Friday, June 04, 1999
Signs of sin abound, Graham says
50,000 attend session in Indianapolis dome
BY CHARLES HOSKINSON
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Racism, the war in Kosovo and the Columbine High School massacre are all signs the world is still full of sin, the Rev. Billy Graham said Thursday.
The Rev. Mr. Graham, his deep baritone voice thin and wavering at times, called on Hoosiers to come to God.
It was the third time in his 50-year preaching career that he has brought his message to Indianapolis.
“We need a mighty outpouring of the spirit of God, and that will come only in answer to prayer,” the Rev. Mr. Graham said.
About 50,000 attended Thursday's opening session of the Rev. Mr. Graham's four-day crusade at the RCA Dome.
Photo flashes lit up the arena like fireflies as the Rev. Mr. Graham walked slowly to the podium with the aid of a cane. He challenged the audience to speak out against racism and the hate that prompted the shooting in a Colorado high school and the ongoing war in Kosovo.
“We must bring our people together no matter what the color of their skin.”
The world's most-listened-to evangelist is 80 now, and the crusades he leads are fewer and smaller. But among the faithful, his reputation remains strong.
Many of the hundreds waiting earlier Thursday outside the RCA Dome said they couldn't pass up the chance to see the Rev. Mr. Graham.
“I think he's the utmost sincere and honest evangelist that's ever been on the face of this Earth,” said Clyde Moore, who drove more than 100 miles from Louisville to see the man he's been watching on television for most of his 46 years.
Mr. Moore sunned himself on the stairs outside the arena as the line of those waiting to enter kept growing.
Organizers expected about 80,000 to attend Thursday's opening session of the four-day crusade.
They came wearing T-shirts with slogans such as “What would Jesus do?” or navy-blue-and-red Salvation Army uniforms. Some read Bibles while they waited.
Many were teen-agers and young adults, two groups the Rev. Mr. Graham has said he especially wants to reach.
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