How Billy Graham Impacted Steve McQueen’s Life

The evangelist gave McQueen his personal Bible

According to Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship – Riverside's senior pastor, Steve McQueen, the Hollywood icon who reputedly accepted Christ a few months prior to him being detected with mortal cancer, died clutching the Bible gifted to him by Billy Graham, the legendary evangelist. Pastor Laurie has incidentally embarked on a marketing spree for Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, his new book, and documentary film Steve McQueen: American Icon.

How Billy Graham Impacted Steve McQueen’s Life[/tweetthis]

Laurie, in his interview with The Christian Post, reiterated that his new book will offer a comprehensive account of the icon's path towards Christ during the far end of his life. He co-authored the book with Marshall Terrill. Terrill is a McQueen biographer, having written five books on the Hollywood icon. Laurie described him as an "expert on all things McQueen."

By all accounts, this latest McQueen book will be a hot seller. Fans continue to be fascinated by McQueen’s total rags to riches life and his films surpass every age group. The only aspect of his life people do not know about widely is the icon's slide into faith.

Laurie, through his research, found that McQueen left Hollywood and transformed into a Christian. He was supposedly helped during his initial days by Pastor Leonard DeWitt. The book includes a number of interviews conducted by Laurie and also Terrill with the people who were once near to McQueen. These people attested to the Hollywood icon's spiritual transformation. Among those interviewed were Barbi, the widow of McQueen, the pastor tending to McQueen’s church and also his flight instructor.

Loved Steve McQueen..and Greg Laurie is a great representative of God!

— Pamela Wehking (@wehking_pamela) September 12, 2017

Laurie said there was a significant statement McQueen made, "My only regret in life is that I was not able to tell people about what Christ did for me.” These words were supposedly said by McQueen to Pastor DeWitt prior to his death. Pastor DeWitt belonged to Ventura Missionary Church.

McQueen's meeting with Billy Graham happened after the former was diagnosed with an aggressive kind of cancer. He met Graham prior to attending a surgery in Mexico. The latter offered him his personal Bible to take on the trip. The actor did not survive the trip. He died while he was waiting in his room alone in a Juarez, Mexico clinic. When people found him, he was clutching a Bible. There was more than an even chance that the actor was reading it prior to his death. It was almost as the Lord welcomed him home when he was reading His book.

Resources

• The Charlotte Observer
• The Christian Post
• CBN
• Amazon
• Steve McQueen: American Icon

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