Biography
American evangelist, a Southern Baptist preacher who was "born again" as a teen, accepting
Jesus as his personal savior. After 1947, he spread the good word by way of 900 radio stations
and many TV crusades. He published a magazine, "Decision," with circulation of more than four
million, and gradually moved into the TV ministry. World- traveled, he became internationally
known as the spiritual leader of presidents and noted people in many walks of life. The author
of 24 books, many of them best-sellers, Graham is the recipient of several awards including
the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award
in 2000 and an honorary knighthood (KBE) in December 2001. He penned his autobiography, "Just
As I Am," in 1997.
Graham is never unctuous or pious; rather, he is earnest, quietly confident and, despite his
iconic status, ministers from a personal level. It is estimated that Graham has preached to
more people in live audiences than anyone else in history: some 210 million in more than 185
countries and territories. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through his TV, film,
radio, video and print projects.
The oldest of four children, he was born into a Christian church-going farming family, but it
wasn't until 1934, after hearing a particularly moving sermon, that Graham felt moved to commit
his life to Christ. He fell in love with a young woman during his first year at Florida Bible
Institute. In 1938 he proposed marriage; she accepted, only to reject him the following year to
marry another. He had vowed never to kiss a woman again until he knew she was the one to be his
wife. His resolution lasted until late 1940 when he met Ruth Bell, age 17. He later claimed that
he fell in love that minute. Graham at the time was a recent graduate of Florida Bible Institute in
Tampa, already an ordained Baptist minister at age 22, and was about to begin his post-grad work at
Wheaton College. A well-mannered gentleman with strong features, he stood 6'2" and sported a mane
of wavy dark blond hair. Ruth was the daughter of missionaries and planned to follow her parents'
work of spreading the word of God. Their courtship moved cautiously through the next two years, and
they married on August 13, 1943 in Montreat, NC. They went on to have five children, Virginia, Anne,
Ruth, Franklin and Nelson, all of whom went into the ministry, 19 grandchildren and several
great-grandchildren.
After graduation from Wheaton, the Grahams moved to Western Springs, IL, where as pastor of
the Baptist Church, he hosted a religious radio program. He subsequently became vice president
of Youth for Christ and began speaking at rallies. He remained an active staff member in the
organization until 1948 and began to hold his own evangelistic gatherings across the country. In 1949,
a three-week crusade held in Los Angeles propelled him into the public eye, assisted by newspaper
publishers and other powerful media people who covered his ministry. In 1950, Graham incorporated The
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and began broadcasting on a weekly radio program, "The Hour of
Decision," a show that has lasted well over half a century. His career in the public eye was further
advanced in 1957 when he conducted a 16-week crusade at Madison Square Garden, New York. Over 2
million people attended.
In 1992, after years of traveling, preaching, writing, and broadcasting, he was diagnosed
with Parkinson's disease. Graham began to think about retiring, and his son Franklin gradually
took more responsibility at the ministry. On December 3, 1997, Graham was hospitalized in
Jacksonville, FL with pneumonia that had developed while he was on vacation; he was discharged
six days later. In 2000 he formally gave control of his international organization to his son
Franklin. In 2004, Graham broke his left hip and pelvic bone in two separate falls. He had by
then been diagnosed with prostate cancer, failing vision and hearing. At age 86, he joked with
a visitor, "Don't get old if you can avoid it."
After more than 60 years of marriage Billy and Ruth Graham are still living in the same
rustic Montreat house they built in 1955. Failing health plagues both of them. Ruth suffers
from a degenerative spinal condition that keeps her bedridden most of the time.
On June 26, 2005, despite intense heat, his advanced age and his ill health, Graham delivered a
rousing 23-minute sermon at what he considers his last revival meeting in the United States. The
three-day rally was held from June 24-26 in Queens, NY, where his public career had in 1957
taken a triumphant leap forward.
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What Do You Think?
In these times when some tout their religious fervor ever more stridently, Billy Graham
serves as a reminder that a religious person can be inclusive rather than exclusive. Following
the recent revival meeting in New York, David Segal wrote in a "Washington Post" article on
June 26, 2005: "His message is most striking for what it is missing. There are no threats of
damnation, no politics, no command to write your senator. True to the themes he has preached
since rising to national prominence in the '40s, Graham remains the avuncular and unthreatening
face of evangelical Christianity, one committed to keeping church at arm's length from the state.
Though he is famous for befriending every president since Eisenhower, Graham has steadfastly
refused to jumble matters of faith with an earthly agenda. He would like you to come to Jesus
because he believes it will comfort you in the present and ensure you a seasonable setting in the
hereafter, but he isn't going to denounce those who are indifferent to the Gospels."
Let's study Graham's chart for clues to his vocation:
- It's no surprise that the ruler of his Aries ascendant is in Sagittarius in the 9th
house, but where in the chart do you see the evangelist, the person who is called to spread
the word of his faith? Where is the ability to use so many media channels to broadcast his
message?
- Since his friendship with Richard Nixon caused some to question Graham's own integrity,
Graham refuses to mix religion with politics. He makes a clear distinction between the person in
high office from the politics of the office and has been advisor to Democrats and Republicans
alike. One of his biographers, William Martin, describes him thus: "He's not a dogmatic man. He
is by nature an includer. He has always reached out and tried to understand other people." Where
do you see the "includer" in Graham's chart?
- Graham's chart patterns are interesting—no planets in earth signs, a distinct Western orientation
and five personal planets clustered in houses 8 and 9. To add to the interpretation, notice that
Uranus is the only planet on the Eastern hemisphere of his chart and the only planet in air. What
do these patterns tell us about this man? If you're interested in reading more about singletons and
hemisphere emphasis, we have some studies on our website at:
http://www.astrodatabank.com/indexAS.htm
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