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Billy Graham

Billy Graham

Issue 111 Special Bonus Issue

Billy Graham Apostle of changed lives and second chances The Blues singer Left: After hearing Graham on the radio, singer thought he might be a phoney, because no “white preacher could be that good.” Then she met him and concluded that he was “God’s chosen.”

This is my song Below: Soloist “Bev” Shea and choir director–emcee formed the core of Graham’s music team from the start. It was Shea who suggested having a choir sing “” during the invitations.

Did you know? ’s political temptation, his friend- ships with entertainers and heads of state, and the impact of his music team

Setting the Crusades to Music • American believers from the middle of the nineteenth • For nearly 20 years, African American blues singer century to the middle of the twentieth loved blind poet and actress Ethel Waters was a regular guest artist at Fanny Crosby’s hymns. “Blessed Assurance” and “Res-

Billy Graham’s crusades. She rededicated her life to cue the Perishing” were steady favorites. But her now- g g at the 1957 City Crusade and regu- popular song “To God Be the Glory” got little attention

larly performed her signature song, “His Eye Is on the in America until Cliff Barrows heard English Chris- raham.or g raham.or

Sparrow,” until the San Diego crusade of 1976. She died tians sing it during the 1954 Harringay crusade. “We g .billy

in 1977. picked it up, brought it back to America and used it in .billy

• During the 1960s, Graham watched the transfor- all the crusades,” Barrows recalled. After he introduced www www d. e d.

mation of American youth culture. When a concert it at three years later, it shot e rv e rv s e

promoter invited him to speak at a rock festival that from being included in a mere 7% of American hym- e s included Santana, Procul Harum, and the Grate- nals in 1957 to 41% by 1990. e hts r g hts r

ful Dead, Graham leapt at the chance, say- g ll ri A

ing, “I really dig this generation of young ll ri people.” By the Greater Crusade A of June 1971, his special guest was Brit- rmission. e rmission.

ish contemporary pioneer e

Judy MacKenzie. Pre-service music includ- d by p e d by p s e U ed “Bridge over Troubled Water” and “Put s U Your Hand in the Hand.” In 1994 Graham moved on to Christian rap trio dc Talk and in ssociation. A

2013 he folded rapper into his My ssociation. Hope outreach. A listic listic

• The Swedish hymn, “How Great Thou ge Art,” was written in 1885, but it didn’t gain ge much popularity until Billy Graham’s bass soloist, , began

it. A friend passed a copy of the song to him illy Graham Evan B illy Graham Evan in in 1954, and he started singing it B

in the next year. It really started take s—© w off with audiences during the 1957 New York Crusade. THE RAPPER After a string of chart-topping releases, hip- rs —© arro e Shea later remembered, “We sang it about a hundred hop star Lecrae Moore shared his testimony in Graham’s B

times at the insistence of the New York audiences. l Wat

2013 My Hope outreach. For the video’s concert footage, a and e e h 1973 Kor e a—© B illy Graham Evan ge listic A ssociation. U s d by p rmission. ll ri g hts r rv d. www .billy raham.or 1966 V i e tnam— AP P hoto S And from then on, it became a standard.” he sported an “I Am Unashamed” (Rom. 1:16) T-shirt. Eth lacraE—rEach rEcords

Christian History man In 1973 Graham and Korean translator Dr. American people would vote for a divorced president, Billy Kim addressed his largest crowd ever: 3.2 million and if you leave ministry for politics, you will certainly over five days, including 1.1 million at the closing service. have a divorce on your hands.”

Special Envoy Skinny-Dipping with LBJ In 1971, U.S. policy began to shift toward the exiled Chi- Occasionally, after an Oval Office visit, Lyndon Johnson nese government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. would propose a swim in the White House pool. Since Chiang asked to have Billy Graham, whom he called a no one brings a bathing suit to a White House meeting, close friend, explain the changes to him. Secretary of this sorted the uptight from the laid-back. On Graham’s State and President Nixon agreed that first visit to the Johnson White House, LBJ suggested a Graham should act as an unofficial envoy. Kissinger swim to Graham and sidekick Grady Wilson. Graham gave Graham talking points and sensitive background. was taken by surprise. But, country boy that he was, The year after Graham met with Chiang, Nixon went to

g he stripped and swam. The preacher and the president mainland and began a process that undermined enjoyed each other’s company so much that their sched- the special U.S. relationship with Chiang’s government. uled 15-minute visit ran to five hours. raham.or g Crowd Control

