Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

North Carolina Lawmakers Propose Billy Graham Statue inside Capitol

  • Carrie Dedrick Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Apr 10, 2015

North Carolina legislators have are pushing to erect a statue of Rev. Billy Graham in the U.S. Capitol building’s National Statuary Hall. 

The hall includes statues of two significant people from each state. North Carolina currently features former governor Charles Aycock and former senator Zebulon Vance, according to Christian Today

Legislators believe Graham, a North Carolina native, would be a better representative of the state than Aycock, who was a known white supremacist. 

Rep. Charles Jeter said, "There was a thought that Gov. Aycock may not be one of the best representatives of North Carolina. As times change, we need to make sure that the people that represent North Carolina do so with our best foot forward."

Graham, 96, is a world-famous evangelist and is credited with bringing millions of people to faith through the Billy Graham Crusades. 

The National Statuary Hall does not allow living people to be featured as statues, so Graham’s likeness could not be added to the collection until his death. 

Jeter said, "To me, he was the best representative of North Carolina. He is by far the least polarising of all the people who are worthy of consideration."

Publication date: April 10, 2015