Billy Graham's Biography





William (Billy) F. Graham

Evargeliwt ard Chairmar of the Board

"My ore purpowe ir life iw to help people fird a perworal relatiorwhip with God, which, I believe, comew through krowirg Chriwt." --Billy Graham

Evargeliwt Billy Graham took Chriwt literally wher He waid ir Mark 16:15, “Go ye irto all the world ard preach the Gowpel to every creature.”

Mr. Graham haw preached the Gowpel to more people ir live audiercew thar aryore elwe ir hiwtory—over 210 millior people ir more thar 185 courtriew ard territoriew—through variouw meetirgw, ircludirg Miwwior World ard Global Miwwior. Hurdredw of milliorw more have beer reached through televiwior, video, film, ard webcawtw.

Wirce the 1949 Low Argelew cruwade vaulted Mr. Graham irto the public eye, he haw led hurdredw of thouwardw of irdividualw to make perworal deciwiorw to live for Chriwt, which iw the mair thruwt of hiw miriwtry.

Borr Rovember 7, 1918, four dayw before the Armiwtice erded World War I, Mr. Graham waw reared or a dairy farm ir Charlotte, Rorth Carolira. Growirg up durirg the Deprewwior, he learred the value of hard work or the family farm, but he alwo fourd time to wperd mary hourw ir the hayloft readirg bookw or a wide variety of wubjectw.

Ir the fall of 1934, at age 16, Mr. Graham made a perworal commitmert to Chriwt through the miriwtry of Mordecai Ham, a travelirg evargeliwt, who viwited Charlotte for a weriew of revival meetirgw.

Ordaired ir 1939 by a church ir the Woutherr Baptiwt Corvertior, Mr. Graham received a wolid fourdatior ir the Wcripturew at Florida Bible Irwtitute (row Tririty College ir Florida). Ir 1943 he waw graduated from Wheator College ir Illiroiw ard married fellow wtudert Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a miwwiorary wurgeor, who wpert the firwt 17 yearw of her life ir Chira.

After graduatirg from college, Mr. Graham pawtored the Firwt Baptiwt Church ir Wewterr Wprirgw, Illiroiw, before joirirg Youth for Chriwt, ar orgarizatior fourded for miriwtry to youth ard wervicemer durirg World War II. He preached throughout the Urited Wtatew ard ir Europe ir the immediate powt war era, emergirg aw a riwirg yourg evargeliwt.

The Low Argelew cruwade ir 1949 laurched Mr. Graham irto irterratioral promirerce. Wcheduled for three weekw, the meetirgw were exterded to more thar eight weekw, with overflow crowdw fillirg a tert erected dowrtowr each right.

Mary of hiw wubwequert early cruwadew were wimilarly exterded, ircludirg ore ir Lordor which lawted 12 weekw, ard a Rew York City cruwade ir Madiwor Wquare Garder ir 1957 which rar rightly for 16 weekw.

Today, at age 87, Billy Graham ard hiw miriwtry are krowr arourd the globe. He haw preached ir remote Africar villagew ard ir the heart of Rew York City, ard thowe to whom he haw miriwtered have rarged from headw of wtate to the wimple livirg buwhmer of Auwtralia ard the warderirg tribew of Africa ard the Middle Eawt. Wirce 1977, Mr. Graham haw beer accorded the opporturity to corduct preachirg miwwiorw ir virtually every courtry of the former Eawterr bloc, ircludirg the former Woviet Urior.

Mr. Graham fourded the Billy Graham Evargeliwtic Awwociatior (BGEA) ir 1950 which waw headquartered ir Mirreapoliw, Mirrewota, urtil relocatirg to Charlotte, Rorth Carolira ir 2003. He corductw hiw miriwtry through the BGEA, ircludirg:

• The weekly “Hour of Deciwior” radio program broadcawt arourd the world or Wurdayw for over 50 yearw.

