Free Republic

RALEIGH, N.C. — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had dinner the other day with the Rev. Billy Graham, which is sort of the Southern equivalent of having an audience with the Protestant pope. Palin's dinner with Graham, not her book signing at Fort Bragg, was her significant event in North Carolina. For decades, presidents and presidential wannabes have sought the blessing of the nation's best-known preacher. EarthShare The evangelist, 91, doesn't endorse any more, having been burned by his close relationship with President Richard Nixon, who was Graham's idea of a Christian statesman until Graham listened to the Watergate tapes....

Here is video of Anne Graham Lotz talking with Greta Van Susteren, and describing Gov. Sarah Palin's visit with Dr. Billy Graham recently. Palin visited Graham's home in North Carolina and had dinner with Graham, his son Franklin, and his daughter - Anne Graham Lotz. The video also shows Palin sharing her thoughts in having the opportunity to meet Dr. Graham. Lotz also discussed her new book, "The Magnificent Obsession." . . . (VIDEO)

"I believe our country has been touched by God," said Palin, "because when we formed our union, leaders back then dedicated our country to God and said that we would seek His will for our great nation. "I think if we could get back to that humbleness," she added, "with that kind of contrite spirit, I think that we would be able to be provided more of the answers to so many of the great challenges that we’re facing." Gov. Palin noted that it takes Godly counsel, prayer and "a collective humble heart of a nation seeking God’s hand of...

Private meeting is one thing; cheap photo op is another. I don't mean to begrudge Billy Graham a Sunday afternoon visit from an admirer. I just wish he hadn't been used as a political prop. Picking up the paper Monday morning, I cringed at news of Sarah Palin spending the day with the evangelist at his home in Montreat. Especially cringe-inducing was the picture of Palin holding her special needs child, Trig, on her lap as mother and son shared what looked to be a less-than-spontaneous moment with Graham. It definitely wasn't a private moment, since a photographer had to...

Sarah Palin, the hottest name in the Republican Party, took a detour from her book-signing tour Sunday to dine with Billy Graham at his mountaintop home in Montreat."He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith," said son Franklin Graham, who was present for the 2 1/2-hour get-together. "Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up."The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told Billy Graham about how she came to faith in God as a girl in Bible camp.She quizzed him on the presidents he's known and wanted his take on what the...

via charlotteobserver.com Sarah Palin, the hottest name in the Republican Party, took a detour from her book-signing tour Sunday to dine with Billy Graham at his mountaintop home in Montreat. "He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith," said son Franklin Graham, who was present for the 2 1/2-hour get-together. "Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up." The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told Billy Graham about how she came to faith in God as a girl in Bible camp. She quizzed him on the presidents he's known and wanted...

Sarah Palin met with Franklin and Billy Graham yesterday for a 2 1/2 hour visit at his North Carolina home, Franklin talked to the Charlotte Observer and said, his dad said God using Palin to "wake up America"

MONTREAT, N.C. – Sarah Palin on Sunday dined and prayed with the Rev. Billy Graham, who has counseled presidents and other politicians for decades. Graham had never met Palin, who is scheduled to stop at Fort Bragg in eastern North Carolina on Monday to promote her memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and members of her family flew into Asheville in the western part of the state, then went to Graham's mountaintop home in nearby Montreat for dinner. Billy Graham said it was an honor having Palin in his home...

Sarah Palin comes to Asheville NC to have Dinner with Billy Graham & Family from richard bernier on Vimeo. Sarah Palin arrives in Asheville NC to have Dinner with Billy Graham & Family. 22 Nov 2009 - On a very short notice, Space Mountain Productions was advised that Mrs.Palin would be coming to Asheville to have dinner with Billy Graham & Familly. Mrs. Palin is on her book tour & will be in Fayetteville the next day to promote her book. Mrs.Palin arrived at 3:10pm & took a few questions & meet some supporters who had time to come to...

Sarah Palin, who will sign books Monday at Fort Bragg, plans a stopover in Montreat today to have dinner with 91-year-old Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham, who issued the invitation. "He just saw that she was going to be in the area and he said to come by," said Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for Franklin Graham. Former Alaska Gov. Palin, who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, will fly into Asheville this afternoon, Blume said, and then go to Billy Graham's mountaintop home in Montreat for dinner. The Charlotte-born evangelist has never met Palin, who is...

