Billy Graham, who died Wednesday at 99, was neither a renowned theologian nor the head of a worldwide denomination. But he was arguably the 20th century’s most influential religious figure.
Over the course of seven decades, he preached Christianity live to 215 million people in 185 countries and reached an even larger audience via mass media.
He drew 100,000 people to Yankee Stadium and more than 2 million to a four-month crusade at Madison Square Garden, exhorting all in his audience to “make a decision for Christ.”
Graham was a spiritual counselor to presidents but eschewed offers of political power and came to regret the few instances in which he became politically involved.
He also avoided the divisive hot-button social issues and angry condemnations that would become grist for many later TV evangelists — with one exception: The North Carolina native early on refused to “preach Jim Crow” before segregated audiences and invited Martin Luther King to share the stage with him as early as 1957.
Yet despite his strong support of Israel, he was caught on an Oval Office tape sharing anti-Jewish slurs with Richard Nixon. When it became public years later, he begged forgiveness.
William Randolph Hearst turned him into a national and then a global figure by ordering his newspapers to “puff Graham.” He became such a media celebrity he earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
What attracted so many to Graham was his plainspokenness and refusal to pass judgment on his listeners. And he was a model of personal probity, with none of the moral or financial scandals that engulfed other evangelists.
At heart, Graham was a simple but passionate preacher with a shrewd gift for spreading his message as widely as possible. He truly was “America’s pastor.” RIP.