c. 1996 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)-Surrounded by statues of historic American leaders, the Rev. Billy Graham, 77, and his wife, Ruth, 75, were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal today (May 2) in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

The Grahams were the guests of honor at a ceremony attended by more than 600 people-a veritable who’s who of the nation’s evangelical and political leaders.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich praised Graham for preaching to an estimated 1 million people in person and 2 billion on television during his half century in the ministry.”That is a lifetime of outreach unparalleled in human history,”said Gingrich.

Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole continued the accolades, noting Graham’s efforts to remove ropes dividing whites and blacks at crusades in the segregated South in the 1950s and his work to help victims of religious persecution behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s.”I know I speak for millions around the world in saying that no one will ever preach the word of God better than you, and no one will ever preach it with a better partner at his side than Ruth,”Dole said.

The Congressional Gold Medal award, the highest honor Congress can bestow on a citizen, was first given to George Washington in 1776.

President Bill Clinton signed a bill in February authorizing the award, after the measure was passed by both houses of Congress. The president’s signature marked the 114th time Congress has enacted legislation to present the medal.

The award honors individuals for exemplary contributions to society.”Ruth and Billy Graham have made outstanding and lasting contributions to morality, racial equality, family, philanthropy, and religion,”the resolution stated.

The Grahams, who have been married 53 years, have written 24 books, including six by Ruth Graham.

Graham used his time at the podium to preach the Gospel. In his often sobering 20-minute remarks, Graham described the discouraging aspects of the end of the 20th century.”Terms like `ethnic cleansing,’ `random violence’ and `suicide bombing’ have become part of our daily vocabulary,”Graham said.”Would the first recipients of this award even recognize the society they sacrificed to bring into being? I fear not. We have confused liberty with license-and we are paying the awful price. We are a society poised on the brink of self-destruction.” Graham said the three greatest problems facing humanity are emptiness, guilt and the fear of death.”Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown did not realize his time had come when he stepped on that plane in Croatia a few weeks ago,”he said, referring to a plane crash that killed Brown and 32 others.

Graham said Americans need to deal with”a crisis of the spirit”by repenting and turning to God.”If ever we needed God’s help, it is now,”he said.”If ever we needed spiritual renewal, it is now. And it can begin today in each one of our lives, as we repent before God and yield ourselves to him and his word.” As Graham ended his address, the crowd of dignitaries rose to its feet for a long standing ovation.

Evangelical leaders such as Prison Fellowship founder Charles W. Colson and Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright as well as broadcasting personalities Paul Harvey and Kathie Lee Gifford sat under the Capitol dome. Lynda Johnson Robb and Patricia Nixon Cox, children of former Presidents Johnson and Nixon, also were present.

Vice President Al Gore, who mentioned his family’s visits to the Grahams’ mountaintop log cabin in Montreat, N.C., spoke of how the couple had touched him as a fellow Christian.”I’ve … admired how the force of your convictions has been fueled by the gentleness of your soul,”Gore said.

As Sens. Jesse Helms and D.M. (Lauch) Faircloth, both North Carolina Republicans, read the resolution honoring the Grahams, Gore rose from his seat and lifted a chair to the podium so Ruth Graham could be seated during the ceremony. She was recently hospitalized with spinal meningitis.

Billy Graham said more than once that he felt he and his wife did not deserve the honor. He noted that he would be more comfortable drinking tea in the living room of some of his”closest friends”in the audience.

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Members of the crowd, on the other hand, said they were thrilled Graham was being honored at the Capitol.”Dr. Graham is one of the great men of the 20th century and perhaps of all time,”Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ said after the ceremony.”There’s no one more deserving than him.” James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based evangelical ministry, said he had to fight back tears during the ceremony.”I appreciated very much Dr. Graham speaking and the passion of his heart, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ,”he said.”He never misses an opportunity to talk about the love that is within him.” The Rev. Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas agreed.”As always, he used it as an opportunity to preach the Gospel, which means he is as consistent as ever,”said Evans, a popular speaker in evangelical circles.

Other recent recipients of the medal include the late Rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson, leader of the Lubavitcher sect, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. Schneerson received the medal posthumously in 1995 for his work in education and charity. Gen. Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf were honored with the medal in 1992 for their leadership in the Persian Gulf War.

Congress authorized the U.S. Treasury to mint bronze medallions, reproductions of the Gold Medal, which will be sold to support The Ruth and Billy Graham Children’s Health Center at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C.

The Grahams were scheduled to be honored at a dinner sponsored by the hospital Thursday evening. Clinton was expected to attend.

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