Who couldn't like Jimmy Stewart? He gave one memorable screen performance after another. High on the list of most people's favorite Christmas movies is his classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." In that role, Stewart got to do what many of us secretly wish we could do - see what the world would have been like had we never been born. Stewart's character, George Bailey, learns that a lot of surviving servicemen would be dead because his brother - the war hero he envied - wouldn't have been there to save them. He would have died in a childhood accident because...

black woman is suing the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, saying she was abruptly fired after complaining that the organization was not reaching out to black churches. A spokesman for the organization didn't comment on the firing, but said the association does extensive outreach and works extensively with black congregations and other diverse churches. Kimberly McCallum said in the lawsuit that was moved into a federal court on Wednesday that she was the only black employee working in the executive offices in Charlotte when she started in February 2007. She complained to her superiors later that year when she was asked...

“In Nixon tapes, Billy Graham refers to ‘synagogue of Satan’” That headline, which appeared yesterday in USA Today, is the latest damaging revelation about the great evangelical leader to come out of his conversations with President Richard Nixon. In the Bible, the term “synagogue of Satan,” which appears in Revelation 3:9, referred to those “who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie.” But in contemporary times the phrase has been grifted by conspiracy theorists and anti-Semites to refer to a Jewish cabal hell-bent on, and only moments away from, world domination; a Google search for “synagogue of...

Many people look up to Billy Graham, the greatest evangelist of our time. What was his position on creation science? Here's a quote: "I don't think that there's any conflict at all between science today and the Scriptures. I think that we have misinterpreted the Scriptures many times and we've tried to make the Scriptures say things they weren't meant to say, I think that we have made a mistake by thinking the Bible is a scientific book. The Bible is not a book of science. The Bible is a book of Redemption, and of course I accept the Creation...

Washington - A widely-known megachurch founded by an architect of the religious right and seen as a national political force selected a grandson of Billy Graham on Sunday as its new leader. The overwhelming vote by congregants at Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Fort Lauderdale to appoint the Rev. Tullian Tchividjian could represent a softening of the message spread by the Rev. D. James Kennedy, who was pastor at the church until his death in September 2007. Kennedy's preaching against homosexuality and abortion made him one of evangelical Christianity's most divisive figures, and he worked to inject his faith in all...

Gov. Sarah Palin just announced she'll head to the Western Alaska villages of Marshall and Russian Mission tomorrow, and that she's going with the Rev. Franklin Graham -- president of the evangelical Christian aid group Samaritan's Purse. Graham is the son of evangelist Billy Graham and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

In 2009, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website tells us that it “will focus on the return of Jesus Christ—and how you can live a faithful life in the meantime.” This focus isn’t anything new. Graham has been preaching an end-time message since the 1950s. The articles on the BGEA website are recycled material: 2009: “We can’t go on much longer morally. We can’t go on much longer scientifically. The technology that was supposed to save us is ready to destroy us. New weapons are being made all the time, including chemical and biological weapons.”[1] 1986: “If you look in...

For decades he was a fixture on the Billy Graham Crusade stage and on televisions in living rooms around the country. Now, George Beverly Shea, the award-winning baritone who is often described as "America's Beloved Gospel Singer", will reach a new milestone in his storied life - the century mark. Shea will celebrate his 100th birthday on Sunday, February 1. One day later, he will be the guest of honour during a special private gathering of family and friends at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. "On the ladder of life, I have reached...

For more than half a century, the First Baptist Church of Dallas could claim among its members one of the most famous of Christians – the Rev. Billy Graham. But that distinction has ended with the 90-year-old evangelist's decision to join the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C., which is much nearer his home in Montreat, N.C. -snip- Members of First Baptist Spartanburg voted him in on Sunday. -snip-

A conservative Christian activist says it's a sad omen for the Obama administration and the United States that Barack Obama has been seeking guidance from the Episcopal Church's first openly homosexual bishop. The Times of London reports that the president-elect sought out New Hampshire homosexual bishop Vicki Gene Robinson for advice three times during his presidential campaign. Robinson, whose ordination in the Episcopal Church has caused a deep rift within the Anglican Communion, was reportedly sought out by Obama to discuss what it feels like to be "first." Robinson notes in their three private conversations, Obama voiced his support for...

