Franklin Graham is the most prominent evangelical leader in the country.
His family has made their life’s mission to spread the Gospel.
And Franklin Graham made an important trip to Washington, D.C. for this surprising reason.
Statue of Billy Graham unveiled at the Capitol Building
The late evangelist Reverend Billy Graham was honored with a bronze sculpture in the National Statuary Hall inside the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Reverend Franklin Graham – his son – along with politicians honored the life of the late evangelist during a dedication ceremony for the sculpture.
Every state gets to select two late historical figures to have sculptures to represent them in the National Statuary Hall.
Graham passed away at the age of 99 in 2018.
The sculpture of Graham depicts him holding an open Bible and has two Biblical verses inscribed on it.
John 3:16: God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
And John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) was one of the people who spoke at the ceremony.
He noted that only four people in American history had been honored with a statue at the Capitol, a Congressional Gold Medal, and lying in state after they passed on.
“Two of them are presidents – Presidents Ford and Reagan – and one is Rosa Parks,” Johnson said. “And the other, as of today, will be Rev. Billy Graham.”
“Billy Graham finally takes his rightful place on those hallowed grounds of American democracy,” Johnson added.
The process of placing Graham’s sculpture began nine years ago when North Carolina lawmakers voted to remove the sculpture of early 20th Century North Carolina Governor Charles Aycock (D).
Franklin Graham talks about his father’s sculpture
Reverend Franklin Graham, the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, said that his father would have wanted the focus to be his message of the Gospel.
“My father would be a little uncomfortable with this being here,” Graham said. “Because he would want the focus to be on the one that he preached – he would want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
“On the base, John 3:16, John 14:6 [are] inscribed, and of course, John 3:16 gives the Gospel — that God so loved this world that He sent His Son on a rescue mission to save sinners,” Graham stated.
He said that his father’s life mission was to spread the Gospel.
“He didn’t come to condemn, he came to save,” Graham explained.
Billy Graham traveled to six continents to spread the Gospel to more than 200 million during his life.
“My father believed it,” Graham continued. “He believed the Bible, cover to cover. He didn’t understand it all, but he certainly believed it all, every word of it.”
Billy Graham is the greatest evangelist the country has ever known and now he’ll be honored for the incredible work he did over his life.
