William Franklin Graham III (born July 14, 1952), known publicly as Franklin Graham, is an American Christian evangelist and missionary. He is the president and CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse. is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with Ashville. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Missionary (disambiguation). ... An organization started by the Dr. Rev. ... Samaritans Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization engaged in crisis relief and community development. ...

He currently lives with his wife, Jane, in Boone, North Carolina. Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ...

Early years

The fourth out of five children of evangelist Billy Graham and wife Ruth Bell Graham, he was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other persons named Billy Graham, see Billy Graham (disambiguation). ... Ruth Bell Graham is the wife of the noted Christian evangelist Billy Graham. ... The Appalachian Mountains are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. ... Not to be confused with Ashville. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ...

As a teenager, Graham attended Stony Brook School, a Christian boarding school on Long Island, New York and finished high school in North Carolina. He graduated from Montreat-Anderson College (now Montreat College) with an A.S. and Appalachian State University with a B.A. The Stony Brook School is a private Christian boarding high school for boys and girls grades 7-12. ... This article is about Long Island in New York State. ... This article is about the state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... Montreat College is a private liberal arts Christian college located in Montreat, North Carolina which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA. Categories: University stubs ... Appalachian State University is a public university located in Boone, North Carolina and the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system. ...

In 1974, 22-year-old Graham became a Christian in a hotel room while on a trip to Jerusalem. He married Jane Austin Cunningham later that year. They have four children: William Franklin Graham IV (Will), born in 1975; Roy Austin Graham (1977), Edward Bell Graham, (1979), Jane Austin Graham (Cissie) (1986). They currently have five grandchildren. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... Will Graham preaching at a church. ...

Evangelist

Graham began conducting events for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1989 and became the CEO in 2000 and its president in 2002.^[1] Each year, he conducts at least five Graham Festivals around the world as an evangelist associated with the BGEA. Since 1989, he has preached to more than three million people in 126 evangelistic events. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Preaching is the most important element in the protestant churches. ...

He went to Hong Kong from November 29, 2007 to December 2, 2007 to host the Hong Kong Franklin Graham Festival, the first major evangelistic rally in Hong Kong since its 1997 transfer of sovereignty, which drew more than 420,000 attendees. is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ...

Graham spoke at the 1999 Columbine High School memorial, and he also gave the opening prayer at the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush. This article is about the year. ... The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado (the CDP of Columbine) near Denver and Littleton. ... For other uses, see Prayer (disambiguation). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Work with Samaritan's Purse

Shortly after becoming a Christian, Graham joined Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of the organization Samaritan's Purse, on a six-week mission to Asia. It was during this trip that Graham decided to focus on world relief. In 1979, after the death of Pierce, he became the president of Samaritan's Purse. Graham now also serves as the organization’s CEO, and heads efforts on behalf of the organization in more than 100 countries, including programs such as Operation Christmas Child and the Children’s Heart Project, among others. World Vision, founded in the United States in 1950, is an international Christian relief and development organization with a mandate to promote the well being of all people – especially children. ... Samaritans Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization engaged in crisis relief and community development. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... Operation Christmas Child is a worldwide giving program run by an Evangelical Christian organization known as Samaritans Purse. ...

Criticism

Graham came under criticism for comments he made about Islam in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks when he referred to Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion." Further criticism came on April 18, 2003 when he preached at a Good Friday service at the Pentagon.^[2][3][4] For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. ...

Franklin Graham was also criticized in 1994 for allegedly refusing to be part of peace negotiations between Sudanese Muslim fighting factions: the Sudan People's Liberation Army and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as well as Ugandan government intermediates. SPLA/M emblem Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) is a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the main opposition group in Sudan. ... Combatants Uganda Peoples Defence Force Lords Resistance Army Commanders Yoweri Museveni Joseph Kony The Lords Resistance Army (LRA),[1] formed in 1987, is a rebel guerrilla army operating mainly in northern Uganda and parts of Sudan. ...

The doomed 1994 peace negotiations headed by the Carter Center in which Joseph Kony the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army was considering releasing a large portion of his child slave solders, to the United Nations Children's Fund in return for political representation and immunity's was hindered when Franklin Graham refused to be involved. Despite being seen by many Sudanese as a Christian leader and thus political force in southern Sudan due-to his missionary work there. Joseph Kony Joseph Kony (born 1961 in Odek, a village to east of Gulu in northern Uganda) is the primary leader of a guerrilla paramilitary group, and possibly new religious movement, called the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish a theocratic government... Combatants Uganda Peoples Defence Force Lords Resistance Army Commanders Yoweri Museveni Joseph Kony The Lords Resistance Army (LRA),[1] formed in 1987, is a rebel guerrilla army operating mainly in northern Uganda and parts of Sudan. ... UNICEF Flag The United Nations Childrens Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United...

After Franklin Graham allegedly refused to help talks disintegrated and re-newed fighting that still persists to this day began. This is often cited or inferred most notably by the Jun 2005 issue The Walrus [1] as the precursor to the modern-day Darfur genocide. The Darfur conflict is an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a government-supported militia recruited from local Arab tribes, and the non-Arab peoples of the region. ...

On Iraq, Graham says he is, "poised and ready" to send representatives of the charity he runs to Iraq as soon as possible. While the purpose is humanitarian aid, Graham also admits, "I believe as we work, God will always give us opportunities to tell others about his Son. ... We are there to reach out to love them and to save them, and as a Christian, I do this in the name of Jesus Christ."

As a evangelist, Franklin Graham stirred controversy when he was chosen by George W. Bush to offer a prayer at Bush's January 20, 2001 inauguration -

"Now, O Lord, we dedicate this presidential inaugural ceremony to you. May this be the beginning of a new dawn for America as we humble ourselves before you and acknowledge you alone as our Lord, our Savior and our Redeemer.

We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." ^[5]

American Jews, Muslims and citizens of other faiths were not included.

Quotes

• "The Bible tells us that God loves us and he cares for us. He's provided a way for us to be with him in heaven, and that's through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ." (CNN, April 18, 2007)
• "The god of Islam is not the same God of the Christian or the Judeo-Christian faith. It is a different god, and I believe Islam is a very evil and a very wicked religion." [2]
• "We need to confess our sins to God, asking for forgiveness as a nation, and seek his wisdom in what we should do in the days to come, especially the president." (CNN, September 14, 2001)
• "I believe that God created one man and one woman. He gave sex to us, God did, and sex is to be enjoyed and is to be used within the bounds that God created.... In sexual behavior outside the parameters that God created, we're at high risk, and we're seeing the evidence of this with HIV/AIDS. We're outside of these parameters, and we have a huge global problem now." ^[6]
• "But let's use the weapons we have, the weapons of mass destruction if need be and destroy the enemy." (CNN, September 14, 2001)

Books

• "A Wing and a Prayer" (2005)
• "All for Jesus" (2003), with Ross Rhoads
• "Kids Praying for Kids" (2003)
• "The Name" (2002)
• "Living Beyond the Limits: A Life in Sync with God" (1998)
• "Rebel With A Cause: Finally Comfortable Being Graham" (1995), autobiography
• "Miracle in a Shoe Box" (1995)
• "Bob Pierce: This One Thing I Do" (1983)

References

External links

• People magazine - timeline history
• Father and Son bio

Video links

• Franklin Graham on The Hour
• UnCut Graham on The Hour