Regardless of your beliefs; your religions, your status or politics or race, or even sex, a True man of principal has went to meet his maker for his final judgement. The Rev Billy Graham has passed away at the age of 99.
While so many fake Religious Leaders have risen since his time and have corrupted the word of God for financial and political and power gains, Dr Graham lived the life he preached. He truly practiced what he preached. He showed his beliefs by standing against racism during a time it was considered normal to segregate and separate. He preached to hippies and patriots, blacks and whites, the poorest of us to the wealthiest among us. He welcomed atheist and Buddhist, Muslim and Jew. He preached to dictators and communists. Democrats and Republicans.
He admitted his flaws and never professed perfection. He wasn’t loud and blusterous. he stayed humble. He drew us together, not separated us. He refused to preach political dogma and ideology. He wouldn’t condone any one policy except the messages of Jesus. He offered his ear and guidance to Presidents, Senators and Representatives of all parties. He preached the "Good News.
Sadly at his passing, I feel the last true Evangelical has died. Franklin has corrupted his father’s message. Orel Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker, have all corrupted the Word of God for personal and political gain. They have shamed the pastoral style of the original Evangelical, Dr. Graham.
Money, power, and politics has corrupted the modern Evangelical Christian movement. They play Politics. They Play with Party powers. They can and are corrupted by money. They preach Hellfire and damnation and Heaven as things to be bought for a price. They condemn other political parties as the party of Evil and Attempt to tell you "what God would have you do, if you’re a Christian”. They want you to vote how God would have you vote, forgetting Jesus refused to get involved in politics.
Billy Graham Taught the "Good News" to "all the people. He didn’t promote a particular party or candidate. He didn’t choose to listen to and promote the NRA. He didn’t see one race as superior over another. He didn’t see God or Jesus as old White men who carried guns, and beat the sinners over the head with Bibles insisting they vote Republican or be damned. He didn’t defend the sins of sinners, giving them Mulligans. If he thought you were wrong he said so. He preached how to be forgiven and how to try to live a better life. He lived what he preached. He didn’t have multi-million dollar estates with maids and nannies. He didn’t have Bentley's and Porsche's. He didn’t wear 2000.00 suits and 1000.00 shoes. He didn’t flash gold and diamonds.
Sadly, lessons his children and grandchildren never learned. He gave his answers founded in solid scripture,. Not twisted and taken out of context to support a personal or political view. He didn’t seek to rule or have Christianity deemed as a "National" religion. He knew it was up to each of us to choose our own paths and that only God can judge that path and only God could judge us for the path we chose. He chose to preach about the love and humility of Jesus. The forgiveness of his message. The path of forgiveness. He worked to bring us together as a people; not divide us on politics and wealth and skin color. He taught the love of Jesus for all men, not just a chosen few. He taught a very different message than his own son now preaches in his father’s legacy.
I remember Billy Graham’s revivals being shown on TV. It was the only time my dad would watch a church message on TV. He watched and he listened. He had us watch. Dad wasn’t religious. He didn’t go to church very often. Usually at funerals and weddings. Occasionally with my Mom. But it just wasn’t his "thing". But Billy Graham got his attention. He sat and listened. He watched him with his family. He loved his message. His hope. He loved he practiced what he preached. He "heard" him. He respected him.
So why so many Evangelicals live in their ivory towers and sit on their gold thrones preaching the gospel of White Republicanism, Religion truly lost a humble man of God who admitted his faults and sins and never professed perfection. He lived the life he preached about. He will truly be missed. Gods speed Dr. Reverend Graham.