“In a country where Christians were looked upon with suspicion and disfavor, a government leader said to me with a twinkle in his eye, “Christians seem to thrive under persecution. Perhaps we should prosper them, and then they would disappear.”

American evangelist and Southern Baptist minister

Billy Graham was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocate, active in the 20th century. Born William Franklin Graham Jr., he became widely known for broadcasts and world tours built around live sermons. Over a career that lasted more than six decades, Graham rose to prominence as an evangelical Christian figure in the United States and abroad. His public work made him a familiar voice in religious broadcasting and large-scale preaching, and his influence extended well beyond the pulpit.