Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohina, shared how the Gospel influenced his life during his visit to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday to pay his respects at the graves of the late evangelist and his wife.
Billy Graham's son, evangelist Franklin Graham, spoke about Vance's visit while he was on his way to Alaska in a post on X. During his visit, Vance was accompanied by Franklin Graham's children, daughter Cissie Graham Lynch and son Roy Graham, along with Billy Graham's longtime assistant David Bruce, who also serves as executive vice president of the Billy Graham Library.
"We were pleased that Senator [Vance] and his wife Usha could visit [the library] while they were in Charlotte today," Graham tweeted. "He has said that he watched my father preaching the Gospel on television growing up."
We were pleased that Senator @JDVance and his wife Usha could visit @TheBGLibrary while they were in Charlotte today. He has said that he watched my father preaching the Gospel on television growing up. My daughter @CissieGLynch, my son Roy, and David Bruce, who worked with my… pic.twitter.com/jRoyTgZDtw
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) September 24, 2024
In a separate post on X, Graham shared brief remarks Vance made about what he believes the message of Billy Graham Library is and how he was personally impacted by the Gospel.
"Billy Graham believed the Gospel belonged to everybody: to rich and poor, to black and white, and that was something that really meant a lot to my grandmother," Vance said.
“I think It’s a great testament to Billy, because it’s not about Billy, it’s about Jesus.” —Senator @JDVance at @TheBGLibrary today pic.twitter.com/qXC8DuHlHR
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) September 24, 2024
"I think it's a great testament to Billy because it's really not about Billy," Vance said of the library. "It's about Jesus. It's a great message. It's a message ...again, that the Gospel belongs to everybody. And it's the message that I heard with the person who ultimately made me who I was: my grandmother."
Per The Christian Post, Vance has previously been outspoken about the critical role his grandmother, Bonnie Blanton Vance (whom he called "Mamaw"), played in his life growing up in Middletown, Ohio, while his mother was struggling with addiction.
"She really just got me," Vance, who rose to fame as the bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy, told NBC News in a 2017 interview about his grandmother's influence. "She understood when I needed somebody to ride me. She knew when I needed love and comfort. She knew when she needed to just be sympathetic. She was really smart."
Photo Credit: ©X/franklin_graham
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.