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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 of
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"Billy Graham". Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Last modified 2021. https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-
graham/.
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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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. In spite of having a fair share of
critics, the contribution and dedicated work of Graham cannot be negated. d
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.
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
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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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 the world. His
dedicated work has played a major role to strengthen the presence of Christianity in the
current times.
4
Bruns, Roger. Billy Graham: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
5
Ibid, 12
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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.
