How Billy Graham became an American icon

Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch were among the hundreds who attended Billy Graham’s 95th birthday party in the hills of North Carolina this past Thursday. CNN takes a look at Billy Graham's place in American society in an article here.

5 facts about atheists

Here’s what we know about self-described atheists and their beliefs:

1. Their numbers are rising
2. They tend to be male and younger than the general population
3. 14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit
4. A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people
5. Many feel a deep connection with nature and the earth

Read more here.

Happy Birthday Billy Graham!

Billy Graham was born in this day (Nov. 7) in 1918. Here's some significant events in the life of the Evangelist Billy Graham:

1918: Born William Franklin Graham, Jr on Nov 7 and raised on a 300-acre dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina by Presbyterian parents.

1934: Became a Christian at age of 16 after attending a revival meeting in Charlotte of traveling evangelist Mordecai Ham.

1936: Attended Bob Jones's college but soon dropped out 1939: Ordained by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention.

1940: Bachelor of theology, Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College) and meets Ruth Bell at Wheaton College.

1943: Graduates from Wheaton College in Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and marries the daughter of a missionary surgeon, Ruth McCue Bell; Became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois.

1945: Meets President Harry Truman and knows each President since that time.

1949: Los Angeles crusade puts Graham into the public eye. Scheduled for 3 weeks, the meetings were extended to more than 8 weeks 1950: Founds the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

1957: A revival in Madison Square Garden proved so popular, it was extended from six to 16 weeks

1964: Given the Speaker of the Year Award.

1969: Recognized by the Anti-Defamation League of the Bnai Brith.

1971: Recognized by The National Conference of Christians and Jews; His book The Jesus Generation sold 200,000 copies in the first two weeks.

1975: His book Angels: Gods Secret Agents sells one million copies within 90 days.

1977: His book How to Be Born Again had the largest first printing in publishing history with 800,000 copies.

1982: Given the $1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

1983: Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom; His book Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is published.

1996: Given Congressional Gold Medal Award.

1997: His autobiography, Just As I Am is published appears simultaneously on the three top best-seller lists in one week.

2000: Given the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award.

2001: Awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth 2003: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association moves from Minneapolis to Charlotte, North Carolina.

2004: Partial hip replacement in January as the result of a cracked pelvis from a fall; He suffers from Parkinson symptoms.

2005: Graham preaches his last crusade in New York. An estimated 210 million people in 185 countries have heard him preach.

2005: Ground broken in Charlotte, North Carolina for a library and museum dedicated to him. It costs $27 million

2007: His wife of 63 years, Ruth Graham, dies.

2007: The Billy Graham Library and Graham's boyhood home open to the public.

2008: Graham celebrates his 90th birthday with a private family dinner near the near his Asheville, North Carolina home.

2009: Billy Graham’s weekly Hour of Decision radio program is heard around the world. His World Wide Pictures has produced and distributed over 125 evangelical films. Graham’s newspaper column, My Answer, is carried by newspapers both nationally and internationally. Decision magazine has a circulation of more than one million. Graham has written 24 books.

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Bible Society leader dismissed

The president of the American Bible Society was let go after just a few months on the job. It's not clear what brought about Doug Birdsall's dismissal. The board only mentioned differences in how to reach the ABS's goals. Birdsall went through lung cancer surgery this summer. Read more about the situation at Christianity Today here.

Crouch hospitalized

Trinity Broadcasting Network founder Paul Crouch is in a Dallas hospital for a heart condition. The 79-year-old Crouch has a pacemaker and was having trouble breathing. He is presently in a court battle with his granddaughter. She says TBN fired her for uncovering wrongdoing, but lawyers for the ministry accuse Brittany Koper of embezzlement.

Rob Bell on Oprah

Rob Bell will be interviewed today on a new episode of Oprah Winfrey's “Super Soul Sunday” over her Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN. They'll be talking about his book What We Talk About When We Talk About God. Bell is founder of Michigan's Mars Hill Bible Church and has stirred controversy among evangelicals with the theology in his books.

Britney Spears names Favorite Christian Author

Britney Spears says her favorite author is Max Lucado. The name of the Texas megachurch pastor came up in response to a Twitter question from a fan. Spears fan Emily Horan asked Spears to name her favorite book. The response was "Anything by Max Lucado." Lucado has written some 100 books with 82 million copies in print, according to the Christian Post. Read more here.