- published: 21 Apr 2016
- views: 853
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. (born November 7, 1918) is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status with national media backing of William Randolph Hearst and Henry Luce in 1949. His sermons were broadcast on radio and television, with some still re-broadcast today.
Graham is notable for having been a spiritual adviser to several United States Presidents; he was particularly close to Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon. During the civil rights movement, he began to support integrated seating for his revivals and crusades; in 1957 he invited Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to jointly preach at a huge revival in New York City, where they appeared together at Madison Square Garden, and bailed the minister out of jail in the 1960s when he was arrested in demonstrations.
Having built an evangelical empire and organized huge events worldwide, Graham has personally preached the Gospel to more people than any other person in history. His institutions include a variety of media and publishing outlets. According to his staff, more than 3.2 million people have responded to the invitation at Billy Graham Crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. As of 2008, Graham's estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion.
Nothing's ever changed, you still turn away
You've washed your hands, you've made that all too clear
You just keep on living this lie
You refuse to see, you're denying me
The cross I bear but you don't seem to care
Even Judas knew he had lied
I keep wondering why
I'm still calling your name through my tears
Why have you waited to embrace me, my dear?
Cold is your silence, denying what is real
I'm still wondering why
I'm still calling your name, my dear
I'm sorry if you can't stand the naked truth
All you see is how you want it to be
So you keep on living your life
Release me from this cross after all these years
Oh, call my name and help me with this weight
Even though it comes far too late
I keep wondering why
I'm still calling your name through my tears
Why have you waited to embrace me, my dear?
Cold is your silence, denying what is real
I'm still wondering why I'm still calling your name
And I wonder, oh I wonder
In my heart I still hope you will open the door
You can purify it all, answer my call
Why? Why?
Why have you waited to embrace me, my dear?
Cold is your silence, denying what is real
I'm still wondering why I'm still calling your name
And I wonder, oh I wonder
In my heart, I still hope you will open the door