When the Rev. Billy Graham walked off the stage at his final mass revival this week, it brought to an end an era in American religion. It appears very likely that no one will ever match the power and appeal that Graham brought to the religious movement.
As scores of televangelists one-by-one fell from grace over the past few decades, Graham remained pristine. For 60 years - can you imagine! - Graham preached the word in virtually every corner of the globe. His success and his following resulted largely from his message and that message never changed through the years.
Graham visited 185 countries through the years and brought his Christian message to an estimated 210 million people. No one will ever match that reaching power.
I doubt another Billy Graham is even possible in today's world. Through the years, dozens of pretenders tried to follow in Graham's footsteps. But no one came close to matching his appeal. And even today - slowed substantially by countless physical ailments - Graham's "star power" remains strong.
America will no longer have such a strong Christian voice as Billy Graham brought to society. In a sea of scandals, Graham remained steadfast in his devotion and committed to his mission. When all else failed, you could count on Graham's voice of reason and faith. But his days are clearly numbered.
Moral conviction and true faith will suffer without the leadership of Billy Graham. The decline in religious matters is a result of a changing social climate in this country. That decline is aided by an over-zealous court system. In our rush toward diversity, Christian faith takes it on the chin. And soon we will no longer have the voice of Billy Graham to right the ship of