The thing that surprised me most at
the Billy Graham Library was a video of Graham being interviewed by Woody Allen
on the topic of premarital sex. It's difficult, nearly impossible, to imagine
Ricky Gervais having a serious conversation with Tim Keller or Will Farrell
with T.D. Jakes. But back in the day, Graham was regularly interviewed on news
programs and talk shows.
Recently, in talking with a teenager who had never heard of Billy Graham. I assured the teen that in the next
few years Billy Graham would die, and that his passing would be a huge news story because Graham was
rivaled only by a few popes and Martin Luther King as the most influential
religious figure of the last century. (Graham once said one of the greatest
regrets of his life was not having King stand with him on a crusade platform.
The men were friends, but both were afraid the controversy caused by appearing
together would distract from their messages.)
The Billy Graham Library tells the
story of the evangelist's life from his early days on the family dairy
(apparently he grew up with talking cows*) to his days of meeting with
Presidents. Graham first came to national prominence through his revival
meetings in Los Angeles (the museum makes no mention of William Randolph
Hearst's
famous command to his papers to "Puff Graham.").
Graham appeared to millions of
people through his more than half a century in ministry, and millions more saw his television appearances. His televised messages still reach many (we saw one
of the call centers at
the Cove which receives
calls from viewers who have listened to one of Graham's televised crusade messages and, as a result, desire to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.)
Graham's wife,
Ruth, died in 2007,
but his children, especially
Anne and
Franklin, carry on his ministry. We heard
from volunteers and staff at the Cove that Billy Graham (at age 97) is losing his hearing and sight,
but his mind is still sharp. He still continues the policy he began at the
beginning of his ministry of never being alone with a woman other than his wife
or daughters. Two nurses are always in attendance.
Since 1955, Graham has appeared on Gallup's list of most admired people 59 times, more than anyone else. Add us to the
long list of admirers.
The Billy Graham Library is in Charlotte, NC. It's open Monday through Saturday, 9:30-5:00
Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove is in Asheville, NC. It's a retreat center with a variety of classes and seminars available, mostly on weekends. Chatios Memorial Chapel, which also has historical information about Billy Graham's ministry, is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 9:00 - 5:00 (the last tour starts at 4:00 pm) with shorter hours on Saturdays.
There is no charge to visit either place, although donations are accepted.
*At least that's the impression we got from Bessie here:
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