One of the great fears of my life as a boy growing up in Greenville, South Carolina is that Billy Graham would die. Today he is 90 years old. Thank you, Lord, that you answered my boyish prayers. Happy birthday, Billy. Here’s to your life! Billy Graham was born on November 7, 1918 in North Carolina. In 1934, under the preaching of evangelist Mordecai Ham, Billy was converted to Christ. Which means that Mordecai Ham is one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century. Billy attended Bob Jones University in Cleveland, Tennessee for one year and spent three...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Billy Graham's work as a pastor to presidents is coming to an end, but he is praying for Barack Obama as the nation's next leader begins his work, Graham's son said Friday on the aging evangelist's 90th birthday. Franklin Graham said in an interview that his father's mind remains sharp even as his body continues to fail. But the preacher who has counseled every president beginning with Eisenhower is not in line to mentor Obama. "My father feels like his time and day for that is over," Franklin Graham said. "But he would certainly like to...

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) - The son of Billy Graham says the famed evangelist's work as pastor to presidents is ending. Franklin Graham said Friday as his family gathers to celebrate the preacher's 90th birthday that his father is praying for president-elect Barack Obama. The two had tried to meet during the campaign, but were unable to connect because of Billy Graham's fragile health. Billy Graham has provided advice to every president since Eisenhower. He hopes to meet someday with Obama, but Franklin Graham said his father feels that his time as an active counselor to the nation's leader is over....

Please hears us, O Lord.

On this day 90 years ago, a son was born to a dairy farmer just outside of Charlotte. About 74 years ago that boy gave his life to Jesus Christ. Billy Graham has been preaching the Gospel ever since. Evangelist Billy Graham spent more than six decades talking about salvation and influencing people across the globe. "The difference that he has made in the lives of people in general and in individuals has been astounding," said Fraley Memorial Baptist Church Pastor Warner Doles. "His influence, his character has affected this country probably in a way that no single individual has...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Respected Christian preacher Billy Graham has been an advisor and spiritual helper to presidents dating back to President Eisenhower. But that relationship with presidents will end in part because incoming president Barack Obama takes such a profoundly pro-abortion position. To be sure, Graham's health is the main reason for the decision, his son Franklin Graham told the Associated Press. "My father feels like his time and day for that is over," Franklin Graham said. "But he would certainly like to meet (Obama) and pray with him." But Franklin expressed concerns about Obama's abortion position -- something...

Billy Graham Won't Advise Obama Because of His Strong Pro-Abortion Position by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor November 7, 2008 Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Respected Christian preacher Billy Graham has been an advisor and spiritual helper to presidents dating back to President Eisenhower. But that relationship with presidents will now come to an end because incoming president Barack Obama takes such a profoundly pro-abortion position. To be sure, Graham's health is playing a part in the decision his son Franklin Graham told the Associated Press. "My father feels like his time and day for that is over," Franklin Graham said. "But...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The son of Billy Graham says the famed evangelist's work as pastor to presidents is ending. Franklin Graham said Friday as his family gathers to celebrate the preacher's 90th birthday that his father is praying for president-elect Barack Obama. The two had tried to meet in the midst of the White House campaign, but were unable to connect because of Billy Graham's fragile health. Billy Graham has provided advice to every president since Eisenhower. He hopes to meet someday with Obama, but Franklin Graham said his father feels that his time as an active counselor to the...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Evangelist Billy Graham was hospitalized Saturday after tripping and falling over one of his dogs at his North Carolina home, a hospital spokeswoman said. The 89-year-old Graham was at Mission Hospital in Asheville with discomfort and bruising and hoped to be home later in the day, said spokeswoman Merrell Gregory. He was listed in fair condition and his physicians report that X-rays showed no broken bones, Gregory said in a news release. -Snip- The Southern Baptist minister fell late Friday at his home in Montreat, N.C. Earlier this year, Graham had elective surgery to update a shunt...

MONTREAT, N.C. - Billy Graham is as close to a religious icon in American politics as anyone, so it’s no surprise that a U.S. presidential candidate would seek his blessing. On Sunday Republican John McCain did just that, essentially, traveling to the ailing evangelist’s mountaintop home to meet and pray with him and son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. ...

