When someone dies, we usually celebrate what was good about their life work, and there was much good in what Billy Graham did. Among other things, he was a major figure in breaking down some of the denominationalism that kept Christians from being able to work together, he worked against racial segregation in conservative Christian circles, and he had a huge effect on evangelism. His personal integrity and charm were also important.Wayne in Maine wrote:In many ways the reaction to Billy Graham's death is similar to the reaction to the death of Agnes Bojaxhiu ("Mother" Theresa). It is not polite in American society to speak ill of popular religious figures, and so "we" will all avoid any critical analysis of the actual message and "theology" behind Billy Graham's life work.
I don't think he was a great theologian, but that wasn't his calling, either.
To me, some of that is simply that we should focus on what we can learn from people like Billy Graham or Mother Theresa or the other people listed here, and that's mostly what they did well. Those are the things we should imitate.