Taking A Stand

Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr. - July 18, 1957

I came across a picture today that sparked this blog post (at right). It was a picture of two of my favorite people: Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr. In 1957, when much of the United States was segregated, Martin joined Billy on stage at one of Graham's crusades at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Today, a meeting of two such notables wouldn't attract a lot of attention, but this was different. It was a statement that, regardless of what culture might say, the Gospel of Jesus Christ pays no attention to the color of a person's skin. In a letter to Graham after the Crusade, King praised Billy’s commitment to holding non-segregated revivals, commenting, “You have courageously brought the Christian Gospel to bear on the question of race.”

It was one thing to have non-segregated crusades in the North, but Billy Graham also held them throughout the South, beginning with Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1953. It was an issue of conscience with Graham, who, at least in one crusade, physically removed the barrier designed to keep whites and blacks separated. He also preached to an integrated audience in South Africa before the end of apartheid.


His commitment was not without cost. Many financial supporters withdrew their support when Billy refused to change his mind. He also faced criticism from the black community because he wasn't more vocal about the issue of civil rights. His focus was on a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Of course, Martin Luther King Jr. paid the ultimate price for his decision to stand publicly against the injustice of segregation. Billy Graham remembered a conversation with King about the cost of commitment. "Martin Luther King suggested to me that I stay in the South and hold integrated meetings and that he was going to take to the streets and that he would probably get killed in the streets. 'But I don't think you ought to because you are going to be able to do some things that I can't and I'm going to be able to do some things you can't, but we're after the same objective.'"

The probability of his own death didn't keep King from doing what he felt was the right thing to do; the impact of his decision is still being felt today. Graham has been blessed to live to a ripe old age, and he, as well, is leaving a legacy of changed lives. They wanted to see justice done; to see hearts changed; to see compassion and truth triumph over cruelty and deception. We need men of courage like them today.

For many of you reading this, Billy Graham's most active ministry, and certainly Martin Luther's campaign, were before your time. I'm going to include video to one of Graham's messages and one of King's speeches. If you've never heard them, take a few minutes to get an education - it's worth the time.

  



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The Fall Of Civilization

Lately a lot of the talk on sports roundtables has been about the ignorant comments of Don Imus, who managed to insult the entire Rutgers University women's basketball team as well as black women everywhere. Imus is (was) a "shock jock" with a syndicated program on MSNBC and CBS radio. He has since been suspended by CBS for two weeks and apparently suspended indefinitely by MSNBC.

I've been fascinated by the entire exercise partly because of what it reveals about us as a society. Anybody with a pulse and a social conscience recognizes that what Don Imus said was unacceptable. What is remarkable is that the man has been so successful for so long doing basically the same thing. His "schtick" is to use vulgarity and insults to put-down anyone with whom he disagrees or whom he might not like. For this he is paid big money and draws large crowds. He has done so well, in fact, that for years politicians and authors have practically begged to appear on his program. Why?

Are we this starved for so-called entertainment that we enjoy seeing others put down and insulted? The answer obviously is yes.

Perhaps the best point was one that I heard on a radio station as I was driving through Michigan this week. The talk-show host was not questioning whether Imus was wrong, what he was questioning was this: why is Imus wrong and the rappers featured on BET say much worse every day and no-one says a word. It was actually an impassioned statement from a young black man that brought up this point. He was enraged that the black community would put up with the degrading comments directed towards young black women every day on BET and radio by hip hop artists.

I think it's a great point, and it should not be limited to rappers - it's everywhere. There is a general lack of respect in our society that is reflected in everything from basic manners to language to basic TV fare to music. When and why did it become cool to use the "f" word in public? When did we lose the ability to disagree politely with people and, rather, loudly tell them off? When did we lose the ability to produce a good movie with a sound storyline without filling it with gratuitous sex scenes and vulgar language? Why do we feel that we have to try to offend the sensibilities of those around us as if we were all 15 years old? Why is it that you can't just flip through the channels on your TV set without finding something that is completely inappropriate for your children?

I think it's time we started saying "no" to the Imus' of this world by tuning them out. Let the ratings tell the networks to drop these guys. If we continue to listen to this junk, buy these CD's and videos, then whose fault is it really? The responsibility lies with all of us.