美国国家公共电台 NPR 'America's Pastor' Billy Graham Dies At 99

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Over six decades, the Reverend Billy Graham electrified¹ audiences around the world. He counseled American presidents, and he transformed evangelical Christianity. Today, the man known as America's pastor² passed away at the age of 99. He spent his final days in North Carolina, where he had lived in relative seclusion³ since his last major public appearance in 2005. NPR's Tom Gjelten has this remembrance.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE⁴: Billy Graham was raised in a pious⁵ Presbyterian family, but it was in North Carolina and while still a teenager he decided⁶ his calling was to be a Bible-waving preacher like the ones who showed up in his hometown to lead raucous⁷ outdoor revival⁸ meetings. He learned to imitate them by delivering sermons alone in a toolshed, calling on the shovels⁹ and rakes to repent¹⁰ of their sins and accept Jesus. The practice paid off. He believed in himself and in his Gospel message. He had enormous energy, and within a few years, he had a national platform.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BILLY GRAHAM: Tonight, I'm glad to tell you as we close that the Lord Jesus Christ can be received, your sins forgiven.

GJELTEN: His break came in 1949 with a series of revival meetings Graham held under a circus tent in Los Angeles.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GRAHAM: ...Repenting¹¹ of your sin and turning to Jesus Christ to save you. Shall we pray?

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GJELTEN: More than 300,000 people came to hear Graham preach at these rallies in LA. He called them crusades. His wife thought he was too loud and too theatrical¹², but in 1950s America, it was a style that worked. Here was a handsome, blue-eyed man who had grown up milking cows and pitching hay. He was wholesome¹³ and charismatic. He could command the stage, and his delivery was perfect for radio and television. Graham led these crusades in one American city after another. At the end, he would urge people to come forward and dedicate their lives to Christ.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GRAHAM: You come right now - quickly. Just get up out of your seat and come. And while you come, the choir¹⁴'s going to sing "Just As I Am, Without One Plea (ph)" (Singing) Oh, lamb of God, I come.

GJELTEN: This was in 1957 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing) Just as I am, without one plea...

GJELTEN: Billy Graham was hardly the first of the big-time evangelical preachers in America, but he was more inclusive in his outreach than the fiery¹⁵ fundamentalists who preceded him. His Madison Square Garden rally, for example, was coordinated¹⁶ with some liberal New York churches. Grant Wacker from the Duke University Divinity School has long studied Graham's career.

GRANT WACKER: His determination to cooperate with mainline Protestants and with Roman Catholics alienated¹⁷ his fundamentalist friends. They took great offense¹⁸ that Graham was willing to cooperate with the enemy.

GJELTEN: Graham was soon one of the most famous and admired men in America. He became a regular White House visitor, a friend and counselor¹⁹ to presidents - Eisenhower, Nixon, LBJ.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Dr. Graham on nine one.

GRAHAM: Mr. President?

LYNDON B. JOHNSON: Hello, Billy. How are you, my friend?

GRAHAM: Well, God bless you. I was telling Bill last night, I couldn't sleep, and I got on my knees and prayed for you that the Lord would just give you strength.

GJELTEN: Graham met with all the post-war presidents up to and including Barack Obama. He was probably closest to Richard Nixon, but that friendship was hurt by the Watergate scandal. Graham refused to believe Nixon was involved, but then came the Watergate tapes showing otherwise. His biographer William Martin says Graham was devastated²⁰.

WILLIAM MARTIN: He recognized then that he probably had been used, that he had misunderstood something of the president's character. That was a terrible blow to him and caused him to withdraw from the political arena²¹.

GJELTEN: Graham, in fact, had moved steadily²² in a more moderate direction. Having once tolerated separate black and white seeding sections at his rallies, he later insisted that everyone be treated equally. As a Southern Baptist minister, he supported his church's ban on women becoming pastors²³, but he later said he was prepared to accept their ordination²⁴. His daughter Anne Graham Lotz saw firsthand how her father's views evolved. In an interview, she said her dad and her mother were initially²⁵ opposed when she told them she intended to teach her own Bible class.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ: The traditional role of women in my family had been that the mother stayed at home, reared the children, kept the house so that the husband - father - could go out and do ministry²⁶, which was my mother and father's case. And so they just felt that my role was to stay at home and be that traditional type of wife and mother.

GJELTEN: As Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham faced a lot of pressure, but she went ahead with her Bible class anyway without her parents' backing. And then one day, they showed up at her class unannounced. From then on, she had their full support. Later, Billy Graham said Anne was the best preacher in the Graham family. She is speaking here with NPR in 2011.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

LOTZ: And I'll tell you what, I love my daddy, and he is so special. He's meant so much to me, so it's not a thorn in my side to be known as Billy Graham's daughter. It's a privilege.

GJELTEN: It was his son Franklin that Billy Graham designated as his successor, however, and as the younger Graham took a larger role in the family ministry, he associated it increasingly with conservative causes. He called Islam an evil religion, the kind of judgment²⁷ his father was always careful not to make. Two years later, in fact, when a reporter asked Billy Graham whether he agreed with his son that a global clash between Christianity and Islam was inevitable²⁸, Graham said, I think the big conflict is with hunger, and starvation and poverty. Whereas his father had counseled presidents of both parties, Franklin Graham aligned²⁹ squarely with Republicans. When Donald Trump³⁰ was elected, Franklin Graham saw it as divine providence³¹.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT")

FRANKLIN GRAHAM: I just think it was the hand of God. I think God intervened and put his hand on Donald Trump for some reason. It's obvious that there was something behind this, and I just think it was God.

GJELTEN: That from an interview with Lou Dobbs on the Fox Business Network shortly after the 2016 election. During the time Billy Graham was making his mark, the country wasn't so polarized. It may be hard now to recall the role he played. By the time of his death, he'd been out of sight for many years and was largely a stranger to the younger evangelical generation. But as America's pastor, Billy Graham was able to bring U.S. Christians³² together at a moment in history when that was still possible. It was an achievement others will have a hard time matching. Tom Gjelten, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 seclusion   

n.隐遁，隔离

参考例句：

• She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
• I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 raucous   

adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的

参考例句：

• I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
• They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。

8 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

9 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

10 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

11 repenting   

对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was repenting rapidly. 他很快就后悔了。
• Repenting of his crime the thief returned the jewels and confessed to the police. 那贼对自己的罪行痛悔不已；归还了珠宝并向警方坦白。

12 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

13 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

14 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

15 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

16 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

17 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

19 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

20 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

21 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

22 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

23 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

24 ordination   

n.授任圣职

参考例句：

• His ordination gives him the right to conduct a marriage or a funeral.他的晋升圣职使他有权主持婚礼或葬礼。
• The vatican said the ordination places the city's catholics in a "very delicate and difficult decision."教廷说，这个任命使得这个城市的天主教徒不得不做出“非常棘手和困难的决定”。

25 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

26 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

27 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

28 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

29 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

30 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

31 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

32 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。