Simon Cox Blog: A Tale of Two Billy Graham Statues

Thursday, 9 June 2016

A Tale of Two Billy Graham Statues

Dual delays on efforts to honor 'America's pastor,' while researchers rank his admiration in 30 countries.

Yesterday, contractors working to dismantle the familiar 9-foot statue of Billy Graham outside of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville ran into trouble.

LifeWay, which sold its 15-acre downtown campus last year, plans to move the statue to the entrance of its Ridgecrest Conference Center near Graham’s home in North Carolina.

But today the statue still stands in Nashville, delayed “because it was attached to the ground differently than expected,” LifeWay stated. The removal has been rescheduled for June 25, LifeWay spokesperson Marty King told CT.

It was secured by grout, reportedThe Tennessean.

When the statue does come down, it will be stored until its new site is ready in the fall. LifeWay’s new headquarters is only three acres, making the mountain retreat “the most optimal location,” King told the Nashville newspaper.

The statue depicts Graham in a three-piece suit, standing by a 17-foot cross. His arms are outstretched; his left hand is wrapped around a Bible. The piece was sculpted by pastor Terrell O’Brien and donated to LifeWay by two Southern Baptist businessmen in 2006.

“Ridgecrest is a perfect location for the Graham statue,” stated LifeWay president and CEO Thom S. Rainer. “It is only a few miles from the home where Mr. Graham has lived most of his life, and it will welcome nearly 70,000 men and women, boys and girls who come to Ridgecrest every year for spiritual training and retreat.”

This isn’t the only Graham statue to be delayed.

Last fall, North Carolina governor Pat McCrory signed a bill that will honor Graham with a statue in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where each state is allowed two statues. Graham will replace the current ...