ON A CRUSADE BILLY GRAHAM PREPARES FOR LAST SERMONS IN SOUTHLAND.Byline: Marshall Allen Marshall Belford Allen (born in Louisville, Kentucky, May 25, 1924) is a free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EVI (an electronic valve instrument made by the Akai company). Staff Writer PASADENA - As he prepared for his final crusade in California, the Rev. Billy Graham Noun 1. Billy Graham - United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918) Graham, William Franklin Graham , 86, spoke in understated terms of his lifelong evangelical mission: ``to serve the Lord and preach the Gospel.'' ``I never was elected to anything,'' Graham said. ``I wasn't the head of anything. ... I think I'm just a sinner saved by the grace of God.'' He is in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area for his ninth California crusade, expected to draw 300,000 people over four days. The event will start Thursday and run through the weekend at the Rose Bowl. Graham became a nationally known figure almost exactly 55 years ago when he preached to more than 350,000 people during an eight-week tent revival meeting in Los Angeles. In an interview this week, Graham said aging, Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. and other health problems have not made him reflect on his life or death. He said he already thought about his mortality at the age of 16 when he committed his life to Jesus Christ back in 1934. ``I'm 86, and that's all I need to say: I'm 86. I'm ready to go. I'm happy to go. I'm looking forward to it.'' Graham has been called ``America's pastor,'' a religious leader who helped forge the evangelical movement's identity. He is credited with helping President George W. Bush recommit re·com·mit tr.v. re·com·mit·ted, re·com·mit·ting, re·com·mits 1. To commit again. 2. To refer (proposed legislation, for example) to a committee again. his life and has been part of the inner circle of multiple presidents. ``Unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil , he's been the major figure in evangelicalism evangelicalismProtestant movement that stresses conversion experiences, the Bible as the only basis for faith, and evangelism at home and abroad. The religious revival that occurred in Europe and America during the 18th century was generally referred to as the evangelical in the past half a century,'' said Graham biographer William Martin, a professor of sociology at Rice University. Graham's son, Franklin, now runs the day-to-day operations of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is an organization started by the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham in 1950. The main focus of the BGEA is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. Graham does this through his trademark "crusade" style ministry. . In his 55 years of ministry, Graham has preached in person to more than 210 million people. He has led hundreds of thousands of people to commit their lives to Christ. Richard Peace, the Robert Boyd Munger professor of evangelism and spiritual formation at the multicampus Fuller Theological Seminary Through its three schools, Theology, Psychology, Intercultural Studies, and the Horner Center for Lifelong Learning, the seminary offers university-style education leading to 13 different degrees accredited by the Association of Theological Schools[1] and the Western , said the evangelical movement was ``small and unnoticed'' in the years after World War II. Graham, along with other Christian leaders such as radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller
Dr. Charles Edward Fuller (April 25, 1887 - March 18, 1968) was an American Christian clergyman and a radio evangelist. , founder of the Fuller seminary, were trying to define a new theological perspective rooted in fundamentalism. ``Graham is certainly one of the people who helped evangelicalism emerge out of the shadow lands,'' Peace said. ``He, in a sense, gave it a voice. He gave it a presence.'' Graham did such things as invite liberals to sit on the podium during his crusades in the 1950s, which horrified hor·ri·fy tr.v. hor·ri·fied, hor·ri·fy·ing, hor·ri·fies 1. To cause to feel horror. See Synonyms at dismay. 2. To cause unpleasant surprise to; shock. fundamentalists. ``What he was doing was defining what evangelicalism really was - willing to reach out in both directions, to the right and the left.'' Each Billy Graham crusade is organized by a coalition of churches and leaders from multiple denominations and theological perspectives. There are 1,400 churches sponsoring the Rose Bowl event. Although Graham has faced criticism for avoiding issues that would divide his constituency, the evangelist said he has always preached the Gospel - the message that God sent Jesus Christ to redeem the sins of mankind. ``I think that the Gospel is the main thing,'' Graham said. ``If you get off from preaching the Gospel, you get involved in so many things that divide people, and I'm trying to unite people in hearing the Gospel and receiving Christ as their savior, ... but being an evangelist I feel my job is to just preach the Gospel.'' Marshall Allen, (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4461 marshall.allen(at)sgvn.com Billy Graham wins peace award San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. civic leader Bert Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Ford and other dealerships, has presented the Rev. Billy Graham with the Prince of Peace Award for his lifetime of serving God and his dedication as a world leader promoting peace. Boeckmann, who is also president of the Prince of Peace Foundation, presented the award to the evangelist during a gathering Sunday at the Westin hotel in Pasadena. ``Billy Graham had been recommended for this rarely given award for a number of years, and we feel he is really outstanding,'' Boeckmann said. ``Mr. Graham has brought to people everywhere the greatest peace of all, peace with God.'' Only three other people have ever been presented this award, including former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, King Hussein of Jordan and Mother Teresa. Graham is in Southern California for a four-day crusade at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena that will begin Thursday. - Daily News CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) The Rev. Billy Graham, 86, will be preaching Thursday through Sunday in Pasadena. Walt Mancini/Staff Photographer Box: Graham wins peace award (see text) |
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