Billy Graham's Influence On Modern Society

In his farewell address, George Washington outlines the importance of religion to the maintenance of American ideals and, therefore, the new American government. Washington describes religion as a means to an end. In his view, all morality stems from religion. Because moral behavior is necessary for the survival of the American system, religion itself is the vehicle by which a moral society and government will be achieved. Washington’s argues for religion in American society from a principled and a pragmatic context. Washington claims religion is a prerequisite for patriotism. Without religion, oaths sworn on the Bible would bear no weight. In essence, religion and the potential for an afterlife motivate the government (or the people who comprise it) and the governed to act in the best interest of the nation, rather than the individual. Ultimately, Washington’s Farewell invokes religion as the sole basis of morality, the foundation upon which American governance must lie in order to survive.

Martin Luther King Jr. could be considered one of the more important historical figures in our county’s history. He was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement which took place during the 1950s and 1960s. His “I Have a Dream” speech spurred the end of segregation in our country and the beginning of equality between blacks and whites. Along with being a leader, he was also a Baptist minister, as well as a husband and a father to two sons and two daughters. Like transcendentalists, Martin Luther King Jr. supported individualism, community, and innovation. However, he supported organized religion while transcendentalists advocated for people to have spirituality without having an organized religion.

In the early 19th century, the overall atmosphere of the nation was charged with overwhelming positivity. The end of the War of 1812 left American feeling as if they won. It filled the citizens with a sense of optimism and inspiring nationalism. The market revolution, which lasted from around the time of the War til the 1860s, brought about many changes. It brought about changes in American business interaction, social changes like establishment of the cult of domesticity, and westward expansion of territory. All these events caused the American focus to deviate from religion. Approximately 50 years after the First Great awakening in the middle of the 18th century, religion once again began to be emphasized in America. Thus, this noteworthy

Without religion we have no morality, without morality we are beings of evil. “The Evil Empire” speech by Ronald Reagan, is verbal dissent of the Soviet Union and his supports for abolishment of abortion. Reagan’s speech was held in 1983 at the Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals, seemingly a tactical decision to have a crowd susceptible to a religious appeal. Using word choice and repetition, Reagan rallies the public’s support with arguments of morality using religion, a pathos and ethos appeal.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower. In a similar light, King addressed the speech ‘I have a dream’ to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. The speech deemed racial segregation to be an inhumane practice that subdivides society into groups that essentially alienate them from the true sense of humanity; which is brotherhood. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. Luther’s speech was a passionate rhetoric that preached his views about the future. Furthermore his speech did not

On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen wrote an open letter, “A Call for Unity”. In this published letter, the clergymen expressed their strong disapproval of the civil rights demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. That same day, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting without a permit. In his short eleven-day jail sentence, Dr. King directly responded to the clergymen with a letter of his own. In his letter, Dr. King informed his readers about the protests in Birmingham. He explained why the protesters were civilly infringing racist laws and city ordinances; why the protesters had truth and justice; and how he was thwarted with the clergyman and white moderates in the South who said they supported his cause. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King incorporates biblical and historical allusions to give him credibility with his target audience, the clergymen. Additionally, Dr. King subtly asks rhetorical questions and makes logical conclusions to force his audience to consider his strategy of nonviolent resistance to cease racism and oppression.

The Civil Rights Movement was a big thing for the United states and we as Americans will always remember Martin Luther King Jr. for helping lead the people and inspire change and bring hope. The speech “ I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important gathering of people at the Lincoln Memorial. A huge crowd gathered to listen to his powerful speech which helped to inspire change. Martin Luther King also wrote a letter to eight white clergymen named “Letter From Birmingham Jail” the letter was written in in his jail cell which he was in for marching and protests. In both of these texts Dr. King used pathos and logos to inspire change and reach out to the people during the civil rights movements.

According to Dr. Carl S. Parnell’s article, “Growing Christian Persecution in America: Believe It or Not,” thousands of Christians all over the world have died for their beliefs in twentieth century; however, this anti-Christian ideology has quickly spread to the United States over the last five decades. Parnell goes on to say that the “seeds of persecution” present in the United States affect every part of American culture, and that Americans are failing to realize “religious freedom in America today pertains to every religion except Christianity.” The Reverend Billy Graham states in his “Prayer Letter to America,” that "Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone—except

At the 1963 March on Washington, American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of his most famous speeches in history on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the height of the African American civil rights movement. King maintains an overall passionate tone throughout the speech, but in the beginning, he projected a more urgent, cautionary, earnest, and reverent tone to set the audience up for his message. Towards the end, his tone becomes more hopeful, optimistic, and uplifting to inspire his audience to listen to his message: take action against racial segregation and discrimination in a peaceful manner. Targeting black and white Americans with Christian beliefs, King exposes the American public to the injustice

Serving as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 until 1989, Ronald Reagan’s religiously toned rhetoric and foreign policy initiatives can be seen as a key example of how religion can impact global affairs. Reagan’s religiously centered upbringing, which included membership to the Disciples of Christ and serving as the vice-president of the Hi-Y Club, a part of the Young Men’s Christian Association, which focused on the evangelical and physical fitness of young men, helped to lay the foundation of a presidency that would be highly influenced by religion. In the 1949/50 edition of Modern Screen magazine, Reagan wrote an article entitled “My Faith” where he argued that “if we each lived according to the rules of the Bible, if we

Typically, America is seen as the land of the free. Citizens have freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. Legally speaking, a person is entitled to the liberties mentioned above; however, they’re condoned if they do not conform to the values traditionally held by the majority Americans. For instance, everyone is free to practice any religion of their choice, but America is a predominantly Christian nation; therefore, those who practice a different religion are often victimized. In fact, John Oskison highlights America’s hypocrisy in “The Problem of Old Harjo”. In a country, where all are supposed to be welcomed and accepted, Miss Evan and Mrs. Rowell force Harjo to give up one of his wives in order to be accepted into church. Instead of taking the time to build a relationship with Harjo and attempt to understand why he has two

What is fundamentalism? Essentially, it is an adherence to the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to life and teaching. In his book, Fundamentalism and American Culture, George M. Marsden attacks the daunting question of “How has the fundamentalist movement managed to resist the pressures of the scientific community and the draw of modern popular culture to hold on to their ultra-conservative Christian views?” Not only does this History textbook answer that pressing question, but it also tells the incredible, encouraging tale of how Christian principles CAN survive in a godless world.

“Beware of the Easter Bunny” by Charles Colson, “Letter from Birmingham Alabama” by Dr. Martin Luther King, and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes depict the ways human have the wrong definition of Christianity. People often expect from God and what He can do, but do not understand the true concept of Christianity.

The polarization of the political system in America infects the decision making and voting of politicians and Americans. Logical political decision making of political officials and Americans have been clouded by ideological viewpoints which does not logically increase the United States well being (Wilson pg 7). The political powers lack the efficient clarity in order to expand the growth of society fundamentally. Each political party has its own regime and viewpoint of what is to be of the country we all dwell in. This fog in the vision of these parties withstands a fine judgement in the development of the United States as a whole. This strains the movement of the United States and misrepresents the problems that should be extinguished as

Martin Luther king Jr once said,“ I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation.” He addressed these words on August of 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial after marching through the streets of Washington. He addressed segregation injustice and racial discrimination against African Americans that took place during his era, in his “I have a dream speech.” He recognized that american was founded on freedom, democracy where each individual has a voice and matters. Only few weeks back protesters were getting arrested for fighting for equality. Dr. King was addressing his speech to nation as a whole and not only those nearly 250,00 people were present that day. He