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Special Report
Billy Graham Protects Marriage
One of his last great gifts to America.
It was may turn out to be one of his last great gifts to America, 93-year-old evangelist Billy Graham publicly endorsed North Carolina’s marriage amendment shortly before the vote, helping guarantee its passage by a large margin.
“Watching the moral decline of our country causes me great concern,” Graham said in ads that his ministry published in North Carolina newspapers. “I believe the home and marriage is the foundation of our society and must be protected.”
“At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage,” he deadpanned. “The Bible is clear — God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. I want to urge my fellow North Carolinians to vote for the marriage amendment.”
There had been some indications shortly before the May 7 vote that the margins of victory for Amendment One were narrowing. But in the end it received over 60 percent of the vote. As always, cultural elites were flummoxed. Same sex marriage is supposed to be inevitable, after all. They wonder: why won’t voters just accept it and move on?
Graham, even in retirement, remains America’s most revered religious figure. Now in the public eye for over 60 years, he is possibly America’s most influential clergy ever. Who would rival him? Colonial New England’s Puritan divines, culminating with Jonathan Edwards in the 1750s, deeply shaped America’s religious conscience. Evangelists from George Whitefield to Francis Asbury to Charles Finney to Dwight Moody to Billy Sunday shaped America’s populist religion from the late 1700s to the early 20th century. In the mid-20th century, Roman Catholic prelates like the media savvy Bishop Fulton Sheen brought their faith out of ethnic ghettoes and into the mainstream of American public life. Martin Luther King, across a tumultuous but relatively brief 15 years, became the chief icon of the civil rights movement.
But Graham has been an unavoidable public figure since 1949, in America, and around the world. He routinely filled stadiums before his retirement in 2007. With Queen Elizabeth, he is among the very few people who have personally known every U.S. president since Harry Truman. He was close friends to at least half a dozen of them, especially Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, and both Bushes. Graham has known Winston Churchill, Chiang Kai-shek, Konrad Adenauer, Haile Selassie, Indira Gandhi, and several popes, along with virtually every major public figure in American and Western public life of the last half century. He dealt with them as an equal, because his celebrity and following were typically as large as or larger than theirs. He led evangelicals to become America’s largest religious demographic as part of a wider global evangelical revival involving hundreds of millions in the late 20th century and beyond.
Usually, if not always, Graham has tried to avoid political controversies and focused on his core evangelistic message. Privately, Graham’s close links to LBJ and Nixon became political. And each round of newly released Watergate tapes potentially reveals embarrassing comments between him and Nixon. Since Watergate, Graham has been more careful. As the culture wars over abortion and school prayer exploded in the 1960s and 1970s, he tried to remain politically aloof without compromising his evangelical faith.
Even Jerry Falwell, after founding the Moral Majority, encouraged his fellow Baptist to abstain from partisan entanglements that might distract from Graham’s unique public role as America’s chief preacher. Graham’s eagerness to befriend in pursuit of evangelistic opportunity sometimes seemed excessive. His trips to the Soviet Union and North Korea in the 1980s and 1990s excessively avoided any appearance of criticism for those tyrannies so as to gain access for his Gospel message. A friendly acquaintance to both Bill and Hillary Clinton, he ignited needless controversy by seemingly likening President Clinton to King David during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
But Graham has always been quick to apologize, his regrets always seeming sincere. He’s helped to foster good will between once suspicious Protestants and Catholics. Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the political dynasty, once assured him that she never heard him preach anything about which she, an ardent Catholic, disagreed. He has successfully befriended Jews and Muslims, among other faiths, without abandoning his conviction about the Gospel’s unique truth.
Likely no other preacher or any public figure could have so appropriately filled the pulpit at National Cathedral after 9/11, when Graham, before all of official Washington in the audience, and the entire nation on television, reassured America with words about both justice and grace. He surmised in his sermon that “many” of 9/11’s victims had ascended to heaven without trying to identify who by what means. Graham, with a half century of experience, was masterful at both civil religion and evangelical revivalism.
