The U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection welcomed a new statue Thursday — a seven-foot-tall bronze representation of the late Rev. Dr. Billy Graham.
Dr. Graham was one of the most recognizable religious figures of the 20th century.
His ministry spanned seven decades and took him to over 185 countries and territories.
He preached to more than 200 million people in person and reached millions more through radio, television, and other forms of media.
He counseled powerful world leaders, including 12 sitting presidents, and eventually gained the nicknames of "America’s Pastor" and "God’s Ambassador."
It is little wonder that Graham’s home state of North Carolina, which commissioned the statue, would choose to commemorate such a famous son.
Graham’s legacy is immense, but his life and ministry were rooted in a simple faith that was as powerful as it was unassuming.
In fact, he would credit any influence he had to the Bible. Graham once said, "People put a person who is publicized a little bit on a pedestal. I don’t belong there.
"I belong in the gutter with all the sinners that have been saved by grace. I’m a sinner saved by the grace of God."
Now that his statue sits on a pedestal in the Capitol Building, we should reflect on his life and how the Bible transformed it.
Graham was born in 1918 and grew up on a dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 1934, his life changed when he heard a revivalist named Mordecai Ham preach.
Graham converted and eventually felt called to the ministry himself.
He met his wife, Ruth, while at Wheaton College in Illinois, graduating in 1943.
He became an evangelist for the organization, "Youth for Christ," and hosted a local radio ministry in Chicago.
He gained national fame in 1949, however, when he held a revival in Los Angeles that would make headlines across the country. Within a few years, he would be conducting revivals around the globe.
Believing that the Bible was for everyone, Graham expanded his ministry across the globe, following the command found in Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
This calling would lead him to hold numerous revivals in cities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America and South America.
Graham’s ministry came of age in the early years of the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union and its allies presented a terrifying and uncertain future.
At the same time, economic prosperity, mass media, and movements seeking to address racial injustice and social inequalities were rapidly changing American society.
Graham’s sermons drew from the Bible to offer guidance, presenting faith as an alternative to fear. This biblical message served to unite people from a broad range of faith perspectives, from Catholics to Protestants, and from diverse social backgrounds.
Despite being in the public spotlight for decades, Graham’s core message stayed remarkably consistent.
He was committed to showing how the Bible could offer insight and clarity in confusing times. There was hope for the future.
The Museum of the Bible is humbled to open Billy Graham’s Canvas Cathedral, an exhibition developed in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Billy Graham Library.
The exhibit highlights how the Bible shaped Graham and his ministry, and how his ministry used the Bible to reach millions of people worldwide.
Capitol Hill’s new statue echoes this theme too.
Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan sculpted Graham holding an open Bible and gesturing to it, inviting us to read along.
The statute stands on a granite base inscribed with two Bible verses.
First, we read John 3:16 on the base: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Graham preached on this verse more than any other, calling it "the gospel in a nutshell." Then we read John 14:6: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
In a sense, Graham’s statue rests on a biblical foundation, just as Graham did in life.
From a dairy farm to Capitol Hill, Billy Graham exemplifies the transformative power of the Bible.
Anthony Schmidt is director of collections and curatorial at Museum of the Bible.
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