Newsmax.com reports of a rejection by John McCain to meeting with Dr. Billy Graham have been refuted by representative of both the McCain Campaign and the Billy Graham Association. Journalist Doug Wead caused a big stir on Newsmax.com last night when he posted a story that the McCain campaign had turned down an opportunity to meet with Billy Graham. Wead wrote, “In recent weeks I have been involved with Brian Jacobs, a Fort Worth, Texas, minister and consultant to the Billy Graham Association, to broker a meeting between McCain and Graham. In May, we contacted the McCain campaign with an...

McCain Campaign Declines to Meet with Billy Graham Sunday, June 8, 2008 10:10 PM By: Doug Wead For almost six decades, Billy Graham has been America’s most influential preacher and evangelist, a man sought out by every president since Harry Truman. Editor's Note: After this report was published the McCain campaign clarified its position about a meeting with Dr. Billy Graham. Read the clarification — Click Here Now. In another disturbing sign that Sen. John McCain has little interest in reaching out to his conservative base, including evangelical Christian voters, his campaign has declined an offer to meet with the...

In another disturbing sign that Sen. John McCain has little interest in reaching out to his conservative base, including evangelical Christian voters, his campaign has declined an offer to meet with the Rev. Billy Graham. For almost six decades, Graham has been America’s most influential preacher and evangelist, a man sought out by every president since Harry Truman. Today, the 89-year-old Graham is in declining health and stays near his home in Montreat, N.C. His last public appearance, in May 2007, marked the dedication of his library. Three former American presidents -- Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill...

Why Did God Allow Adam and Eve to Sin? By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services Q: Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin? He must have known what they were going to do, and it seems to me that it would've been better if He had just stopped them. The world was already perfect, so why didn't God keep it that way? I've always wondered about this. -- R.M. A: The opening chapters of the Bible tell us what happened when Adam and Eve committed the first sin -- but they don't tell us exactly why God allowed...

TV preacher Joel Osteen shuns lavish lifestyle of some others MARK I. PINSKY The Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — If the evangelical world is looking for a poster child to offset the negative publicity surrounding rich televangelists, Joel Osteen would be a good choice. Joel Osteen, pastor of the nation’s largest megachurch, preaches at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, where services are broadcast around the world.MCT Photo Times Leader Photo Store Osteen is among the nation’s most widely recognized television ministers, trailing only Billy Graham and Rick Warren, and in 2006 was named the most influential Christian in America by...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Evangelist Billy Graham was recovering Thursday from a surgery to update a shunt that controls excess fluid in his brain, a family spokesman said. The 89-year-old Southern Baptist minister was expected to spend some of the day walking the halls of Asheville's Mission Hospital and to return to his usual diet later Thursday, said Graham spokesman Larry Ross. "He rested well overnight and is in high spirits," Ross said. White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said President Bush placed a call to Graham on Thursday morning. "He wished Rev. Graham a speedy recovery and said that he'd...

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker. The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative...

ASHEVILLE (AP) — Evangelist Billy Graham remained in fair condition Tuesday, a day after experiencing a second episode of intestinal bleeding at a hospital near his home in the mountains of western North Carolina, a hospital spokeswoman said. Graham, 88, had "an uneventful, good night" after the Monday morning episode, and his condition was unchanged Tuesday morning, said Merrell Gregory, a spokeswoman for Mission Health & Hospitals in Asheville. Graham has been hospitalized since experiencing an initial bout of intestinal bleeding on Saturday. No date has been set for Graham's release, but family members have said they hoped his hospital...

Evangelist Billy Graham was admitted to a hospital near his home early Saturday for evaluation and treatment of an intestinal bleed, hospital officials said. Graham, 88, was resting comfortably Saturday afternoon, said Merrell Gregory, a spokesman for Mission Health & Hospitals in Asheville. Graham's doctors said his condition did not appear to be life-threatening, said Graham's spokesman, Larry Ross. He estimated the ailing preacher could be released from the hospital in a couple of days. The hospital said in a statement that Graham's condition had stabilized following his admission, and a endoscopy and a bleeding scan found no areas of...

<p>Could there possibly be an American who doesn't admire the Reverend Billy Graham? Apparently, yes. Have a look at the cover of this week's 'Time.' Of all the ways the editors might have positioned the logo, they managed to do so in a manner in which the 'M' in 'TIME' is transformed into horns protuding from the good reverend's head.</p>

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton were sitting with him on stage in Flushing Meadows when Graham greeted them as his "wonderful friends of many years." "I told him," Graham said of President Clinton, "when he left the presidency, he should become an evangelist, because he had all the gifts." Graham paused, and added with a smile, "And he could [let] his wife run the country." That remark caused such a furor in some quarters that Graham's evangelist son Franklin had to explain that it was meant as a joke. But Graham had praised and defended both Clintons before. And in...

