The Billy Graham Library Not Without Controversy

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on February 9, 2009

Dedicated on May 31, 2007 with a crowd of dignitaries and former U.S. presidents,the Billy Graham Library is a vital stop on any Billy Graham pilgrimage tour. Located next to the BGEA headquarters, the Library is part museum, part memorial and part on-going crusade. But that’s not how the BGEA would prefer to describe it.

“The new Library will not be a memorial to Billy Graham,” said BGEA board member Graeme Keith. “Nor will it be a museum. It will be a ministry that we believe will touch and change the lives of thousands of people in the years ahead as they visit this facility.”

Though the memorial aspect of the Billy Graham Library is hard to miss, especially since Graham’s wife, Ruth Bell Graham, is buried at the Library and Graham himself will be buried next to her when he dies. Ruth Graham had reservations about being buried at the Library, calling it a “circus” and a “tourist attraction,” before apparently relenting and agreeing to be buried there.

Billy Graham himself was initially opposed to the idea of the Library, refusing to have a monument to himself that would distract from the message of the gospel that he had preached all his life. He finally reconsidered when his son, Franklin Graham, pitched the Library as an ongoing crusade.

“When it was presented as an ongoing ministry and that people would have the opportunity to be won to Christ, I changed my mind,” Billy Graham said. Even still, hesitations linger. When Franklin Graham took his father on an early tour of the Library and asked him what he thought, Billy Graham said, “Too much Billy Graham.”

Despite the feel of a memorial and museum, the purpose is clearly to present the gospel. From the giant 40-foot glass cross at the front of the barn-shaped building to the spiritual counselors waiting at the end of the exhibit to talk and pray with anyone wanting to know more about becoming a Christian, it’s all about the gospel.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not without controversy. The animatronic cow prompts raised eyebrows, skepticism and laughter, and the $10 plush cows wearing Billy Graham T-shirts fuel complaints about the consumerist nature of the place. It’s all very Disney-esque, and it doesn’t help that exhibits were developed in part by ITEC Entertainment Co. of Orlando, Fla., a company that has created attractions for Disney and Six Flags.

It seems like it always takes an effort to shift the focus off of Billy Graham and onto the gospel. The two are often intertwined. At the dedication of the Library, after three former presidents spoke kind words about Graham, the evangelist took the stage and said, “I feel like I’ve been attending my own funeral.”

It’s likely the Billy Graham Library will always struggle with that dilemma.