In the Spotlight|January 21, 2015 07:55 EST
Billy Graham Remembers Martin Luther King Jr. 'Don’t Let Anybody Tell You That It’s White or Black...Christ Belongs to All People'
In a brand new documentary, televangelist Billy Graham discussed his relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement period.
In 'Taking Down the Ropes of Segregation: Martin Luther King, Jr., Billy Graham, and the Civil Rights Movement', the Charlotte, North Carolina native reflected on his friendship with King during the lawless segregation era which took place in the 1950s and 1960s.
"One night civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom I was pleased to count a friend, gave an eloquent opening prayer at the service; he also came at my invitation to one of our Team retreats during the Crusade to help us understand the racial situation in America more fully," said Graham, according to a recent article on his official Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website.
Previously, Dr. King credited Graham's resilient preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ as an integral part to bridging the racial divide between blacks and whites, highlighted by memorable crusades in New York and Alabama in 1957 and 1965 respectively.
"Had it not been for the ministry of my good friend Dr. Billy Graham, my work in the Civil Rights Movement would not have been as successful as it has been," said King.
Furthermore, Graham also recalled being in Australia when King was assassinated nearly 50 years ago at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
"I was almost in a state of shock. Not only was I losing a friend through a vicious and senseless killing, but America was losing a social leader and a prophet, and I felt his death would be one of the greatest tragedies in our history," said Graham.
Graham once gave the following message to the entire world regarding Jesus undying love for humanity in one of his most memorable speeches during the Civil Right era.
"Jesus was not a white man; He was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe. Christianity is not a white man's religion, and don't let anybody ever tell you that it's white or black. Christ belongs to all people; He belongs to the whole world," said Graham.
