Billy Graham’s push for equality was a profile in Christian courage.
There is so much to be said about Billy Graham’s life and legacy that I’ll just focus here on one aspect of that amazing life: his early advocacy for civil rights and his lifelong friendship with MLK Jr.
On what is Black History Month, I’m not sure how many Americans are aware that Graham insisted on integrated crusades way back in 1952–long before the most liberal of white Christians were courageous enough to jump on the civil rights crusade.
I wonder how many Americans are aware that Graham and Dr. King once held a crusade together in the fifties? How many people know that when King was arrested for a civil rights protest in 1963, it was Graham who paid his bail.
Graham declined 20 years’ worth of invitations to preach in South Africa, refusing to accept the invitations until they were integrated.
The courage it took for the great white preacher to be so bold in his push for equality was a profile in Christian courage for sure.
May he rest in perfect rest, perfect peace.
Billy Graham took a whole lot of risks when it would have been far easier to sit back and avoid potentially and, likely, literally riling his flock. You can never fully measure the impact of one man’s influence on society, but there’s no doubt that Graham’s was significant.