How did evangelist Billy Graham make his money before he died? His Net Worth, Death, Funeral, Quotes, Library, Sermons, Children
• Billy Graham was born William Franklin Graham Jr, on November 7th, 1918 in Charlotte, North Carolina USA.
• He was an evangelist and ordained Southern Baptist preacher, and is considered the father of evangelism in America.
• His wealth was estimated to be at $25 million, earned primarily through evangelistic crusades, radio and television broadcasts, and book and film sales.
• He married Ruth Bell in 1943 and had five children • Virginia, Anne, Ruth, Franklin and Nelson.
• He passed away on February 21st, 2018 and was buried in the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Contents
Who Was Billy Graham?
Born William Franklin Graham Jr. on the 7th November 1918, in Charlotte, North Carolina USA, and was an evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist preacher. He is considered as the father of evangelism in America, and was a spiritual adviser to US presidents, providing counsel for every president from Harry S. Truman, the 33rd, to the 44th – Barack Obama. He passed away on the 21st February 2018 at the age of 99.
So, do you want to find out more about Billy Graham, from his early life to his death, including his career and personal life? If yes, then stay with us as we are about to bring you closer to one of the most renowned preachers of the USA.
How did evangelist Billy Graham make his money?
As early as 1947, Billy started his evangelistic career, and in 1950 launched the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the late ‘50s he befriended Martin Luther King Jr., who invited him to join him on a 16-week Christian event held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. It was during those 16 weeks that Billy earned a name for himself, since more than 2.3 million people attended his sermons. After that, he continued with the practice and his sermons began being aired on radio and later television, which contributed significantly to his wealth. Furthermore, he expanded his Christian crusades, visiting 185 countries on all continents, reportedly reaching more than 2.5 billion people across the world, both live and through radio and television broadcasts. He also published more than 30 books, and his World Wide Pictures has produced over 130 films, while his “Hour of Decision”, was a weekly radio program broadcast around the world for more than 50 years.
Billy Graham Net Worth
Billy became one of the most renowned preachers and Christian evangelists, which increased his wealth to a large degree. So have you ever wondered how rich Billy Graham was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that his net worth was as high as $25 million. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?
Billy Graham Wiki: Early Life, Parents, and Education
Of Scots-Irish ancestry, Billy was the oldest of four children born to Morrow and William Franklin Graham Sr. He grew up on a dairy farm, with his two younger sisters and brother. His parents, highly devoted to the church, raised him in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Billy went to Sharon High School, from which he matriculated in May 1936, and would then enroll at Bob Jones College, but he wasn’t happy with the studies, and in 1937 transferred to the Florida Bible Institute in Temple Terrace, Florida, while two years later a group of Southern Baptist clergymen ordained him at Peniel Baptist Church in Palatka, Florida. His studies were finally over in 1943, when he graduated with a degree in anthropology from Wheaton College, Illinois.
While at Wheaton, Billy accepted the Bible, and regarded it as the infallible word of God. He had trouble accepting this, though with the help of Henrietta Mears of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, he eventually accepted the Bible. There was a memorial, located at Forest Home Christian Camp, southeast of the Big Bear Lake area in Southern California, which marks the site of Graham’s decision.
Billy Graham Personal Life, Wife, Children
Billy met his wife and life partner, Ruth Bell at Wheaton; Ruth’s parents were Presbyterian missionaries. He and Ruth married on the 13th August 1943, and remained married for almost 64 years until Ruth’s death on the 14th June 2007, when she was 87 years old. Impressive, don’t you think? They had five children together; their first child, Virginia Leftwich was born in 1945 and she is now an inspirational speaker and author. Anne Graham Lotz was born in 1948, and runs AnGeL ministries. Their third child, Ruth was born in 1950, and is the founder and president of Ruth Graham & Friends, while the fourth child was their first son, Franklin, born in 1952, and who is now the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, while also serving as president and CEO of the international relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse. Their fifth child, son Nelson Edman, who was born in 1958; he is now a pastor and runs East Gates Ministries International.
