Billy Graham, 99, Dies; Pastor Filled Stadiums and Counseled Presidents
The New York Times’s Laurie Goodstein reports that Billy Graham died on Wednesday at the age of 99. Graham was an evangelical preacher who converted millions of people worldwide in part thanks to his savvy use of radio and television. Though beloved by many, Graham was also criticized for maintaining a close relationship with Nixon after Watergate, and for being heard on audiotapes agreeing with Nixon that liberal Jews controlled the media. Goodstein writes, “But in his later years, Mr. Graham kept his distance from the evangelical political movement he had helped engender, refusing to endorse candidates and avoiding the volatile issues dear to religious conservatives.”