Graham Events No Longer ‘Crusades’
The Rev. Billy Graham’s Central Valley mission this week drew more than 200,000 people over four days, organizers said.
Out of sensitivity to Muslims, Graham didn’t use the word “crusade,” which he usually uses to describe such meetings. The Crusades were military campaigns in the Middle Ages in which Christians attempted to seize Jerusalem--and a large swath of the Middle East with it--from the Muslims controlling it.
Instead, Graham used the word “mission” to describe the event. He plans another mission to Cincinnati in June.
Graham, 82, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, has curtailed public appearances. The Fresno event was one of just two he conducted this year.
His principles have their roots in the San Joaquin Valley. In his 1948 Modesto Manifesto, Graham pledged to avoid financial and sexual improprieties in his organization and said he would work with local churches and never inflate attendance figures.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