Graham was a grandfather to 19, which includes pastor Tullian Tchividjian, then great-grandfather to 41, and great-great-grandfather.
Billy Graham Death, Funeral
From the late ‘90s onwards, Billy avoided public appearances, due to his failing health; he suffered from hydrocephalus from 1992, and since then his health only declined further.
As he got older, his vision, hearing and balance became worse, and on the 21st February 2018, Billy passed away from natural causes at his home in Montreal, North Carolina. He was buried next to his wife Ruth in Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a funeral service held on the 2nd March 2018.
I wonder why nobody reported that Billy Graham’s travelling partner for 20 years, Charles Templeton, resigned to live as an agnostic. He became an author, columnist and wrote of his religious past and challenges in a book “Farewell to God”.
What positive purpose would publicly reporting Templeton serve? So what? Templeton made his personal choice, and the good little boys with horns, hooks, and pitch forks have reserved a special place for him somewhere on the back side of the celestial hot house. The very best anybody could ever do is write about it, and hope that somehow old Temple tick had the testicular fortitude to read the note, and ruminate on the matter for a time span. In the end, the choice for positive change still yet lies in his own hands.
New Autobiography from Greg Laurie regarding Billy Graham talks about this. On Templetons deathbed his wife talks about his Acknowledgment and love of Jesus. God knows our heart. Best be ready to meet your maker because we do not know when we will die.
I was a great fan of Billy Graham, until I found out he was a very rich man in his latter years. Why couldn’t he have been satisfied to be a rich man instead of a very rich man? $25 million is no chump change. That money was his personal net worth. He could have plateaued his wealth at say $3 million, or $5 million, or even $10 million. With this kind of strategy, he could have given more and more to the very poor and suffering ones in this world. And at the same time he could have maintained himself as a, say, $5 millionaire. And by the same token, Graham could have supported (instead of ignoring) the multiple warnings against the rich. Here are some of the verses that essentially warn us all concerning accumulated net wealth. Note that all Scriptures given below are from the new covenant (New Testament).
“For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”
“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Another verse is like this one, only instead of ‘poor’ the phrase is ‘poor in spirit.’ Both verses equally apply.)
(The bible is filled with sad examples of those who walk away from the Kingdom of heaven because they cannot walk away from their possessions.)
(G.K. Chesterton 1874-1936 sums all of this up in his typical way by saying, “It may be possible to have a good debate over whether or not Jesus believed in fairies, but it is impossible to have any sort of debate over whether or not Jesus believes that rich people are in big trouble.”)
In ending, my personal feelings are that there is no doubt that Billy Graham’s soul is in Heaven. He has done so much for the Lord. But there does exist doubt about the size or quality of his eternal reward. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” If Billy Graham had worked a work of great proportions to the suffering ones, especially in Africa, by funding expert societies like World Vision, then certainly his eternal reward would be significantly increased.
Caution: Prosperity gospel has taken firm root in modern times. There are a few new covenant verses that support it. I believe that God has purposely embedded these verses in the Word to give us a choice: Should we go with personal prosperity or should we choose to feed and medicate the poverty-stricken? It seems to great surprise that Graham has chosen the prosperity position. How his mind works is a mystery to me. And the dent in his eternal reward is so apparent that I end up musing, “What was the man thinking?”
No where in the Bible does it say that he had to be poor. God blessed him over and over. We dont know how much he gave away. Just because he had 25 million doesnt mean he wasnt a man of God.
The essential problem of Christianity is that it teaches poverty, but its disciples practice wealth accumulation.
Jesus (and Paul) thought the world was going to end soon. This is why Jesus told people to give away their possessions, and Paul taught people should not marry. Jesus spoke very specifically about the world ending in the lifetime of those to whom he preached.
