USA news on Youtube Feb 21 2018

Billy Graham, famed Christian evangelist, dies aged 99

Billy Graham, the 20th-century Christian crusader and father of showman evangelicalism who had

the ear of 12 US presidents, has died at the age of 99.

Among the first to pay tribute were Donald Trump and his vice-president Mike Pence, the

most recent beneficiaries of the voting power of US evangelical Christians.

Billy Graham, 'America's pastor' � a life in pictures

From the 1930s until the early years of this century, Graham drew crowds of thousands to

hear his rallying cry for Christianity.

Over almost six decades, it is estimated that he preached to more 200 million people.

As well as his US coast-to-coast roadshows and tours across every continent, Graham harnessed

the power of the media to reach millions, deploying television and radio networks, newspaper

columns, feature films and satellite hookups.

He wrote dozens of books and his sermons were translated simultaneously into 48 languages

and transmitted to 185 countries by satellite.

Graham, who had suffered from prostate cancer, pneumonia and symptoms of Parkinson�s disease,

died at his home in North Carolina, his spokesperson said.

Trump tweeted: �The GREAT Billy Graham is dead.

There was nobody like him!

He will be missed by Christians and all religions.

A very special man.�

Pence, himself a renowned evangelical, said his �matchless voice changed the lives of

millions.

We mourn his passing but know with absolute certainty that today he heard those words:

�Well done, good and faithful servant.��

Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and former candidate for the Democratic presidential

nomination, described him as �the pope of the evangelical movement�.

Jimmy Carter, the former president, said Graham had �shaped the spiritual lives of tens

of millions of people worldwide.

Broad-minded, forgiving, and humble in his treatment of others, he exemplified the life

of Jesus Christ by constantly reaching out for opportunities to serve.�

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, said the global church owed him an �immeasurable

and inexpressible� debt.

Graham was �an exemplar to generation upon generation of modern Christians,� Welby

said.

�When it comes to a living and lasting influence upon the worldwide church he can have few

equals: for he introduced person after person to Jesus Christ.

There are countless numbers who began their journey of faith because of Dr Graham.�

Born in 1918, Graham devoted his life to preaching the word of God after a revival meeting he

attended at the age of 15.

He was ordained as a Southern Baptist clergyman in 1939, and retired in 2005.

At the time he said: �Do I fear death?

No.

I look forward to death with great anticipation.

I�m looking forward to seeing God face to face.�

source theguardian

For more infomation >> Billy Graham famed Christian evangelist dies aged 99 - Duration: 3:00.

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Florida House refuses to debate guns declares porn dangerous - Duration: 2:12.

Florida House refuses to debate guns, declares porn dangerous

The Florida House of Representatives was in session on Tuesday considering several issues.

These included a motion to debate a bill banning the sale of assault weapons in the aftermath

of the mass shooting that killed 17 people last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

School in Parkland, Fla., and a resolution declaring pornography a public health risk.

The House chose not to consider the gun-control bill.

It later passed the resolution claiming that porn is dangerous.

�Unfortunately, just five days after 17 people were gunned down at a Florida school,

the Florida House just passed a bill that declares pornography a �public health risk,��

state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) told the Independent.

�Basically, what they have determined is that these are the Republican priorities in

2018: Wasting our time with debate and legislation that declares porn as a health threat.

Meanwhile we can�t even get a single debate, vote or hearing on anything related to assault

weapons.�

�That�s really sad,� he added.

Tuesday�s session opened with state Rep. Kionne McGhee (D) asking for a procedural

change to allow the House to consider the bill banning assault weapons, which was assigned

to three committees but had not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

�I ask that you keep this bill and the conversation about the solution to combat mass shootings

alive,� McGhee declared.

�The shooting at Parkland demands extraordinary action.�

The House voted down the motion 71 to 36 within three minutes as survivors of the shooting

watched from the gallery of the Capitol.

�It was just so heartbreaking to see how many [voters�] names were up there, especially

after it was my school,� Sheryl Acquaroli, a 16-year-old junior at Stoneman Douglas who

was watching, told CNN.

�It seemed almost heartless how they immediately pushed the button to say no.�

�They had a chance to stop it today.

If there is another mass shooting it�s going to be their fault,� she added.

source washingtonpost