Joshua Bennett
Billy Graham, the famed American evangelist, had a complex relationship with Catholicism. Initially suspicious of the religion, Graham later developed amicable ties with prominent American Catholics, including Fulton Sheen and Cardinal Cushing. Graham's interactions with Catholics, such as his friendship with Sheen and his dialogue with Pope John Paul II, contributed to a warming of relations between evangelicals and Catholics. Graham's influence even extended to encouraging unity between Catholics and Protestants, despite some criticism from those within his evangelical constituency. The story of Billy Graham and his impact on American Catholicism is a fascinating one, and his legacy continues to be remembered and debated.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Relationship with Catholicism | Initially opposed Catholicism, but later developed amicable ties with American Catholic figures and encouraged unity between Catholics and Protestants. |
| Political affiliations | Lifelong registered member of the Democratic Party, but supported Republican Nixon in the 1960 election due to opposition to Kennedy's Catholicism. |
| Influence on Catholic-Evangelical relations | Reached out to prominent Catholics and met with Pope John Paul II, leading to improved relations and accusations of universalism from fellow evangelicals. |
| Crusades | Directed Catholics who came forward at his crusades to return to their local Catholic churches, causing controversy among fundamentalist critics. |
| Eulogies | Warmly eulogized by Roman Catholic leaders, praised for his ecumenical efforts, but criticized by some Bible Christians for compromising the Gospel. |
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What You'll Learn
Billy Graham's relationship with the Catholic Church
Billy Graham was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocate. He gained international prominence through his large-scale preaching missions, known as crusades, and friendship with numerous U.S. presidents. Graham's evangelism was appreciated by mainline Protestant denominations, and he encouraged unity between Catholics and Protestants.
Despite early suspicions and apprehension towards Catholicism, which was common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants, Graham eventually developed amicable ties with many American Catholic Church figures. He connected with local parish priests, bishops, and archbishops. Graham's relationship with the Catholic Church was a fascinating one. He received an honorary doctorate from Belmont Abbey College, a Roman Catholic school, in 1967, and in 1981, he spoke at a Vespers service at the North American College in Rome, which he later described as "Christocentric."
Graham played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan's establishment of diplomacy with the Vatican, which contributed to the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. He had friendships with prominent American Catholics such as Fulton Sheen, whom he considered "the greatest communicator of the twentieth century," and Cardinal Cushing. Graham's affinity with Pope John Paul II dated back to before his papacy, when he was invited to preach a mission in Krakow in 1978.
Graham's relationship with the Catholic Church was not without criticism, especially in the latter half of his career, as he navigated the complexities of ecumenism between Catholic and Protestant leaders. Despite this, Graham took a significant step in bridging the gap between Protestants and Catholics, even risking backlash from his core evangelical constituency.
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Graham's initial apprehensions about Catholicism
Billy Graham, the famed American evangelist, had a complicated relationship with Catholics and Catholicism. Graham had early suspicions and apprehensions towards Catholicism, which was common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants. Despite this, he eventually developed amicable ties with many American Catholic Church figures, later encouraging unity between Catholics and Protestants.
In the 1960 presidential campaign, Graham met in Montreux, Switzerland, with Norman Vincent Peale and other Protestant leaders to devise a strategy to derail the campaign of John F. Kennedy, the Democratic nominee, in order to secure Nixon's election and prevent a Roman Catholic from becoming president. Graham also maintained firm support for aggression against communism and strongly sympathized with Nixon's views on American foreign policy.
Graham took a lot of heat from fellow Protestant pastors for his approach to these events. If someone came forward to accept Christ at a rally, he wanted them to plug back into whatever local Christian community they were connected to. This meant that if a Catholic came forward, Graham wanted them to have a ready connection with their local parish. Because of this, some of Billy's more fundamentalist Christian critics saw him as succumbing to Universalism.
Despite these initial apprehensions, Graham played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan's establishment of diplomacy with the Vatican, which eventually led to the takedown of Communism in Eastern Europe. He also risked a great deal with his core evangelical constituency when he began building bridges with Catholics, and he was known for warm friendships with other prominent Catholics, including the Rev. Fulton Sheen and Cardinal Cushing.
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How Graham shaped American Catholicism
Billy Graham was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocate. He was known for his large-scale preaching missions, or crusades, and friendships with numerous U.S. presidents, which brought him international prominence. Graham's influence extended beyond his Protestant followers and impacted American Catholicism in several ways.
Firstly, Graham played a role in fostering ecumenism between Protestants and Catholics. Despite initial suspicions towards Catholicism, which were common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants, Graham developed amicable ties with prominent American Catholics, such as Fulton Sheen and Cardinal Cushing. He also received an honorary doctorate from Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic institution, in 1967. Graham's friendship with Sheen began serendipitously when they met on a train ride, and Sheen later described Graham as "the greatest communicator of the twentieth century." Graham's interactions with Catholics extended to prominent Catholic figures such as Rose Kennedy, who noted her agreement with Graham's biblical teachings.
Graham's influence on American Catholicism was also evident in his impact on individual Catholics and Catholic communities. In 1950, Graham's speech in Boston was well-received by the official Catholic newspaper, "The Pilot," which headlined: "BRAVO BILLY!". Graham's inclusive message and charm attracted many, including Catholics, and his simple message of hope resonated across religious lines.