Christians, for the most part, ignore the idea of not attaining wealth. They also ignore the admonition not to marry. They ignore these basic Christian teachings because they don’t like them. Instead, they claim Jesus didn’t really mean what he said about the end coming soon. This provides cover for getting married and accumulating wealth.
Billy Graham died with a net worth of $25 million. His son Franklin has $10 million. Joel Osteen $100 million. What they preach and practice is a fraud.
how much money do you have?
Garbage will always do garbage deceptively……Evangelism ??? ….. PERFECT !!!
Just came across this. The man lived in a house smaller than mine and I’m not even middle class. It actually went on sale recently and was described as a humble home. It’s not what money you have it’s your lifestyle and let’s make absolutely no mistake about it, BilllyGraham was not lavish by any means. You realise he still selling books into his old age. If people would just sit back and think and stop listening to what the world says.
Billy must be wondering what happened to his son Franklin, who is a get-rich-kwik power-hungry liar.
I sit here in in Canada 84 years of age I attended with my three children any time that your father Billy Graham came to Nova Scotia he was an amazing man we are in a different age now my family fully grown going through the Trump era that even my own grandchildren question I enlightened them that their son Franklyn being you sir is going along with this big lie in the United States my grandson is going to study political science and has asked me some very difficult questions would your father be in agreement of your religious and critical thinking I believe not Trump is leading our world into a very scary era you as a man of God should be doing everything in your power not going along with these false and dangerous facts in your Position you have the be platform to be a change agent in the name of God what an honour that would be that now would be putting yourself in line with one so powerful perhaps it would be life changing for you and help with the events and scary ones changing the United States from such a powerful be state to one right now I would not want to visit let alone live use your no power Franklyn Graham it is scary as you will lose a lot of supporters yet in the future rewards will be plenty thank you if you ever read this has been bothering me for quite some time please pray for Russia no need to visit but visit your father’s grave ask for his wisdom as I will pray for you sincerely
I agree wholeheartedly that Franklin’s dad would not agree with him on many issues, namely his involvement in politics, especially right-wing deception that centered around abortion, homosexuality and women’s rights. The manipulation of the church started with Ronald Reagan and Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority partnership of “The Moral Majority”, which convinced most Christians that God was a registered Republican. Since that time, Christianity has left behind the major, underlying teachings of Jesus to “love God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself”. Instead, it has divided the church down political lines, and anger, fear, hatred, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy are the expressions coming from the Christian right.. Since most Christians believe their leaders, we got the greatest manipulator, deceiver, liar, lawless president of all times, and they bow and worship him like a Messiah. It’s truly a time of separation between the sheep and the goats.
A very bad place for the church right now, as the new generation are not buying it, and us older ones are having trouble finding a church home where we can pray in one accord and not have underlying major disagreements along political lines.
I am constantly shocked at the high salaries of the religious speakers, some a million a year ! And considering how often they beg to be paid to ‘help the poor and needy’ all the while pocketing a large portion of it for themselves. This is what the tax collectors in Christ;’s day did,! How are these hypocrites different than common thieves???
Our insecurities and lack of faith make our path indirect. AS we build our foundation on shifting sand, later in life, we end up replacing our insecurities, with pride and self justification. Jesus rode a donkey as an example of humility.
Besides Jesus, my favorite mentors have been Billy Graham, and Mother Teresa. Perhaps Billy, could have learned something from her. We care for people because we never know if that person could be us. In everyone’s time before we die, we come to realize that we are now in a t a position of need, and that money no longer matters.
Even person or child in need, should burden your heart. We should always ask, ourselves, how much money is necessary for my needs, so that I might give more. We should have trust. Matt 19:31 Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Decadence is our decay of morality through out the world. We need to respect the positions of God, the Holy Spirit, and Christ. It’s through the Holy Spirit that the leader are appointed to feed and shepherd God’s flock. It’s a good thing, that the Holy Spirit is telling you, and me, that an excessive salary. can separate even those that are close to God.