Thursday, Apr. 01, 2010

Billy Graham

Age: 91
Occupation: Evangelist
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0

Graham has been in poor health for several years, but he is still the dean of Christian Evangelical preachers everywhere. Joel Osteen, Rick Warren — even the Gen Y spiky-haired newbie Steven Furtick — all know their careers wouldn't have been possible had Graham not shown the way with his stadium crusades in the mid–20th century. In recent years, Graham's reputation has suffered with the emergence of White House tapes in which he can be heard exchanging anti-Semitic banter with Richard Nixon (exchanges for which Graham has apologized). But his humility and persuasive powers have made him an inspiration to millions for more than half a century.