The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day.

ERLC Reflects on the Legacy of Billy Graham (1918-2018)

The Rev. Billy Graham died on Wednesday at the age of 99 after battling ongoing respiratory complications. During his life Graham preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—making him as ERLC president Russell Moore says, “the most important evangelist since the Apostle Paul.”

As an institution, the ERLC has had a decades long connection to the Southern Baptist evangelist. Graham received the ERLC Distinguished Service Award in 1983 and 2007, an award presented to individuals for their outstanding contribution to Southern Baptists, the nation and mankind in the interest of world peace, racial justice and Christian citizenship.

Reflecting on his passing, Dr. Moore said, 

“We are fortunate to have lived in the era of Billy Graham. He was perhaps the greatest Southern Baptist in history, turning the world upside down with the gospel. He was never ashamed to confront a brave new world with the old-time gospel.

“Combining the power of a ‘the Bible says’ authority with the compassion of a ‘Just as I Am’ invitation, he projected the mission of Christ Jesus, full of grace and truth. Behind Dr. Graham's stately North Carolina accent, millions of people heard another voice, a northern Galilean voice calling ‘Come, follow Me.’

“As we grieve the loss of Billy Graham, let's thank God that in this man's life we were able to see the gospel that is, still and forever, the power of God unto salvation.”

Here are other reflections by Dr. Moore and other ERLC staff on the legacy of Rev. Graham: 

Why I’m thankful for Billy Graham
Daniel Darling

In 1970, a 21-one-year old young man, born into a dysfunctional home fractured by alcoholism, walked forward with his mother at the showing of a Billy Graham movie in a Chicago-area theater. The next year he attended a crusade, part of the 1971 Chicago campaign.

5 Facts about Billy Graham (1918–2018)
Joe Carter

Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about the man who became the world’s most famous Southern Baptist.

Billy Graham Bore Witness for 99 Years
Russell Moore, WSJ Houses of Worship Column

Graham, who died Wednesday at 99, was perhaps the most significant Christian evangelist since the Apostle Paul. This wasn’t because of his media savvy or political influence. He transcended all of that with an obvious belief in the gospel he preached—obvious even to those watching on television or sitting in a stadium’s nosebleed seats. Graham did not think the brave new world needed anything other than an old-time gospel.

The Message and Influence of Rev. Billy Graham
CBS This Morning

Russell Moore appeared on CBS This Morning, Feb. 22, to talk about the life and legacy of Southern Baptist Evangelist, Billy Graham, who died, Feb. 21 at the age of 99.

Billy Graham Remembered as ‘Faithful,’ ‘Most Important Evangelist’ by Religious Leaders
FoxNews.com

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, part of the Southern Baptist Convention, said it’s almost ‘impossible’ to count the number of people he knows who have become Christians through Graham’s work.

Evangelical Leader Remembers Billy Graham’s Life and Legacy
NPR Morning Edition 

Billy Graham has died at the age of 99. Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, remembers the legendary evangelist.

Billy Graham Was ‘Most Important Evangelist Since Apostle Paul’ Russell Moore Says
The Tennessean 

Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, compared Graham, who shared the gospel with a stately North Carolina accent, to the Apostle Paul.

This week on ERLC podcasts: Daniel Darling talks to Ann Voskamp, Russell Moore, Jim Daly, and Jenny Yang about what it means to apply the Bible’s vision of human dignity to all of life, from womb to tomb. On the Capitol Conversations podcast, tMatt Hawkins and Jeff Pickering reflect on what happened in the Senate debate on immigration reform last week, and look ahead to the next month in Congress. On the Countermoves podcast, Andrew Walker interviews Baptist political theologian and IX Marks editorial director Jonathan Leeman on the subject of the church’s political identity and how Baptist ecclesiology produces a unique contribution to religious liberty. And on the ERLC podcast, Daniel Akin talks about how a strong marriage empowers you to be strong parents. 

Other Issues

American Culture

Trump administration denies entry to Iranian Christian refugees
Conor Finnegan, ABC News

Dozens of Iranian refugees waiting in Austria to be resettled in the U.S. have now been denied entry by the Trump administration, according to refugee resettlement groups and the State Department.

Here Are 3 Steps Trump Should Take to Fight Modern-Day Slavery
Sang Hyuk Park, So Yeon Lee, and Olivia EnosThe Daily Signal

Human trafficking may be illegal in countries around the world, but the gruesome practice remains alive and well.

Bioethics

Gerber baby spotlights Down syndrome abortion fight
Diana Chandler, Baptist Press

A smiling baby with Down syndrome is making history as the Gerber "spokesbaby" just as a growing list of states are trying to criminalize the abortion of babies diagnosed with the genetic disorder in utero.

Beyond Roe: A Global Roadmap for the Pro-Life Movement
Stefano Gennarini, Public Discourse

We have reached a tipping point. Either abortion will be taken out of UN policy altogether, or it will be enshrined as an international right.

Christianity and Culture

Baptists weigh in on Senate immigration/DACA debate
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

Southern Baptist voices are addressing the U.S. Senate's current effort to resolve the fate of undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children.

Study shows far-reaching impact of Billy Graham
LifeWay Research staff, Baptist Press

About 80 years after he began his ministry, Billy Graham continued to impact the faith of millions with nearly half of all Protestant churchgoers saying they have watched one of his sermons on television.

Billy Graham's impact praised by Baptist leaders
Art Toalston, Baptist Press

Few men could spark the outpouring of respect and gratitude as Billy Graham upon his death today (Feb. 21) at age 99.

Family Issues

Single fathers are twice more likely to die early than single mothers or partnered fathers
Annalisa Merelli, Quartz

A study led by Maria Chiu of the Mental Health and Addictions Program at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, and published last week in the medical journal The Lancet, found that single fathers faced a higher risk of premature death, compared to single mothers, and to fathers and mothers who coparent.

International Issues

Attacks against India’s Christians doubled in 2017
Catholic News Agency

Compared to 2016, attacks against Christians in India by Hindu extremists more than doubled in 2017 amid efforts to label the religious minority a danger to the state.

Refugee women persevere amid peril, harsh conditions
Dave Arden and Pat Centner, Baptist Press

For more than 7 million Africans forced to flee their warfare-stricken homelands, "home" has become a refugee camp where many wait year after year in hopes of a better life.

Christians killed after laws limit Fulani herdsmen
Diana Chandler, Baptist Press

At least 170 Christian farmers and Muslim Fulani herdsmen have died this year in Nigeria's Middle Belt in a centuries-old feud driven by Muslims seeking to graze their cattle on farmland, Christian advocacy groups have reported.

Sexuality Issues

How the Transgender Narrative Perpetuates Stereotypes
Nancy Pearcey, Christianity Today

The church can offer hope to those who find it hard to love the body they’re in.