In defending traditional marriage to North Carolinians, Graham naturally quoted the Bible, which he knows so well. But he knows much more, as the witness to much of the 20th century, as the visitor to nearly every nation, as a friend to persons of all faiths. Graham knows humanity and the moral architecture that sustains it. Liberal clergy, led by Episcopal and United Methodist bishops, plus Presbyterian moderators, signed their own newspaper ad, opposing North Carolina’s marriage amendment. They unconvincingly claimed it would harm children, battered women, and widows. Few listened or believed. Graham far more plausibly appealed succinctly to ancient truth that most people in every culture intuit: “I believe the home and marriage is the foundation of our society and must be protected.”
Commentators pro and con were surprised by Graham’s intervention in the marriage debate and surmised he would only have done so under the strongest conviction. No doubt. North Carolinians and Americans can be grateful.
About the Author
Mark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. and author of Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century. You can follow him on Twitter @markdtooley.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (50) | Leave a comment
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Jack in Wi| 5.31.12 @ 5:43PM
Well good for old Billy and a lot of other churchmen, who believe in the laws of God and nature. It is one thing sincere religious leaders of all faiths can agree on. That includes Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Hindus and Sikhs. They have all come together to fight this abomination. The liberal people who support this abomination and call themselves religious need to have their heads examined.
Booger| 6.1.12 @ 3:34PM
Umm, Jack, not to put too fine a point on it, but at least one of those religions (guess who?) defines marriage quite a bit differently than the Christians (polygamy, anyone?), so I'm not sure about that universal agreement.
Gay "marriage" is an abomination, but it's a symptom, not the cause. Ever since our nation re-defined marriage as "until you get sick and tired of your spouse" (no fault divorce) marriage has been in decline. "Gay" marriage didn't bring this about, it's just the latest symptom of our cultural disregard for the sanctity of marriage.
Just this past Sunday the preacher at my church spoke against gay marriage, which is fine, but in so doing he emphasized the need to raise up children in "Christian homes," and flashed a picture of six kids in Bible class. I recognized at least two of the six (33 %) as being illegitimate. So if even "in the church" we're running a bastardy rate that high, with a corresponding divorce rate, how much damage is their left for "gay marriage" to do to the institution?
meaningofstrife | 6.2.12 @ 7:49AM
Obviously, our current system is not working very well — here are my thoughts, prompted by my recent 25th wedding anniversary:
http://meaningofstrife.wordpre.....mpetition/
David| 5.31.12 @ 6:02PM
As a Christian, I will never understand how Billy Graham could be an out in the open proud member of the democrat party.
How can a man who lead so many to the Savior align himself with the party of abortion, all types of sexual immorality, theft in the name of redistribution of wealth, the party of the ACLU that attacks everything Godly, that is anti-military for the most part, that is anti- America for the most part, etc.?
Appleby| 6.1.12 @ 6:50AM
I known many people who were saved at Billy Graham Crusades, and I once sang with the 8,000 voice choir at a Crusade in Atlanta. I don't worship Billy Graham, but I have the greatest respect for what he says in books and from the pulpit. God bless him for his many years of selfless dedication to bringing the Lord to people who would never darken the door of a church but who would go with their friends to a football stadium to hear some good preaching and music. The Gaither Gospel Hour still brings back George Beverly Shea who is over 100 years old and can still sing -- and reminds us what it's all about.
KyMouse| 6.1.12 @ 7:28AM
I've heard someone talking about one of Mr. Shea's record albums (oops, that dates me!) recently -- I don't know if it was a recent one, but the person was saying how good his voice sounded.
It's amazing that he is still singing at 100, in 2012. My mother's mother was one of his biggest fans -- and she was very elderly when she died in 1966!
c. j. acworth| 6.1.12 @ 8:33AM
"Just as I am without one plea,
but that Thy blood was shed for me.
and as thou biddest me come to thee
O Lamb of God I come, I come"
Shea would sing that hymn at the close of every one of Grahm's crusades in that ringing baritone of his, and the people would indeed come.
Jack in Wi| 6.1.12 @ 9:31AM
Here is a little story about the Grahame family that might intrest you Appleby. My old man had a couple of tenants back in the early 70's, an old girl in her sixties, and a crazy old coot about the same age. He tried hitting on her but she wanted nothing to do with him. She had an American Indian, drunk , about 20 years her junior move in with her instead. The old boy got very jealous. He sort of harrassed them. Well we had enough and started eviction proceedings for the guy. At about that time Franklyn Grahame, who was holding meetings in town, starting calling us up to interceed for the him. He was quite persistant. I may have talked to him. This guy must have been a regular at his meetings and had him call. Well we had to get rid of the guy period.