I don't want you to think it was part of a typical morning at work to get a personal phone call from Mrs. Billy Graham. True, she lived just a few minutes down the road and had literally hundreds of friends in our community. But if we had bumped into each other at the grocery store—as had actually happened several years earlier—she wouldn't have known me from Adam. Now, it turned out, she had read a news feature in WORLD that she didn't think we had gotten quite right. Could I drive out, stop by to see her, and let...

MONTREAT, N.C. - Ruth Graham, who surrendered dreams of missionary work in Tibet to marry a suitor who became the world's most renowned evangelist, died Thursday. She was 87. Graham died at 5:05 p.m. at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her husband and all five of their children, said a statement released by Larry Ross, Billy Graham's spokesman. "Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Billy Graham said in a statement. "No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of...

With his wife Ruth near death, Charlotte-born evangelist Billy Graham announced today that the couple have decided to be buried on the grounds of the recently dedicated Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. Bedridden for the last six months, Ruth Graham contracted pneumonia two weeks ago and slipped into a coma this morning. Four of her five children were at her bedside today, and Ned, the youngest, was traveling to the family's Montreat home. She turned 87 Sunday... ...Graham spokesman Larry Ross told the Observer that Ruth Graham was being treated at her Montreat home, "in line with her wishes." But...

The wife of the Reverend Billy Graham has slipped into a coma. According to published reports, Ruth Graham's illness took a turn for the worse this morning. Mrs. Graham has been suffering from pneumonia. The Graham family says she is being treated at home and will not be taken to a hospital. Earlier today, Billy Graham said that the two of them would be buried side-by-side at the library that was dedicated to him earlier this month. "Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side. I am...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Visitors to the new, presidential-style museum honoring evangelist Billy Graham enter and exit the building through crosses as tall as 40 feet high, a design meant to emphasize that the $27-million complex is an extension of the minister's work. "My hope is there will be thousands of people who come here every year and accept Jesus Christ as their savior," said the Rev. Franklin Graham, son and successor to his father, the world's most widely heard preacher. On Thursday, former Presidents Carter, Clinton and George H.W. Bush met with the Graham family before the formal dedication of...

A frail Billy Graham, using a walker and leaning on his son Franklin, was honored Thursday by three former U.S. presidents as they dedicated a museum built to be a "living crusade" that will carry on his work after the minister is gone. The $27 million Billy Graham Library traces the evangelist's journey from farm boy to the most widely heard minister of all time. He befriended every U.S. president since Harry Truman and preached in person to more than 210 million. "This building behind me is just a building," Graham said in brief remarks. "It's an instrument, a tool...

Some comments on the death of Jerry Falwell: "Jerry has been a tower of strength on many of the moral issues which have confronted our nation." — evangelist Pat Robertson. ___ "Dr. Falwell's shadow falls across the face of the rebirth of conservative values in our nation, in the Southern Baptist Convention, and in the entire evangelical world. Only once in a generation will a man of his stature arise. We all owe him a debt of eternal gratitude." — Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. ___ "Unfortunately, we will always remember him as...

He is 88 now, bent by age and ailments, spending his days sitting with his beloved bedridden wife, Ruth, at their home in the mountains of North Carolina. Yet the stature of Billy Graham, whose global ministry got its start in Minnesota, continues to grow. In December, the Gallup Poll named him among the 10 most admired men in the world - a 50th time for him on that list. Few living Christians have been stronger unifying forces, commanded such respect or influenced more people. Among high-profile evangelists, he stands out for personal integrity, openness to cultural change and a...

He is 88 now, bent by age and ailments, spending his days sitting with his beloved bedridden wife, Ruth, at their home in the mountains of North Carolina. Yet the stature of Billy Graham, whose global ministry got its start in Minnesota, continues to grow. In December, the Gallup Poll named him among the 10 most admired men in the world -- a 50th time for him on that list. Few living Christians have been stronger unifying forces, commanded such respect or influenced more people. Among high-profile evangelists, he stands out for personal integrity, openness to cultural change and a...