Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on January 29, 2009
Billy Graham has had personal contact with ten U.S. presidents, from George W. Bush back to Harry Truman. He had close, personal friendships with a number of them, and counseled and prayed with all of them. These relationships have given Billy Graham the title of America’s pastor and access to the most powerful men in the world.
The book The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House, by TIME magazine veterans Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, profiles Graham’s relationship with each president and their families. The book goes into incredible detail, digging through personal correspondence and White House records.
The result is a 50-years snapshot of presidential politics that have tried and tested the world’s greatest evangelist. Though Graham tried to stay out of politics and offer neutral prayer and counsel regardless of political party, he didn’t always live up to that. On multiple occasions he allowed his bias to sway votes, though he would often step back from the brink and regret too much political action.
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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on January 22, 2009
Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ground-breaking Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Throughout his career Billy Graham has taken a stand against abortion, but what is perhaps worth noting is his gentle and loving stance.
While his son Franklin Graham makes headlines for calling abortion murder, Billy Graham has a gentler, more understanding tone. There are four separate My Answer columns in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s spiritual help section addressing abortion, and each one, though firm, still drips with grace.
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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on January 20, 2009
As Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, we present a few more inaugural prayers from Billy Graham:
“Help them always to see the office to which they’ve been elected as a sacred trust from you. We pray that you will bless their wives who will share so much of the responsibility and burdens. Make President-elect Clinton know that he is never really alone but that the eternal God can he his refuge and he can turn to you in every circumstance. Give him the wisdom you’ve promised to whose who ask and the strength that you alone can give.”(1993 Inaugural Invocation for Bill Clinton)
“We recall that the Bible says, ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it’ (Psalm 127: 1). You also said that to whom much has been given, much shall be required.
“We look gratefully to the past, and thank You that from the very foundations of America You granted our forefathers courage and wisdom, as they trusted in You. So we ask today that You would inspire us by their example; where there has been failure, forgive us; where there has been progress, confirm; where there has been success, give us humility; and teach us to follow Your instructions more closely as we enter the next century.” (1997 Inaugural Prayer for Bill Clinton
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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on January 8, 2009
While Billy Graham won’t be participating in Barack Obama’s inauguration in a few weeks (though many comparisons have been made between Billy Graham and Rick Warren, who will be delivering the prayer), Graham has participated in nine presidential inaugurations. That ties Chief Justice John Marshall’s record from the early 1800s. While he didn’t participate, Billy Graham did attend a tenth inauguration, that of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953.
The Billy Graham Center has an archive of the presidential inauguration prayers and sermons given by Billy Graham:
- 1965: A sermon at Lyndon Johnson’s inauguration.
- 1969: A prayer at Richard Nixon’s first inauguration.
- 1973: A sermon at a White House worship service following Nixon’s second inauguration.
- 1981: A prayer at a private service following Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration.
- 1985: A sermon at Washington Cathedral preceding Reagan’s second inauguration.
- 1989: An invocation at George H.W. Bush’s inauguration.
- 1993: An invocation at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration.
- 1997: A prayer at Clinton’s second inauguration.
- 2005: Opening prayer at the National Prayer Service for George W. Bush’s second inauguration.
The 2008 book Preacher and the Presidents gives more details on Billy Graham’s interactions with U.S. presidents.