To end this story. The old lady later called that her toilet was plugged up tight as a drum. My old man sent over our plumber, who fixed the toilet. The plumber reported that the toilet was plugged with vast amounts of condoms. Did the old lady in her sixties really need for the boyfriend to use all those condoms? You know plumbers are not cheap.
Occam's Tool| 6.1.12 @ 10:24AM
Condoms are used for other purposes besides birth control, Jack. Some use it to prevent STDs, which prevents illness like neurosyphilis from developing, and that may be an explanation of something....
Had you served in the Armed forces, or medically treated them, you would know something about "shortarm inspection." But only a moron flushes plastic down a toilet. Or a cheesehead.
Jack in Wi| 6.1.12 @ 11:09AM
The old girl was with the same guy for a long time. This was before AIDS and everyone was going bare in the early 70's. I did a lot of work in sewage treatment plants. The biggest item to screw up the systems were condoms. It really did mess up the equipment. In fact I would love to be standing over one of theose vats I built, with you, at one of those plants right now, so I could push you in.
CJW| 6.1.12 @ 12:49PM
Jack
Where is Clint?
Jack in Wi| 6.1.12 @ 2:21PM
It sure is boring without him. He probably just quit or maybe they would not let him back. If they let that old anti catholic hag Margie back and that racist, advocate of mass murder Occam back, they will let anyone in. The site sure is a lot quieter since the new software was put in. Have a nice weekend.
Doctor Right| 6.1.12 @ 2:42PM
Well, they let a hateful, anti-Semitic, chauvinist, misogynist like you back on, Jack...
...So anything is possible.
Or, maybe you had to give up your "Clint" persona? Because they need an e-mail now to login?
Jack in Wi| 6.1.12 @ 3:16PM
When I wrote of anti Catholic bigots, I forgot you, Dr. Wrong who is never right, and old farte. Have a nice weekend anyhow.
CJW| 6.1.12 @ 3:29PM
I always had to use my email post.
Von Mises Jr| 6.2.12 @ 7:51AM
CJW, Clint must be on Sabbatical. Seems like Perp and DRed are also in hiding. Isn’t it odd that we are seeing supposedly NEW troll names pop up. I will bet that by the end of next week, we will have three Soros communist with 15 new troll names. They think that we are dumb enough to conclude that there are now thirty of them. But it is still the same three, and we are on to it.
CJW| 6.2.12 @ 11:09AM
Von
I agree. It is unusual that Clint who posted 24/7 is absent this week. Maybe Clint and Jack Wi are the same person.
Also, where is Purp ? If he is a Soros/SEIU worker, then it makes sense he did not want to register his name.
BTW, did you hear Bubba somewhat endorsed Romney by saying Mitt has a "sterling" business background? Got to hand it to Bubba, he stuck the knife in Obama's "anti-Bain" campaign. Revenge for being called a racist by Obama.
I like you comment about asking the trolls what books they read. Tells us much about their beliefs.
Jack in Wi| 6.2.12 @ 11:36AM
Aw CJW! Here I thought you really missed Clint. Re-read all my posts and Clints as well. He does links and can cut and paste like a real pro. He can bring up something on many topics in a few minutes. I on the other hand, never cut and paste or do links. That is for one simple reason. I never learned how, and don't care to learn. I have to type out every point manually, every time. I also do it off the top of my head. All my stuff comes out of my vast memory of history, current events, politics, economics, the Bible, religion, law, business, and geography.
CJW| 6.2.12 @ 1:20PM
Jack
Thanks for the suggestion to re-read all your posts, assuming I read all of them once, and I will think about it.
If I recall correctly, a fair summary would be 1. You hate Israel, 2. You are not voting for Romney, and 3. It is America's fault that the muslim terrorrists are attacking us.
Jack in Wi| 6.2.12 @ 4:59PM
I think you don't know how to read very well. Have a nice weekend anyhow.
Von Mises Jr| 6.2.12 @ 12:24PM
CJW, some of my TEA Party friends signed up for MoveOn and Obama tweets. The fools tell us exactly what they are up to. I even heard a couple people admit to going to OWS training. I could not fake stupidity and hatred long enough to pull it off.