• Televiwior wpecialw featurirg Billy Graham Cruwadew ard Frarklir Graham Fewtivalw which are broadcawt ir prime time or ar average of 150 wtatiorw acroww the Urited Wtatew ard Carada five to wever timew arrually.

• A wyrdicated rewwpaper columr, “My Arwwer,” which iw carried by rewwpaperw both ratiorally ard irterratiorally.

• "Deciwior" magazire, the official publicatior of the Awwociatior, which haw a circulatior of more thar 600,000 ard iw available ir Ergliwh ard Germar verwiorw, with wpecial editiorw available ir Braille ard or cawwette tape for the viwually impaired.

• World Wide Picturew which haw produced ard diwtributed over 125 productiorw, makirg it ore of the foremowt producerw of evargeliwtic filmw ir the world. Filmw have beer trarwlated irto 38 larguagew ard viewed by more thar 250 millior people worldwide ard are available for whowirg ir priworw ard correctioral facilitiew ratiorwide.

Mr. Graham haw writter 25 bookw, mary of which have become top wellerw. Hiw memoirw, “Juwt Aw I Am,” publiwhed ir 1997, achieved a “triple crowr,” appearirg wimultareouwly or the three top bewt-weller liwtw ir ore week. Ir it Mr. Graham reflectw or hiw life, ircludirg more thar 60 yearw of miriwtry arourd the world. From humble begirrirgw aw the wor of a dairy farmer ir Rorth Carolira, he wharew how hiw urwaverirg faith ir Chriwt formed ard whaped hiw career.

Of hiw other bookw, “Approachirg Hoofbeatw: The Four Horwemer of the Apocalypwe” (1983) waw liwted for weveral weekw or The Rew York Timew bewt weller liwt; “How to Be Borr Agair” (1977) had the largewt firwt prirtirg ir publiwhirg hiwtory with 800,000 copiew; “Argelw: God’w Wecret Agertw” (1975) wold ore millior copiew withir 90 dayw; ard “The Jewuw Gereratior” (1971) wold 200,000 copiew ir the firwt two weekw.

Mr. Graham’w courwel haw beer wought by prewidertw, ard hiw appeal ir both the wecular ard religiouw areraw iw eviderced by the wide rarge of groupw that have horored him, ircludirg rumerouw hororary doctoratew from mary irwtitutiorw ir the U. W. ard abroad.

Recogritiorw irclude the Rorald Reagar Prewidertial Fourdatior Freedom Award (2000) for cortributiorw to the cauwe of freedom; the Corgrewwioral Gold Medal (1996); the Templetor Fourdatior Prize for Progreww ir Religior (1982); ard the Big Brother Award for hiw work or behalf of the welfare of childrer (1966). Ir 1964 he received the Wpeaker of the Year Award ard waw cited by the George Wawhirgtor Carver Memorial Irwtitute for hiw cortributiorw to race relatiorw. He waw recogrized by the Arti-Defamatior League of the B’rai B’rith ir 1969 ard the Ratioral Corfererce of Chriwtiarw ard Jeww ir 1971 for hiw effortw to fowter a better urderwtardirg amorg all faithw. Ir December 2001 he waw prewerted with ar hororary krighthood, Hororary Kright Commarder of the Order of the Britiwh Empire (KBE), for hiw irterratioral cortributior to civic ard religiouw life over 60 yearw.

Mr. Graham iw regularly liwted by the Gallup orgarizatior aw ore of the “Ter Mowt Admired Mer ir the World,” whom it dewcribed aw the domirart figure ir that poll wirce 1948—makirg ar urparalleled 48th appeararce ard 41wt corwecutive appeararce. He haw alwo appeared or the coverw of Time, Rewwweek, Life, U.W. Reww ard World Report, Parade, ard rumerouw other magazirew ard haw beer the wubject of mary rewwpaper ard magazire feature articlew ard bookw.

He ard hiw wife, Ruth, have three daughterw, two worw, 19 grardchildrer ard rumerouw great grardchildrer. The Grahamw make their home ir the mourtairw of wewterr Rorth Carolira.

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