Billy Graham, 99, died February 21 at his home in North Carolina. Throughout his life, the evangelist preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to some 215 million people who attended one of his more than 400 Crusades, simulcasts and evangelistic rallies in more than 185 countries and territories. He reached millions more through TV, video, film, the internet and 34 books.
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Billy Graham is most remembered for his evangelistic “Crusades.” Throughout his career, Graham preached to millions in stadiums all over the world. In 1973, Graham addressed more than one million people crowded into Yoido Plaza in Seoul, South Korea—the largest live audience of his Crusades.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) made great use of the media to spread the message of the gospel–including 100 films produced between 1949-2004 by BGEA’s World Wide Pictures. The films used the power of drama for evangelistic purposes. Several of the dramas included scenes filmed at actual Billy Graham Crusades.
WWP’s first feature film was Mr. Texas, produced during Graham’s 1951 Fort Worth, Texas Crusade. In 2003, the company released its final film, Last Flight Out.
Visit Billy Graham’s official memorial site here.
In the video below, watch excerpts of Wiretapper, a crime picture based on the true story of a criminal that turns his life round after attending a Billy Graham revival meeting.
Billy Graham in “Wiretapper” from Gospel Films Archive on Vimeo.