Longtime friends of Billy Graham, Graham family members, members of Congress and other dignitaries gathered in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall May 16 to unveil a statue of Billy Graham.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson presided over the ceremony and explained that Mr. Graham is only the fourth person in history to have received Congress’ three highest honors: the Congressional Gold Medal, lying in honor at the Capitol upon his passing, and having his statue placed in the Capitol. He joins civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan in receiving those honors.
The statue, created by North Carolina artist Chas Fagan, depicts Mr. Graham preaching, left foot slightly forward, holding an open Bible in his left hand and gesturing to it with his right. Due to the height of the statue, guests will be unable to see which page the Bible is open to, but it shows Galatians 6:14, a verse he had underlined in his own Bible: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (KJV).
The base of the statue includes two Scripture verses that will be clearly visible to any visitor: John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” and John 14:6—“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Two final touches are a depiction, at Mr. Graham’s feet, of a flyer from his landmark 1949 Los Angeles Crusade, and of a medallion with the face of his dear wife, Ruth Bell Graham.
U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black 
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx 
House Speaker Mike Johnson 
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry 
U.S. Rep. Thom Tillis 
Michael W. Smith
“My father would be a little uncomfortable with this being here because he would want the focus to be on the One that he preached,” Franklin Graham said. “He’d want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
He added: “Our family is honored that our earthly father will be here in this Capitol, pointing future generations to our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Many of Mr. Graham’s grandchildren were on hand to see the statue, and they expressed hope for the lasting impact it can have. “It’s never been about Billy Graham,” said granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch before the ceremony, “but always about the truth and the Gospel. And this statue depicts that. A hundred years from now, people might not know exactly who Billy Graham was, but they will see the truth and they’ll see the Gospel, with the two Bible verses. And so, Daddy Bill, in the heart of the nation, is still proclaiming the Gospel.”
Grandson Edward Graham added, “We just pray that this statue will mean a difference here in the Capitol. I love that the statue points to the Bible, to Scripture. My grandfather always wanted to point people to Christ, so let’s let this statue do that.”
The dedication ceremony included heartfelt words from a number of national leaders, and afterward, grandson Will Graham reflected on the remarkable nature of what they had said. “We heard members of Congress speak from the Bible,” he said. “That was special, and that’s what my granddaddy would want. It’s not about the honor; it’s to lift up the Name of Christ and the Word of God, and that’s what we got to see today. We’re very thankful to our North Carolina delegates for this great honor, and we appreciate Mike Johnson and his willingness to be a part of this. It meant a lot to us as a family.”
That night, the statue was moved to its permanent location in the room known as the Crypt, a vaulted space just below the Rotunda. Capitol tours typically begin in the Crypt, which contains one statue from each of the original 13 colonies. And at every presidential inauguration, the president-elect will walk directly past the words of John 3:16 written on the base of Mr. Graham’s statue.
“There’s no other statue in the Capitol that we know of that has a Bible verse on it,” said grandson Roy Graham when family members and a few close friends returned to the Capitol the following morning to see the statue in the Crypt. “He’s got his hand open, and he’s showing people the Scripture. I hope that’s what people see when they look at it.”
Anne Graham Lotz, one of Mr. Graham’s three daughters, led the group in prayer: “We ask, please—in the Name of Jesus and for His glory alone—that You would bless those who come and see this statue,” she prayed. “We ask that this is just the beginning of lives that will be changed because of passing by this statue.” ©2024 BGEA
Photo: Thomas J. Petrino / ©2024 BGEA