, He has shown
that a single person has the power to connect Jesus Christ with hundreds and thousands
1
"Billy Graham". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Last modified 2021. https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-
graham/.
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of people, belonging to diverse faiths and backgrounds. One of the main highlights of
Graham’s ministry revolved around the simplicity with which he preached. It can be
considered to be a strength as well as a weakness. I consider his simplicity to be a
major strength. In fact, due to this simplicity, Bully Graham was able to form a deep
connection with people, belonging to diverse religions and cultures. Some people have
been critical of Billy Graham. One of the critics is the American philosopher Francis
Shaeffer. According to him, due to the simple preaching style that was adopted by
Graham, he was not able to build a secure and solid foundation for his audience
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spite of having a fair share of critics, the contribution and dedicated work of Graham
cannot be negated. e
One of the most inspiring things about Billy Graham is that throughout his life as well
as ministry he tried to touch the lives of people personally, racially, religiously as well
as politically. During his ministry, Graham started to speak out against serious issues
that had been segregating the society such as racial prejudice, as well as divisions in the
churches
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. HIs ultimate message was simple that God loved everyone. He even tried to
extend a helping hand to sinners so that they could take the righteous path and become
closer to Jesus Christ. He emphasized John 3:16, a famous verse from the Bible while
inspiring sinners. The verse states that ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ This
implied that the Almighty loved each and every creation that he had made, including
sinners.
2
"The Dissatisfaction Of Francis Schaeffer, Part 2". Christianitytoday.Com, Last modified 2021.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/march3/7t322b.html.
3
Bruns, Roger. Billy Graham: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
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The message that Billy Graham shared about Christianity was inspiring as well as
impactful. By simply using the Gospel and the Bible, Graham helped people to get
closer to Jesus Christ and understand his message. Due to his dedicated work over the
past decades, he was able to inspire hundreds of young and women to pursue a career
in Christian ministry
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. Graham did not believe in the divisions that existed in the
society. While working in his ministry, he made sure to work with everyone including
liberals, Catholics and people belonging to other communities
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.
In the current times, when there exist various kinds of elements that cause division
among people, the value of Billy Graham’s work is immense. In fact, it is necessary for
people to remember the valuable path that Graham showed throughout his life and
ministry. Instead of moving towards the path of wrongdoing, people need to take
inspiration from the selfless work of Billy Graham. By listening to his message, they
can be inspired to get close to Jesus Christ and follow the righteous path that he has
laid down for mankind.
Billy Graham’s work and contribution stand out in the vast Christian landscape. This is
because he was able to share the message of Jesus Christ across millions of people
across the world. Due to his impactful teachings, people flooded to arenas, meetings and
engagement centres where he was sharing his knowledge. I personally believe that Billy
Graham’s work in Christianity has the power to inspire millions of people. He is
rightfully known to be one of the greatest church figures of the 20th century. He used
his knowledge and position to spread the message of Jesus Christ to different parts of
4
Bruns, Roger. Billy Graham: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
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Ibid, 12
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the world. His dedicated work has played a major role to strengthen the presence of
Christianity in the current times.
Bibliography
Bruns, Roger. Billy Graham: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
"Billy Graham". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Last modified 2021.
https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-graham/.
"The Dissatisfaction Of Francis Schaeffer, Part 2". Christianitytoday.Com, Last modified
2021. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/march3/7t322b.html.
