[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 7, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E715-E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S REMARKS AT THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL OF HONOR 
                    PRESENTATION TO DR. BILLY GRAHAM

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, last week, the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham and 
his wife Ruth were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor here 
in the Capitol Rotunda. I was delighted to be in attendance at this 
wonderful and historic event, honoring an extraordinary man who has 
been of invaluable counsel and a great inspiration to Americans from 
the White House to the halls of Congress, from Main Street to Wall 
Street.
  At this occasion, remarkable in its universal attendance among 
Democrats and Republicans, Christians and members of other faiths, 
world leaders and ordinary families, Vice President Al Gore's remarks 
were particularly striking in their poignant description of what the 
Reverend Billy Graham has contributed with his ministry around the 
world. Vice President Gore, in his short remarks, sums up the warmth 
and wisdom that Reverend Graham has to impart upon those fortunate 
enough to have known him. I invite my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Reverend Graham and to read Vice President Gore's 
heartfelt remarks.

   Congressional Gold Medal of Honor Presentation to Dr. Billy Graham

                      (By Vice President Al Gore)

       Dr. and Mrs. Graham, Mr. Speaker, Senator Dole, members of 
     the House and Senate gathered here, members of the Graham 
     family, friends of Dr. and Mrs. Graham, spiritual leaders of 
     all faiths from across our nation who are attending this 
     event, and ladies and gentlemen.
       This afternoon we pause from the business of Congress to 
     honor a servant of God. Billy Graham and Ruth Graham have 
     been friends to me and my family for many years. I, too, had 
     the pleasure, Senator Dole, of visiting with Dr. and Mrs. 
     Graham at that beautiful mountaintop log cabin at Montreal. 
     We've had an occasion to visit many times, and it has always 
     been a blessing for me and for my family.
       You have touched the hearts of the American family. Over 
     the last half century, few individuals have left such a 
     lasting imprint on our national life.
       Every American president since World War II has sought 
     Billy Graham's counsel. Republicans and Democrats alike have 
     relied on his moral sense and used his wisdom as a compass to 
     help guide the ship of state.
       From his first discussion with President Truman in 1948, to 
     his tea with President Clinton just yesterday, Billy Graham 
     has been a welcome presence in the White House. He has also 
     met with leaders of other nations around the world.
       Sometimes his visits have been controversial. Senator Dole 
     mentioned a couple of those visits. I remember, as some of 
     you do, the wonderful statement made by Senator Sam Nunn, who 
     is here, at the national prayer breakfast this year, when he 
     talked about a controversial trip Dr. Graham made to the 
     Soviet Union. And when he returned, he was bitterly 
     criticized in a newspaper column in which it was written that 
     he had set back the cause of Christianity by 50 years. To 
     which Dr. Graham responded, I'm so ashamed. I was trying to 
     set it back 2,000 years.
       But although he moves easily among presidents, and kings 
     and heads of state, I've always sensed that Billy and Ruth 
     Graham are most at home with ordinary mothers and fathers; 
     and families throughout this nation admire them greatly.
       This man, who once dreamed of swinging a bat in baseball's 
     major leagues has filled stadiums from New York in Nairobi, 
     from Tulsa to Tokyo, preaching the Gospel and sounding the 
     cry for human rights, enlightened race relations and the 
     dignity of freedom. Yet, he remains humble, even with this 
     power to muster great throngs of people.
       He once told an interviewer and I quote, ``The great crowds 
     are meaningless. The thing that counts is what happens in the 
     hearts of men and women. What good my ministry has done I'll 
     never know until I get to Heaven.''
       Well, Dr. Graham, most Americans would probably say, if any 
     of us are judged worthy by our maker, you and Ruth are going 
     to

[[Page E716]]

     make the grade. Hundreds of millions of us around the world 
     know in our hearts that you have lifted our lives. You've 
     done enormous good. You have blessed us.
       In presenting this Gold Medal of Honor and recognizing you 
     and Mrs. Graham, the United States of America makes a 
     powerful statement about what is truly important in our 
     national life. You have touched that part of the American 
     spirit that knows providence has a grander purpose for our 
     nation.
       There is a spiritual hunger in modern America.
       It is a hunger all Americans feel although we may describe 
     it in different ways. As our lives race faster amidst so much 
     that is fleeting, we search for what endures.
       In synagogues, churches, mosques and other places of 
     worship, we celebrate faith and a power greater than 
     ourselves. We pray for the grace of God and the courage to 
     live our lives according to the wishes of the God of whom 
     you have told us.
       We honor the diversity of faiths in America. And within 
     that commitment to diversity and in that spirit, please allow 
     me to add a personal note as a Christian. I have appreciated 
     the poetry and power that you have brought to the religious 
     tradition that so many of us share with you. I've also 
     admired how the force of your convictions has been fueled by 
     the gentleness of your soul.
       There was a controversial book written a few years ago in 
     which the author attempted to survey all of the religious 
     traditions and all of those who have attempted to bring the 
     message of God. When asked what she had learned about 
     preachers and others attempting to deliver the message of 
     God, she said she had concluded as a result of her 
     scholarship that if a preacher is angry and hurtful, he does 
     not know God. But if he is kind and loving, perhaps he does 
     know God.
       In our tradition, Jesus teaches that God is love. There is 
     a wonderful passage in Corinthians that is frequently used as 
     part of a marriage ceremony, looking prospectively, which can 
     also, I believe, be used as an assessment of what you have 
     done and are doing in your role as a minister.
       Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does 
     not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-
     seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of 
     wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the 
     truth.
       Dr. Graham, you and Ruth have been patient and kind. You 
     have not envied nor boasted. You have not been proud. You 
     have not been rude nor self-seeking nor easily angered. 
     You've kept no record of wrongs. You've not delighted in 
     evil. You have rejoiced with the truth.
       So today, let us rejoice with the truth that these two 
     extraordinary people have brought to our lives. For reminding 
     us of faith's gentleness and endurance, we honor Billy Graham 
     and his partner Ruth Graham. We trumpet their achievements. 
     We celebrate their commitment. And we formally thank them, 
     this man and this woman, who have served this nation by 
     serving God.

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