The Reasons Why Billy Graham Should Have a Holiday Instead of Columbus

The person that I think is the most deserving of a national holiday instead of Columbus is Billy Graham. He was a Christian evangelist, born on November 7, 1918, and died on February 21, 2018, at age 99. (www.biography.com) He preached to over 215 million people in 185 different countries. Some people called him ‘the Pope of Protestant America’ because he brought millions of people to Christ and has won many awards for his amazing works. Furthermore, he has influenced the lives of many and have changed the way people think about this world and helped people see it from a Christian perspective.

One reason that I think Billy Graham should have a holiday instead of Columbus is that he brought millions of people to Christ. Billy Graham grew up in a Calvinist house but decided at a young age that he didn’t believe in some of those beliefs. He went to Florida Bible School and learned more about Christ and after he graduated he was a preacher at a church in Illinois. He worked for Christian youth organizations until 1952 when he heard his calling to pursue his preaching career. I think that this is one reason that he should have a national holiday because he listened and obeyed what God’s calling for him was even though he was very comfortable in the job and position that he currently had. He often preached over the radio due to his organization, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. In my opinion, I think this was one of the reasons that he became such a famous preacher is because he was able to try and communicate with people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. He took the time to try and make his sermons available to everyone no matter their situation and circumstances.

The second reason that I think that Billy Graham is more deserving of a national holiday is that he stood up against Communism after World War Two. Until the day Billy Graham died, he believed that Communism was an attempt to take away the power of God on this Earth. I think the fact that he didn't believe communism was right but he still didn't want people to treat people who did believe it was right badly, shows that he was a true follower of God. As well as that, during his preaching tour in Hungary, he didn't use the word 'crusade' in any of his sermons out of respect to the Communist rulers. This was very effective as many Christians under the Soviet rule, came to watch his sermon. During one of his famous preaches, he commented, "' Why can't we have peace?'" and added that he agreed with the abolition of nuclear weapons. He also stated, “that President Truman had made a mistake by dropping the first atomic bomb on Japan.” (www.christianitytoday.com) The fact that he said that “we should all see the good of the human race and not just the good of any one race or nation” to me shows that he just wants us all to love each other and respect that we are all individuals and all unique. He said at the end of his Hungarian tour, "I have not joined the Communist Party since coming to Hungary, nor have I been asked to. But I think the world is changing. There is religious liberty in Hungary. … The church is alive in Hungary.”(www.christianitytoday.com) This quote to me shows that he was not afraid to state his opinion and beliefs of communism, despite the fact that members of the Soviet Union attended his sermon. This is very courageous of him and shows a lot of strength in the Lord. This is one of the reasons that I think Billy Graham deserves a national holiday.

The third and final reason that I think Billy Graham should have a national holiday is his integrity. He always continued to fight through his troubles and always tried his best to preach the word of God to everyone he met. He also fought through what people had to stay about him because he knew exactly what God thinks of him and he didn't need anyone's earthly approval. This to me shows his Christian walk because in order to trust God that much with everything you do means that he must be engrossed in His Word all of the time. This makes him a really good role model for me and gives me and the rest of the world an example of how to live our lives to please Jesus. Even though he wasn't perfect, he is the closest person to living like Jesus that I have ever heard of. Overall, I think that the fact that Billy Graham brought so many people into a relationship with Jesus and the fact that he wasn't ashamed or hesitant to stand up and share the gospel with the world makes him more deserving of a national holiday than Columbus. I think that the way Columbus was very violent about his approach to the Native Americans already living in the Americas was not behavior that we should be celebrating. Also, the way that he just left the settlers in the Americas and didn't return, I think is really bad leadership and shouldn't be an example that is looked up to. Therefore, I think that Billy Graham is way more deserving of a national holiday than Columbus.