Brief introduction of Billy Graham's life.

107, Billy Graham was born into a Presbyterian family on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the eldest son of this family of Scottish and Irish descent. When Billy Graham was a teenager, he didn't do anything outstanding except play baseball. 1September, 934, he was deeply moved by the revival meeting hosted by Reverend Mordecai Hamm in the town, and made up his mind to devote himself and converted to join the Southern Baptist Church. This incident changed his life.

1936 In May, after graduating from high school, Billy Graham entered Bob Jones College (now Bob Jones University) in Tennessee. Unable to adapt to the strict fundamentalist atmosphere there, he transferred to Florida Bible College at 1937, which is now Trinity College in Florida. On 1939, Billy Graham was elected as the pastor of the Southern Baptist Church. Then he went to Wheaton College in Illinois to study anthropology. 1943 On August 3rd, he married Ruth McCue Bell (1920-2007), the daughter of a missionary who returned from the Pacific War. Ruth Graham was born and raised in Qingjiangpu (now Huai 'an), Jiangsu, China. His father Zhong Renpu (Zhong Aihua, Nelson Bell, 1894- 1973) is a famous missionary doctor of South American Presbyterian Church, and he is in charge of Qingjiangpu Renai Hospital, the largest missionary hospital in the world.

During the Wheaton period, Billy Graham was influenced by Henrietta Mills of the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood [1], and thought that the Bible was the word of God, which was completely correct.

After their marriage, the couple briefly attended a pastoral meeting in WesternSprings, Illinois, near Chicago, and met George Beverly Shea, a famous Canadian singer. They were important partners in lifelong cooperation and preaching. From 1948 to 1952, Billy Graham was the president of Minnesota Northwest College.

After graduating from Wheaton, Billy Graham joined the YMCA. He traveled all over America and Europe as an evangelist. 1949 In September, Billy Graham set up a mission and held a missionary activity in Los Angeles, which caused a sensation. Originally scheduled for 3 weeks, the result was extended to 8 weeks. It led to the upsurge of national evangelicalism. 1950, Billy Graham Evangelical Society (BGEA) was founded, with its headquarters initially located in Minneapolis and later moved to Charlotte. From then on, all the sermons he presided over were collectively called "Billy Graham sermons". 1954 His sermon in London lasted 12 weeks, 1957 weeks, and his sermon in Madison Square Park in new york City lasted 16 weeks. 1956 65438+ 10, and went to Kerala in southern India to preach, which was also very popular. By the early 1990s, it was estimated that more than 1. 1 100 million people in the world (outside the United States) personally participated in his sermons. Koch's footprints covered almost all major cities in the world and broke through racial, cultural and political barriers.

1959, he led the most successful missionary society in Australian history, which promoted the growth of the church in 15, established many new churches and formed many family bible groups, which lasted for 35 years. The largest number of participants was in Seoul, South Korea in the1970s, when there were one million participants.

From June 24th to 26th, 2005, 87-year-old Billy Graham gave his last sermon in Flushing Grassland Park, New York. More than 242,000 people participated, and more than 9,000 people made up their minds. Billy Graham has reached more audiences than anyone in history through television, radio, movies and the Internet, with more than 200 million people distributed in 185 countries. However, Billy Graham is 88 years old and suffers from hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer. In May 2005, he broke his pelvis at his home in North Carolina, making it difficult to move. You need to use a walker when you participate in activities.

"Before I became president, I had known each of them for a long time. I visited their home many times and called them by their first names until they became president. " This is Billy Graham, the most influential missionary in America. Since President Truman, Billy Graham has been in contact with 1 1 presidents before and after, and served as the spiritual adviser to every American president after Eisenhower.

In the United States, no one can observe the White House's every move in the past 50 years as closely as Billy Graham. What does the most powerful American president want from the most famous missionary in the world? "Some of them have chaotic private lives. But I love them and admire them. " Billy Graham said.

Similarly, the White House has been changing Billy Graham. "I am always alert to political dangers. Politics is dirty to me, but I have made it a part of my life. I tried to leave love to the presidents. "

Billy Graham exudes innocence, integrity and honesty in the Oval Office. Therefore, when Billy Graham is around, the president is relaxed, not nervous. Presidents feel safe to discuss spiritual issues such as eternity, sin and death with Billy Graham.

1955, Billy Graham made the first real presidential friend Eisenhower. Eisenhower often asked him how people can determine whether they can go to heaven after death. President Kennedy wants to know how the world will end. President Johnson felt uneasy about his death. "He is a little afraid of death." Billy Graham said. On one occasion, Johnson asked Billy Graham to accompany him to a meeting by plane. Because the weather was bad at that time, Johnson was worried that the plane would fall.

As a missionary, Billy Graham has no church. He preached to thousands of people on the football field all his life. First, the American family gave Billy Graham a rare opportunity to become a family pastor. He gave them a shelter and led the first family through difficult times. Many presidents want Billy Graham to spend their last night in the White House with them. In 1967, President Nixon fainted in Billy Graham's arms at his mother's funeral. In 2004, when President Reagan died, Billy Graham was the first person outside the family to be notified by nancy reagan. For more than 20 years, the Bushes have invited Billy Graham and his wife to their home in Maine every summer. 1985 One day, Billy Graham invited George W. Bush to take a walk on the beach. George W. Bush said that Billy Graham planted a mustard seed in his soul and it grew up the next year. Billy Graham took him to the road, and then he began to walk, which was the starting point of his life change. In 1964, President Johnson asked Gregory who would be his running mate. When Billy Graham was about to answer, his wife Ruth kicked him under the table. Billy Graham was puzzled and asked her why she kicked him. Ruth replied, "Your suggestion should be limited to moral and spiritual issues and should not be related to politics." Johnson looked at Billy Graham and said, "She's right. You concentrate on preaching and I concentrate on politics. "

How can a priest grasp the scale and avoid becoming part of the political game? Billy Graham is the most famous missionary in the world. When he stood in front of the president and presided over the swearing-in ceremony for them, it was both a blessing to the president himself and a policy blessing to the president. Every president knows this, but Billy Graham sometimes doesn't.

Nixon embarrassed Billy Graham several times. The most embarrassing time was1February, 972. Nixon said he was worried about Jews controlling the media, and Billy Graham echoed that "Jews are the cancer of America". After the shocking recording of the conversation was exposed, Billy Graham had to apologize.

Nixon is one of Billy Graham's favorite presidents. From June 65438 to June 0972 before Watergate, Billy Graham always thought Nixon was an honest man. The truth about Watergate shows that Billy Graham was cheated. But Billy Graham not only forgave Nixon, but also delivered a speech at his funeral, saying, "Everyone fails sometimes, and no one is perfect. So, I forgave him. "

The contact with Nixon taught Billy Graham a profound lesson. He began to adjust his relationship with the White House and deliberately kept his distance from politics. Billy Graham still cares about politics, of course, at a safe distance. He has been paying attention to Hillary Clinton. During the period of 1998, Billy Graham helped Clinton a lot. He advised her to forgive.

Perhaps Billy Graham will never be in the White House again, but he keeps a close eye on the owner of the White House. Billy Graham prayed every day. No matter who is in the Oval Office in the future, Billy Graham will pray for him.

The Ministry of Billy Graham Missionary Mission includes:

* Choose the time, radio programs that have been broadcast around the world every week for more than 50 years.

In addition, Ge founded the Gordon-Conwill Theological Seminary.

politics

Billy Graham is the spiritual adviser of 1 1 American presidents since Truman. Politically, Billy Graham has always supported the Democratic Party.