Since Billy Graham passed away earlier this week, ERLC President Dr. Russell Moore has appeared on CBS This Morning, CNN, NPR, and other radio/television interviews discussing the centrality of the gospel in the life and legacy of “the most important evangelist since Apostle Paul.”

As Dr. Moore said, “We are fortunate to have lived in the era of Billy Graham. He was perhaps the greatest Southern Baptist in history, turning the world upside down with the gospel.”

Read and watch Dr. Moore’s reflections below and don’t miss him on The Journal Editorial Report with Paul Gigot later today and tomorrow at 3 pm EST on Fox News.

“Billy Graham Bore Witness for 99 Years”
WSJ Houses of Worship Column, Russell Moore, Feb. 21, 2018

“Graham, who died Wednesday at 99, was perhaps the most significant Christian evangelist since the Apostle Paul. This wasn’t because of his media savvy or political influence. He transcended all of that with an obvious belief in the gospel he preached—obvious even to those watching on television or sitting in a stadium’s nosebleed seats. Graham did not think the brave new world needed anything other than an old-time gospel.

“Graham filled stadiums in major cities and used emerging media to spread his message. While he was an innovative communicator, his message was the undiluted core of Christianity. Even the music of Graham crusades demonstrated this. His most famous invitation hymn, ‘Just as I Am,’ focused on blood atonement and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation—topics that should have been off-putting to modern America. Yet that hymn also emphasized that the gospel is not for those who are smug in their morality, or who know all the shibboleths of Christian America.

“Graham’s personal conviction about this historic gospel is what led him to desegregate his crusades in 1953, despite the hate this stirred up among Southern segregationists. If there were no separation ropes at the cross or in heaven, there should be none at his crusades. 

“Billy Graham Remembered as ‘Faithful,’ ‘Most Important Evangelist’ by Religious Leaders”
FoxNews.com, Feb. 21, 2018

“Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, part of the Southern Baptist Convention, said it’s almost ‘impossible’ to count the number of people he knows who have become Christians through Graham’s work.

“In an interview with Fox News, Moore praised the authenticity of Graham, saying he was someone who was the same in both his public and private life.

“‘My earliest memories are watching him preach on television as a very small child. I remember being struck as a child with the gravity with which he took the Gospel. That continued with me for the rest of my life,’ Moore said. ‘When I met Dr. Graham, that same sense of weightiness of the Gospel was evident in him personally – just as it was in public.’

“Moore added that Graham was ‘successful’ because his work wasn’t all about himself, comparing him to the John the Baptist.

“‘I think the death of Billy Graham is a time for all of us to reflect on the hope that he preached – forgiveness of sins and peace with God through Jesus Christ,’ Moore said. ‘I hope there’s a great deal of reflection, not just on what he did, but why.’”

“Evangelical Leader Remembers Billy Graham’s Life and Legacy”
NPR Morning Edition, Feb. 21, 2018

“Billy Graham Was ‘Most Important Evangelist Since Apostle Paul’ Russell Moore Says”
Tennessean, Feb. 21, 2018

“The Passing of Rev. Billy Graham”
Michael Medved Show, Feb. 21, 2018

“Religious and Political Leaders React to Billy Graham’s Death”
WSJ, Feb. 21, 2018

“Evangelist Billy Graham Dies at 99”
News Channel 5 Network, Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2018