# Is there any dirt on Billy Graham? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141 "2001-10-28T19:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/1 "2001-10-28T19:54:14Z")
The misdeeds, ignorance, and barbarism of religion politicians is the stuff of legend: Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps, and on and on. But as I thought about it, I honestly couldn’t recall even a hint of dispersion ever cast toward Billy Graham. In fact, Charlotte, his hometown, named a major thoroughfare after him, the Billy Graham Parkway, despite their longstanding policy of naming nothing after someone until after they’ve died. Vivisimo and Google searches turn up nothing (nothing credible, anyway). In fact, Salon says that Graham is [“clean as a whistle”](http://www.salon.com/people/bc/2000/11/21/graham/index2.html). Does anyone know of any Billy Graham scandals? ---
**Author:** ![Iguana\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@Iguana\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iguana_Boy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/2 "2001-10-28T20:19:22Z")
I am aware of none concerning the man himself. He does indeed appear to be to be scandal free. There was something a couple of years ago about his son being implicated in some financial irregularity involving church (or BG’s organisation), funds but I believe that nothing came of it. If I remember correctly, BG’s son was just involved with the particular work to which the funds related rather than being directly implicated in the actual alleged wrongdoing, and it was only that loose connection to BG that made the whole thing newsworthy. I would do a search and a link, but it is not about BG himself, so it is not a response to the OP. I stress that these are just my feeble recollections of a one-off news story. BG appears to be that rare example of a man who does practice what he preaches, and long may he continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/3 "2001-10-28T20:35:23Z")
He didn’t actually invent Graham Crackers. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/4 "2001-10-28T20:37:47Z")
In my opinion, Billy Graham is the type of preacher that other televangelists should try to be. As far as I know, he has never been the object of any scandal whatsoever (unless you count hanging out with Richard Nixon scandalous.) He truly practices what he preaches, and when he does preach he stays to a very simple gospel message. You won’t often find Graham trying to delve into any deep theology and when he does, he’s not afraid to say that there are some things that he just doesn’t know. He was also instrumental in creating the [Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability](http://www.ecfa.org/default.asp) which keeps financial information on various Christian ministries on the up and up. I don’t think you’ll find a more honest and deicated Christian than Graham in the pantheon of televangelists. ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/5 "2001-10-28T20:53:19Z")
An unquestionably anointed but very young and green prophet once hinted darkly to me that all was not well in the Graham camp. He didn’t say any more and I really got the impression that it was such a vague generalisation it didn’t really mean anything at all; just a traditional prophet’s refusal to support anything of the establishment. It may have refered to Dr Graham’s offending some particularly exclusive Christian sect. I ignored it. That is the only thing I’ve ever heard against the man, and it ain’t much. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/6 "2001-10-28T20:54:04Z")
Some fundamentalists and evangelicals think he goes to far in his ecumenicalism (not sure if that’s a word but you know what I mean). Bob Jones III has distanced himself from him and disapproved of the fact that Graham has prayed with catholics and met with the pope. So, if you are a fundamentalist then there’s your dirt. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/7 "2001-10-28T20:56:22Z")
Euthychus, I’m not sure I’d call Graham a televangelist. He does have have TV specials but that’s not his main work or focus. He doesn’t ask for money while on TV. He’s just a plain old preacher. Just a minor point. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/8 "2001-10-28T21:08:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > \*\*Euthychus, I’m not sure I’d call Graham a televangelist. He does have have TV specials but that’s not his main work or focus. He doesn’t ask for money while on TV. > > He’s just a plain old preacher. > > Just a minor point. \*\* I’d agree with that. Just revise the reading of my post to say that Graham is what televangelists _should_ be like. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/9 "2001-10-28T21:11:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > \*\*Bob Jones III has distanced himself from him and disapproved of the fact that Graham has prayed with catholics and met with the pope. > \*\* Was he the one who said God would kill him if people didn’t send him a million dollars in thirty days, or some such rot? ---
**Author:** ![Chickenhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chickenhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenhead)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/10 "2001-10-28T21:12:49Z")
teeny quibble > [@](#): > > But as I thought about it, I honestly couldn’t recall even a hint of dispersion ever cast toward Billy Graham. aspersion, i think ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/11 "2001-10-28T21:15:21Z")