Additionally, Graham's influence extended to policy and diplomacy. In 1984, Graham's spokesperson revealed that he played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan's establishment of diplomacy with the Vatican, which contributed to the eventual fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Graham's anti-communist stance aligned with his support for Nixon's foreign policy during the 1960 presidential campaign, where he worked to prevent a Roman Catholic, John F. Kennedy, from becoming president.
Graham's impact on American Catholicism was complex and multifaceted. While some viewed him as a unifier who built bridges between Protestants and Catholics, others criticized him for causing "an immense loss of souls to the Church." Despite these differing perspectives, Graham's influence extended beyond his Protestant followers and left a mark on the shape of American Catholicism.
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Catholics eulogize Graham
Billy Graham was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocate. He gained international prominence through his large-scale preaching missions and friendship with several US presidents. Graham initially had suspicions and apprehensions about Catholicism, which was common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants. Despite this, he developed amicable relationships with many American Catholic Church figures, including Fulton Sheen, Cardinal Cushing, and Rose Kennedy. Graham encouraged unity between Catholics and Protestants and even played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan's establishment of diplomacy with the Vatican.
Following Graham's death, he was warmly eulogized by many prominent Catholic figures and publications. This included tributes from Catholic bishops, Cardinal Dolan, and Father Dwight Longenecker. Jon M. Sweeney, writing for americamagazine.org, published a piece titled "How Billy Graham Shaped American Catholicism". In addition, Steven D. Greydanus of ncregister.com penned a tribute, "Billy Graham, R.I.P.". The outpouring of Catholic eulogies for Graham was a notable phenomenon that highlighted his impact on bridging the divide between Protestants and Catholics.
Some Bible Christians, however, viewed the Catholic hierarchy's praise and approval of Graham as a red flag, considering the differences between the Gospel of salvation by God's grace and the Catholic doctrine of sacramental grace and merit. Despite this, Graham's ecumenical efforts were generally well-received, and he was respected by many Catholics for his Christian commitment and evangelistic work.
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Graham's born-again experience
Grahams born-again experience
Billy Graham, a man used by God to reach millions of people for Jesus Christ, had a born-again experience himself. Graham grew up during the Great Depression on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. As a teenager, he grudgingly attended church with his family, and found his family’s Bible-reading, praying and psalm-singing left him feeling restless and resentful.
In May 1934, Christian businessmen in Charlotte, North Carolina, held an all-day prayer meeting on his father’s pasture. Billy Graham’s father, William Franklin Graham, Sr., recalled one of the men’s prayers that day: “That out of Charlotte the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.” Billy Graham went to a revival meeting to watch a fight, but came away with a new peace and purpose. He wrote, "Why don’t you come hear our fighting preacher?"
Regarding the night he accepted Christ, Billy Graham wrote, “For the first time in my life I got down on my knees without being told to do so. I really wanted to talk to God. ‘Lord, I don’t know what happened to me tonight,’ I prayed. ‘You know. And I thank You for the privilege I’ve had tonight.’” Billy Graham returned the very next night. “All my father’s mules and horses could not have kept me from getting to that meeting,” he said, and he continued going night after night for weeks.
Dr. Ham preached on lively topics, such as the Second Coming of Christ, sin, money, and Hell, among others. “I had never heard a sermon on Hell,” said Billy Graham, who noted that the evangelist also talked about the great love of God. The farmer’s son’s heart became heavy, wondering, “Why would the evangelist always be pointing his bony finger at me?”. To avoid Dr. Ham’s accusatory stare, Billy Graham and his new friend, Grady Wilson, joined the choir and sat behind the evangelist.
A few weeks into the meetings—just a few days shy of his 16th birthday on November 7—Billy Graham remembers hearing Dr. Ham quote Romans 5:8. This verse, about how much God loves us, remained with Billy Graham. He recalled, "What was really happening during that time, was the miserable realization that I did not know Jesus Christ for myself."
The “born again” experience is an authentic spiritual awakening that can be quite profound. It is when everything one has been taught as a Christian becomes real, and they develop a direct and personal relationship with God. It is an experience of religious conversion, brought about by a commitment to one's own personal faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
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Frequently asked questions
Billy Graham was an American evangelist, a Southern Baptist minister, and a civil rights advocate. He was not Catholic.
Billy Graham initially had suspicions and apprehensions about Catholicism, which was common among contemporaneous evangelical Protestants. However, he eventually developed amicable relationships with prominent American Catholics, including Fulton Sheen, Cardinal Cushing, and Rose Kennedy. Graham encouraged unity between Catholics and Protestants and played a behind-the-scenes role in President Reagan's diplomacy with the Vatican.
Billy Graham wrote a book titled "How to Be Born Again", which made publishing history with its first printing of 800,000 copies. Graham also recounted an experience where he attended a revival expecting to watch a fight but instead found a new peace and purpose. This experience could be interpreted as a born-again moment in his life.
Billy Graham took a risk with his evangelical followers when he began building bridges with Catholics. After his 1957 crusade in New York City, where local Catholic priests warned parishioners against attending, Graham continued to foster relationships with Catholics. He developed friendships with prominent American Catholics and worked with Pope John Paul II to bring evangelicals and Catholics together.
Billy Graham was warmly eulogized by Roman Catholic leaders and received glowing tributes from Catholic sources. Many Catholics appreciated his message and felt that he helped them open their hearts to Jesus. However, some Catholics disagreed with his ecumenical approach, believing that he encouraged a return to a false religion rather than a true conversion or being born again.
