Page 68 - History of Christianity II- Textbook

Watergate scandal, Graham drew back a bit and began to warn against the temptations and pitfalls that
lie in wait for religious leaders who enter the political arena.

When the movement known as the Religious Right surfaced in the late 1970s, he declined to participate
in it, warning fellow Christian leaders to "be wary of exercising political influence" lest they lose their
spiritual impact.

Global vision
As Graham came to sense the breadth of his influence, he grew ever more determined not only to help
evangelicalism become increasingly dynamic and self-confident, but also to shape the direction of
contemporary Christianity. That determination manifested itself in several major international
conferences sponsored or largely underwritten by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

In particular, the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin, attended by 1,200 evangelical leaders
from 104 nations, and the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne,
Switzerland, attended by 2,400 delegates from 150 countries, helped evangelicals to see themselves as a
worldwide Christian force, alongside Vatican II and the World Council of Churches, an international
movement capable of accomplishing more than its constituents had dreamed possible.

Few, if any, developments in Billy Graham's ministry have been more surprising or controversial than his
success in penetrating the Iron Curtain. Beginning in 1978, virtually every Soviet-controlled country
progressively gave him privileges that no other churchman, including the most prominent and politically
docile native religious leaders, had ever received. Graham used these visits to preach, to encourage
Christian believers, and to explain to Communist leaders that their restriction of religious freedom was
counterproductive, hampering diplomatic relations with America.

Graham's proudest achievements may be two BGEA-sponsored conferences in Amsterdam in 1983 and
1986, with a third scheduled for the year 2000. These gatherings, attended by a total of 13,000 on-the-
job itinerant evangelists from 174 countries, provided basic instruction in such matters as sermon
composition, fundraising, and effective use of films and videotapes. As a sign of Billy Graham's change-
embracing spirit, approximately 500 attendees at the 1986 meeting were women, and Pentecostals
outnumbered non-Pentecostals. Subsequent smaller gatherings throughout the world have afforded
similar training to additional thousands of evangelists.

Indeed, it is plausible that the answer to the oft-asked question, "Who will be the next Billy Graham?" is
no single man or woman, but this mighty army of anonymous individuals whose spirits have been
thrilled by Billy Graham's example, their hands and minds prepared with his organization's assistance,
and their hearts set on fire by his ringing exhortation at the Amsterdam meetings: "Do the work of an
evangelist!"

Age and Parkinson's disease took their toll, but they did not quench Billy Graham's spirit. "My mind tells
me I ought to get out there and go," he said, as he was beginning to feel the effects of his disease, "but I
just can't do it. But I'll preach until there is no breath left in my body. I was called by God, and until God
tells me to retire, I cannot. Whatever strength I have, whatever time God lets me have, is going to be
dedicated to doing the work of an evangelist, as long as I live."

Three million people came to Christ as a result of Billy Graham’s preaching. How could
God use you to reach millions for Christ? Do the work of an evangelist, as Billy Graham
did. You will see a bounty of souls!

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