.billy Army Averted Early on, Billy Graham’s team agreed not to inflate sta-

www The year after he graduated from Wheaton College, tistics and to use only official crowd estimates. Of his d.

e Billy Graham was accepted into the U.S. Army’s chap- ten largest crusades, eight were held outside the United rv e

s laincy program. But army doctors told him he was three States. The largest local attendance ever was in Seoul, e pounds underweight. Just when he had put on those South Korea, in 1973, with 3,210,000 present over five days. hts r

g pounds, he came down with the mumps, which raged The largest virtual event was the 1995 satellite broadcast

ll ri on for two months and turned into orchitis. Graham of meetings in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Reputable scholars A missed the chaplaincy training program, but while he estimate the electronic audience at one billion. CH was recovering his strength, Youth rmission. e for Christ director Torrey Johnson recruited him as the group’s first d by p e s

U full-time evangelist. The rest is history. ssociation.

A Political Temptation In the run-up to the 1952 elec- listic tion, there was no clear choice for ge a Republican candidate, and Billy Graham toyed with the idea of run- ning for president. hoto P

quickly told him, “I don’t think the illy Graham Evan B AP a—© e

tnam— vietnam ’66 Graham gave up plans e i V for military chaplaincy. Still, he ha- 1973 Kor 1966

Eth e l Wat rs album—© B illy Graham Evan ge listic A ssociation. U s d by p rmission. ll ri g hts r rv d. www .billy raham.or S h e a and B arro w s—© illy Graham Evan ge listic A ssociation. U s d by p rmission. ll ri g hts r rv d. www .billy raham.or lacraE—rEach rEcords bitually visited troops in wartime.

Issue 111 1 Editor’s note

Backstage with Billy This issue’s guest editor, David Neff, talks with Graham in , 1991.

read Uta Balbier’s excellent account (“Go forth to every part of the world,” pp. 13–17) of how that came to be. In November 1991 I flew to Buenos Aires to cover Billy Graham’s crusade there. I brought with me William Martin’s newly published biography Prophet with Honor. The day before the crusade, I was read- ing it in the hotel where 300 of the crusade team were staying when I heard someone say, “You must be David Neff.” I looked at the man quizzically, and he said, “No one else in this place would dare be seen with that in public.” The tightly knit Graham organization was protec- “At the end of the day,” Duke Divinity School tive of their leader, and they worried that this book historian Grant Wacker told me in an email, “Billy would not be fair. Most previous biographies had been Graham ranks with John Paul II and Martin Luther worshipful, but one notable exception treated Graham King Jr. as one of the three most influential as a super salesman who had turned from his suc-

of the 20th century.” Dr. Wacker, author of America’s cessful career hawking Fuller Brushes to become “a ) Pastor, a long-awaited cultural biography of Billy Gra- Tupperware Isaiah.” Martin’s new book turned out to BGEA ham, mentored several people on the Christian His- be extremely friendly and respectful, and it set the stan- iation (

tory team: senior editor Chris Armstrong, managing dard for careful research on and scholarly judgment of c

editor Jennifer Woodruff Tait, and former managing Billy Graham. sso A

editor and current image researcher Jennifer Trafton Such scholarship has been maturing ever since. In c Peterson. When he talks, we listen. September 2013 five of the contributors to this issue

When I was editor of Today, which presented papers at a conference on “The Worlds of angelisti Graham founded in 1956, I was very aware of his role Billy Graham” held on the campus of Graham’s alma Ev am h

in shaping American evangelical . We mater, Wheaton College. As you read their articles, you ra kept our founder’s vision in focus: we were to be pro- will see them exercise critical judgment as they also G obin Heller obin Heller illy R B

, pro-, pro-, and evangelically show respect and affection for a great man. e

ecumenical. Dr. Wacker told me about his personal sense of Billy Th But in editing this issue of Christian History, I became Graham: “Each of the four times we have been with newly aware of how the global evangelical network him in his home, we have come down from the moun- ourtesy of would not have been born without Graham. Be sure to tain silent, feeling that we have been in the presence of c am—

Greatness.” As you read this issue, we hope that you h will experience that same sense of Billy

