Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 1 July 1999 — Page 30
The Muncie Times, July 1, 1999, page 30
Crusade for Christ
Graham calls on Hoosiers to surrender to God
INDIANAPOLIS — Following meetings in 1959 and 1980, evangelist Billy Graham opened his third crusade in Indianapolis, at the RCA Dome, with a message targeting divisiveness
throughout the community. Although not discussed openly, racism continues to plague this “northernmost Southern city” and, Graham said, this problem must be addressed on a deeper level.
“Racism is a deep-seated thing that has never really gone away in most of our communities and that can only be changed and eradicated by a change of heart,” he said. “That’s one of
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the things I want to emphasize while we’re here, we must bring our people together, no matter the color of their skin.” Indiana is often referred to as the Crossroads of America. Indianapolis has changed a great deal since Graham’s last visit. On the surface, it seems to be a prosperous city, which has experienced explosive growth, along with a less than 3 percent unemployment rate. But in many ways, that perception is different from the reality of issues simmering under the surface, such as racial tension, the third highest per capita murder rate in the country, declining education and youth-at-risk. “I think we ought to do everything we possible can to solve the race problem,” Graham said. “I think all of us should pledge ourselves that one of the things that’ll come out of this crusade will be a new relationship between the races.” During the 4-day crusade, Graham spoke to nearcapacity crowds averaging 45.000 each evening. More than 900 churches representing 60 denomination participated in the year-long preparations, which mobilized more than 20.000 volunteers. In each of his sermons, Graham commented on the troubles plaguing Indiana and the rest of the nation. “We look at our world today and we see disease; poverty; war; racism; loneliness; boredom; psychological and moral problems; AIDS; murder statistics; and divorce,” he said. “What causes all of this?” he asked. “It is caused by a three-letter word—sin. But God has not come to condemn us. He’s come to save us because He loves us. We need to open our hearts to Him.” According to Graham, “the answer to our problems is not economic, but spiritual.” To fix these problems, we need prayer. “The whole country needs renewal from coast to coast, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. We need the mighty
“I think we ought to do everything we possible can to solve the race problem,” Graham said. “I think all of us should pledge ourselves that one of the things that’ll come out of this crusade will be a new relationship between the races. ”
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and that will only come as an answer to prayer.” Graham noted that the devil is another contributing factor to evil in the world today, but that Satan and his demons aren’t given enough credit for being behind the events like Columbine and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. “We are in a spiritual warfare and w'e can’t fight the devil with carnal weapons,” he said. “We can’t take rifles and shoot him. We have to fight him on a spiritual level, and that means more prayer and more study of the Word of God and more faithfulness in our fellowship with each other in the church.”
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