Billy Graham's Influence On Modern Society

1001 Words5 Pages

Billy Graham's significance and impact on modern society, especially in relation to faith cannot be overstated. Through use of media and temperance in the doctrine he espoused, he was able to alter the course of history in the United States of America post-World War II and have an influence on leaders throughout the world over the late twentieth century. Beyond this, Grahams legacy stands today in both the current breadth of his Christian media work, and in it’s approach to changing media. Close relationships with U.S. Presidents following WWII granted Graham significant sway within the White House. Beginning with Truman and the Vietnam war, Graham’s religiously driven sentiment of anti-communism - present from as early as 1949 in his revival events - contributed to both Presidential actions, and the culture of America at large. In his piece “Satan’s …show more content…

At a time when racial tensions were beginning to run high, during the baby steps of the Civil Rights Movement, Graham was key as not only an advocate of ending segregation - but one who spoke with authority from Christian values. Working with Howard Jones from 1957, he brought evangelism to where the minorities were (Harlem, Brooklyn). It would still be some years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but Grahams work still helped pave the way for such an act. Upon Martin Luther King Jrs death, billygraham.org quotes him as saying “Had it not been for the ministry of my good friend Dr. Billy Graham, my work in the Civil Rights Movement would not have been as successful as it has been,”. Work between the two, including Graham’s crusade in Madison Square Garden in 1957 with Jones, where King gave the invocation, is credited for its influence on tensions between races in the South. This relationship was not without it’s disagreements however; King and Graham disagreed on the notion of civil disobedience to achieve their