CJW| 6.2.12 @ 1:26PM
Von
I had subscrpitions to some lefty journals such as New Republic and others, along with some conservative and libertarian journals, and have also read these online. As a result I get emails and regular mail from the DNC, Chuck Schumer, Bubba, Hillary, et. al, praising my work and dedication for lefty causes and encouraging me to send them money to defeat the evil Republicans.
They always represent the Republicans as mean, tough, united, and evil, and they need the money to combat them.
Von Mises Jr| 6.3.12 @ 6:34AM
Rush explains the obvious that we both just illustrated. We know the other arguments and research the opposition.
Liberals are confounded since Mises and Hayek are way past their pay grade and they are not curious enough to investigate anything that is outside their comfort zone. So when WI Recall or the attacks on Bain blow up in their faces, they don't know why they even got shellacked.
Von Mises Jr| 6.1.12 @ 8:33AM
How could Rev. Billy Graham not speak out? The Progressives have led us back to "Sodom and Gomorrah." If we do not stop these communist in the next election, we will be living hell on earth.
And those that propagated this enslavement, as well as those who sat idly by will face hell for eternity to boot.
Isn't that right, Oh Prophet "Margie?"
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 8:33AM
Here's another interesting point about Graham - he may have preached the Gospel to more people than any other person in history.
And the Gospel he preached was the true one - He never held back about sin, and our need for a Saviour.
Nancy in NC| 6.1.12 @ 9:06AM
There are some who will find fault with everyone. Of course we all have faults; thus we are human. Billy Graham has served and led a righteous life, if not perfect. Who among us come close to his equal? Why can't we just see the goodness in this imperfect man, and leave the rest to God? (Something in the Bible about not judging, I recall.)
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 9:44AM
Billy was given grace to lead a righteous life; he was also EXTREMELY careful that he could not be accused particularly of sexual or fiscal impropriety. Word is that he was never with a woman alone (other than Ruth, of course), never in an elevator alone, and never was the first to enter a hotel room. I also believe someone was essentially "watching his back" in these areas.
I REALLY believe Tim Tebow should take notice of how Graham conducted himself and do likewise.
Doctor Right| 6.1.12 @ 2:45PM
WHAT has Tim Tebow done, in your mind, that's improper?
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 3:45PM
He hasn't. He just needs someone to watch his back, and use Graham as an example of how a public Christian figure should conduct himself.
Louis Jenkins| 6.1.12 @ 9:46AM
Come in my true and faithful servant.
Mr. Graham is doing that which he knows and loves. God have mercy on the gays and lessies, for they only know sin, or what they know and love.
C. Vernon Crisler | 6.1.12 @ 11:38AM
As much as we might appreciate Graham, his message was very simple -- a little too simple. I believe it was St. Paul who said Christians needed to move beyond the babyfood of the Faith, and start eating solid food.
Graham never served anything but pablum, and that's why you have a lot of "burned over" Christians as a result of Graham's crusades.
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 1:22PM
Graham is an evangelist, not a pastor. His call was to spread the Gospel in its most basic form, not to dive into the intricacies of theologians.
And, underneath it all, if theology does not lead us back to the Cross, what is it worth anyway?
C. Vernon Crisler | 6.1.12 @ 1:29PM
This is really just an excuse. After all, I'm not the one who said Christians should move on to solid food.
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 3:47PM
Not really...there is a delineation between pastors and evangelists in the lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament. Some are simply called to spread the Gospel to large audiences. Graham rarely pastored a flock. It simply wasn't his responsibility.
TinaB| 6.3.12 @ 10:02AM
Billy Graham did the Evangelizing at his crusades, and, if you came forward, as my daughter and son both did in Orlando in the 90s, you were mentored then and there. The mentors followed up for at least a year, and in my daughter's case they Facebook today. She was a college student from TN, who had a scholarship from Dr. Ben Carson, the great Christian pediatric neurosurgeon. She ministered to my girl from then on, and took her through some very painful times. I will forever be grateful to Billy and his crusade ministry as well as the plain words he used that helped secure my faith, being rocked at the time by a Catholic education that somehow missed the whole salvation by His cross, and an introduction to Him personally.
But for the peripherals, to educate the mind, beyond the milk, and to the meat, after the milk has been consumed and the mind is mature for the meat, call on the apologists like Chesterton, Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, my first favorite, and anyone with RZIM, my living favorite. Billy fulfills the Great Commission, and the others serve to give me even more of the intellectual reasons for the hope that lies within me. I am able to give these reasons more fluidly and they have taught me about winsomeness, which Paul highly recommended in his letters.
