WASHINGTON (RNS) — Dozens of lawmakers and faith leaders gathered in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday (May 16) to celebrate the installation of a statue honoring evangelist Billy Graham, whose likeness will now represent his native North Carolina in the building’s Statuary Hall.House Speaker Mike Johnson, himself an evangelical Christian, spoke multiple times during the unveiling of the 7-foot tall bronze statue, which features Graham gesturing with one hand toward an open Bible in his other. Addressing the crowd of dignitaries, Johnson alluded to another statue gracing the Capitol: that of John Winthrop, who famously declared that the Massachusetts Bay Colony he founded in the 17th century could be a “city upon a hill” — a reference to Scripture.
“Our newest statue is a man who shares that same vision, and who believes that same gospel,” Johnson said. “A man who looks back at where we were, and prayed and served endlessly for what we could become again: that shining city upon a hill.”
Johnson noted that Graham, who died at age 99 in 2018, is one of only four people who have received all three of the highest honors Congress can offer: the Congressional Gold Medal, lying in honor at the Capitol and having a statue of their likeness erected in the building. The preacher, who once drew crowds of hundreds of thousands at his revivals or “crusades,” now joins the ranks of Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, as well as Rosa Parks.
Later in the program, Johnson noted that the Bible in the statue is open to Galatians 6:14: “May I nev …
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“Our newest statue is a man who shares that same vision, and who believes that same gospel,” Johnson said. “A man who looks back at where we were, and prayed and served endlessly for what we could become again: that shining city upon a hill.”
Johnson noted that Graham, who died at age 99 in 2018, is one of only four people who have received all three of the highest honors Congress can offer: the Congressional Gold Medal, lying in honor at the Capitol and having a statue of their likeness erected in the building. The preacher, who once drew crowds of hundreds of thousands at his revivals or “crusades,” now joins the ranks of Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, as well as Rosa Parks.
Later in the program, Johnson noted that the Bible in the statue is open to Galatians 6:14: “May I nev …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]