Egad! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/12 "2001-10-28T21:16:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > > \*\*Bob Jones III has distanced himself from him and disapproved of the fact that Graham has prayed with catholics and met with the pope. > > \*\* > > Was he the one who said God would kill him if people didn’t send him a million dollars in thirty days, or some such rot? \*\* That was Oral Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![kpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c57346/32.png) [@kpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kpm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/13 "2001-10-28T21:19:13Z")
He used to have a policy of not going into a hotel room alone - he was afraid someone would sneak a naked woman in there and she would jump on him and someone would then snap a picture to discredit him. I doubt he still does that now. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/14 "2001-10-28T21:23:14Z")
Not only that but he never has lunch or dinner with a woman alone. Hillary Clinton wanted to have lunch with him and he said he would, but not alone. Bob Jones III was is the head and grandson of Bob Jones University, the school that got Bush into controversy during election season because he visited there. You’ll find plenty on that place. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/15 "2001-10-28T21:39:07Z")
I don’t agree with everything Graham says-(I hear he’s still of the homosexuality is a sin, mindset). But truly, he’s not a jerk about it. He’s not a hypocrite, and he’s more, well, humble, I guess you could say. He believes in what he does, and he doesn’t have that air of “holier than thou.” like so many do. I don’t agree with everything he believes-but I respect the man. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/16 "2001-10-28T22:34:02Z")
Yeah, I’m an atheist and even I have respect for him. My impression is he truly is in it for non-selfish reasons. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/17 "2001-10-28T22:49:14Z")
Oh well, here goes. Bill Graham’s foundation tries to hide the fact that it has a huge pile of money. Billy’s afraid it would discourage fund raising if people knew how well off they really are. Several church and charity rating groups rank his low for reasons like this. Note: I’m not saying they’re spending money unwisely, just there’s a large lack of openness open what’s going on. But that’s minor compared to: Billy likes politicians of a certain political bent, regardless of their ethics or even if they are truly (vs. “publicly”) religous. And the more scum-sucking the politician, the more Billy seemed to like him. A guy who thought Dick Nixon was a great moral leader doesn’t strike me as having a full deck, religous credo-wise. I wouldn’t trust this guy’s opinions on religous matters one solitary bit. I don’t think God belongs to a political party. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/18 "2001-10-28T22:56:08Z")
Weak, weak, weak. According to the Salon site cited above: > [@](#): > > The only glitch in Graham’s half-century run of salvation came in 1978 when the Charlotte Observer revealed that the BGEA had kept hidden from its members and contributors a $23 million “World Evangelism Fund.” But no one accused Graham of misusing the fund, just hiding it. And after that he opened BGEA’s books for annual accounting, even though as a charity the organization wasn’t legally required to do so. In 1976, it subsequently turned out, the BGEA took in $28.7 million and spent $27.7 million. Not much dirt there. > > Graham lives modestly in the log-and-frame house he and his wife built in the hills of Montreat, N.C., in the late '50s. There they raised daughters Gigi, Anne and Ruth, and sons Franklin and Ned. Graham takes a nominal salary from the BGEA. And your comments about the politicians were a waste of space. C’mon, this is GQ. I’m looking for substantive answers here. If you know of any _real_ scandal, give a link. ---
**Author:** ![darkcool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@darkcool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darkcool)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/19 "2001-10-29T00:01:17Z")
Didn’t he claim to have seen a 50 foot tall Jesus? Or was that Oral Roberts… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141/20 "2001-10-29T00:11:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ftg \* > \*\*Oh well, here goes. > > Bill Graham’s foundation tries to hide the fact that it has a huge pile of money. Billy’s afraid it would discourage fund raising if people knew how well off they really are. Several church and charity rating groups rank his low for reasons like this. Note: I’m not saying they’re spending money unwisely, just there’s a large lack of openness open what’s going on. > > But that’s minor compared to: > > Billy likes politicians of a certain political bent, regardless of their ethics or even if they are truly (vs. “publicly”) religous. And the more scum-sucking the politician, the more Billy seemed to like him. A guy who thought Dick Nixon was a great moral leader doesn’t strike me as having a full deck, religous credo-wise. I wouldn’t trust this guy’s opinions on religous matters one solitary bit. I don’t think God belongs to a political party. \*\* Thanks, **Lib** , for an excellent cited refutation to this. It would be nice, now, if **ftg** were to come back and acknowledge the correction - or, indeed, to offer a contrary cite. Intellectual honesty, **ftg** … And to address the OP - although as a Catholic, I’m no particular devotee of Graham’s, I have to add to the laudatory comments – he is, by acocunts, a man who lives what he teaches. He’s to be admired. - Rick - Rick [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-dirt-on-billy-graham/90141.md?page=2)