Death announced of Billy Graham

BILLY GRAHAM – the first evangelist Christian preacher to devote himself to reaching a mass market – has died at his home in North Carolina in the USA. He was 99 years old.

Graham would book up arenas and stadia and tour countries, spreading the Christian message – like an early day rock star. As TV became an everyday item in the home, he was one of the first to use that medium to promote a religion.

He was a gifted speaker, in person or on TV, and inspired many who heard him to convert to following Christianity. It is thought that over 200 million came to see one of his shows during his 60 year career – with many more than that viewing him on TV.

Graham was a controversial figure. At first he had a very fiery style but – with scientific investigation of the techniques which can influence a crowd making this style less popular than when it was initially – he toned done his delivery.

He did not embrace the US civil rights movement when it began, but he himself – responsible for converting mass audiences to Christianity – was himself converted to this cause. He won plaudits for refusing to segregate his audiences according to colour and preaching to mixed audiences from fairly early on. He shared platforms with Martin Luther King – and even bailed King out of jail on more than one occasion.

His brand of Christianity – revivalism – was spread widely by the man who was universally regarded as the best preacher of the 20th Century – and by some as the best preacher of the millennium. His fame gave him an introduction to half a century worth of US presidents, many of whom welcomed his spiritual advice.

Ahead of his time in terms of racial equality, he was no socialist. By whipping up a subservient belief in Jesus Christ, he discouraged questioning and curiosity about wider society and propped up the status quo. In his later years, it was hard to find a rationale for his views as he supported the US war on Vietnam as a positive move against communism – but also visited Russia (and, bizarrely, spoke warmly of North Korea) and warned of the dangers of nuclear war.

Graham always said that he did not fear death but looked forward to his passing and entering the afterlife. Those who believe that Christian afterlife exists are probably now imagining him setting up the stage for his first appearance – and answering the question “what took you so long?”

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