I remember the scene well: Years ago I was sitting in the pews of an almost-empty church listening to an Episcopal bishop discuss why Billy Graham was irrelevant. The prelate insisted that Graham was not the problem. No one could question his sincerity or integrity\u2014only his message.<\/p>\n
\u201cModern people simply cannot accept the supernatural basis of Billy Graham\u2019s gospel,\u201d I recall the bishop saying. \u201cBilly Graham should change his gospel or he will never reach our world as it is.\u201d A man sitting next to me turned and said, \u201cThere are 40 people here, and four million listened to Billy Graham in a crusade last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham, who died Wednesday at 99, was perhaps the most significant Christian evangelist since the Apostle Paul. This wasn\u2019t because of his media savvy or political influence. He transcended all of that with an obvious belief in the gospel he preached\u2014obvious even to those watching on television or sitting in a stadium\u2019s nosebleed seats. Graham did not think the brave new world needed anything other than an old-time gospel.<\/p>\n