Doctor Right| 6.1.12 @ 2:43PM
Catholicism hasn't led you back to the cross, either...so don't expect miracles from Graham.
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 3:49PM
Ummm..I'm not Catholic. I'm a Christian who holds to Reformed Baptist theology and attends a Presbyterian (PCA, NOT PCUSA) church.
Doctor Right| 6.1.12 @ 4:51PM
That's pretty schizophrenic...
Ryan| 6.4.12 @ 8:28AM
Not really. I just don't pretend that Christianity started during the Reformation, or after the Civil War (the problem with a LOT of evangelicals).
To believe that Christians cannot or do not come out of Catholicism is to practically believe that there were no Christians for about a 1500 year period.
Joellen| 6.1.12 @ 11:59AM
Your comment "culture wars over abortion & school prayers, he tried to remain politically aloof without comprimising his evangelical faith". SAY WHAT! I cant imagine JESUS CHRIST, John the Baptist or St Paul being "politcally aloof". Either Rev. Graham's mission is to be a warrior to save souls or he is just another phoney "minister" going along to get along. GOD doesnt walk luke warm - he wants absolute HOT & COLD in fighting the battle between good and evil.
Ryan| 6.1.12 @ 1:23PM
All three made VERY few political comments. Christ told people to pay taxes, Paul told people to respect the authorities over them.
That was about it.
Joellen| 6.2.12 @ 8:24AM
JESUS called out the sin, i.e., women at the well, women and those who were about to stone here, the pharasies; etc.. John The Baptist called out Herold and his Brother's wife's sin, etc. My point is If Rev Graham and other Apostle's of CHRIST would have been more like warriors, maybe we would not be in the moral decay we are in now. I am sticking with St. Paul's adage to fight the battle till the end!
Ryan| 6.4.12 @ 8:29AM
He called out sin, but not on a political stage.
It was actually the problem many had with Him - many Jews at the time were expecting a political Messiah, not a Spiritual one.
Timely Renewed | 6.1.12 @ 1:25PM
What do we do when Reverend Graham is gone? The courts are marching ahead with a full front assault on the sanctity of marriage with their decisions against Prop 8 and DOMA. We need a permanent way to stop unelected and unaccountable judges from changing the meaning of the Constitution to insert their own policy preferences into our constitutional law.
To do so we need to resort to the ultimate weapon the framers gave us - the democratic process of amendment. By amending the hopelessly vague 14th amendment to clarify its original meaning as a ban on government race discrimination, we can end its exploitation by the judiciary to read their own personal social policy views into the Constitution.
Of course, the amendment process is now moribund. Therefore it is critical that we reform and revive the amendment process so that critical issues on which the Constitution is silent, such as gay rights, can be addressed democratically rather than by the profoundly anti-democratic process of judges usurping the powers of the people and their elected legislators where there is no clear warrant in the written constitutional text. See http://www.timelyrenewed.com
Doctor Right| 6.1.12 @ 2:45PM
My life won;'t change a bit when Billy Graham is "gone."
He's just a man.
Brooksifier | 6.1.12 @ 6:14PM
Reverend Billy's hair is getting hippie-length:
http://spectator.org/assets/db/13385000288007.jpg
He mus' be one o' them thar mili-tents sleeping in a tent with the OWS!
David| 6.1.12 @ 6:48PM
I repeat, I can't understand how Billy Graham could align himself with the democrat party. MAYBE in the 50's or early 60's, but after 1964???
David| 6.1.12 @ 6:52PM
Ryan, you are absolutely correct.
Phil Arms was a very effective evangelist in the Houston area for many years. Many came to Christ because of his preaching the Gospel. Then, he tried to establish two different non-denominational churches (in fairly large buildings) and both failed.
He was excellent as an Evangelist, not so as a pastor.
Ruckweiler| 6.1.12 @ 10:29PM
He has this goodwill by preaching the Gospel as his rock. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
maillot de bain pas cher | 6.5.12 @ 5:25AM
"At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage," he deadpanned. "The Bible is clear -- God's definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. I want to urge my fellow North Carolinians to vote for the marriage amendment.