Find Christian History on the Internet at Graham’s greatness. CH eadquarters—line drawing by h

billy gra I www.christianhistorymagazine.org and on h as ChristianHistoryMagazine. David Neff Guest editor id neff wit v da Vision Video/CH

2 Christian History capitol—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Ruth and 5 children—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Doomed—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Issue 111 S M ff Dr. 111 Issue Consultant, Issue David Dr. Founder G Dr. Dr. enior Editor Editor enior uest Editor, Issue 111 Issue Editor, uest anaging Editor anaging

Grant Chris Jennifer A. Billy Graham:apostleofchangedlives

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Watershed: 1949 The revival that took Billy Graham from anonymity to national fame Grant Wacker . c n I , In 1997 Billy Graham was a year shy of his Smashing good looks “Tall, slender, handsome” USA 80th birthday. He had lived an extraordinary life. veteran Billy Graham made John 3:16– In the previous half-century, he had grown from an studded the centerpiece of his revivals. obscure itinerant preacher into a national leader of the emerging evangelical movement and an inter- which he called, significantly, “Watershed: Los Angeles national icon accustomed to golfing with presidents 1949.” and dining with prime ministers. By many accounts That choice was sound, for the tactics Graham he ranked as the most influential evangelist since deployed in Los Angeles etched the template for virtu- George Whitefield in the eighteenth century. So on ally all his crusade meetings for the next six decades. permission of Youth for Christ the eve of his 80th birthday, he agreed to the requests Most of the components had appeared in ’s y sed b

of many people and put it all together in a memoir, revivals before and after World War I and in less U — Just As I Am. developed form in Graham’s own Charlotte campaign y The task was not easy. With a life so long and so in 1947. But in Los Angeles the combination was more filled with travel and events and people, where would than the sum of the parts, not least because of the sheer he start? How would he find a narrative line to pull it all size and complexity of the endeavor. together? He judged that the fulcrum of his career—and When Graham hopped off the train in Southern H eld over b y popular demand—© B ill Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. U sed permission. ll ri hts reserved. www.bill yg raham.or Y F C M a g azine “ U nder the S tars”— A r c hives of B ill y Graham Center, W heaton, I llinois. sed b permission Youth for Christ USA , n . M ammoth T ent Crusade poster— A r c hives of the B ill y Graham Center, W heaton, I llinois. U sed b permission Youth for Christ USA , n . Y F C M a g R evival— A r c hives of the B ill y Graham Center, W heaton, I llinois. U sed b permission Youth for Christ USA , n . thus the fulcrum of the memoir—rested in chapter 9, in mid-September 1949, he was bursting Youth for Christ rall

4 Christian History publicity pathbreaker Graham demanded an unprecedented advertising budget for the meetings. Flyers, posters, and ads were effective, but celebrity conversions took attendance to new levels. . . c c g n n I I , , with energy. When he boarded the train home eight churches (more than 300 eventually joined), increase USA USA weeks later, he had lost 20 pounds and struggled with the size of the tent to accommodate 6,500 people, and

raham.or exhaustion. Little wonder. He had preached 65 ser- beef up the advertising budget to the then unheard of yg .

c mons to an aggregate audience of 350,000—maybe sum of $25,000 (equivalent to $244,000 in 2013). n I , 400,000—souls jammed into a Ringling Brothers tent In Just As I Am, Graham characteristically insisted USA pitched near the city’s central shopping district. The the revival’s success was entirely “God’s doing” meetings ran every night and Sunday afternoons from (his emphasis). But he underestimated at least three September 25 to November 20. Around 6,000 people streams of influence.

hts reserved. www.bill either committed or recommitted their lives to Christ. The first stream grew from the external politi- g permission of Youth for Christ permission of Youth for Christ y y Graham spoke to countless civic, school, and busi- cal, social, and economic environment. On Friday, ll ri A ness groups, making three to four appearances a day. September 23, two days before the revival, President sed b sed b U U He gave dozens of interviews. He even schmoozed Harry Truman announced that the Soviet Union had with celebrities such as Cecil B. DeMille, exploded an atomic bomb. The was no llinois. llinois. permission of Youth for Christ I I permission. y y Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn. longer the sole possessor of nuclear weapons. That turn

sed b of events felt even more ominous because the Soviets sed b U U heaton, heaton, W W Committee Work had embraced the deadly, aggressive, atheistic ideol- iation. llinois. The story of Graham’s “Watershed” started back in ogy of . The threat felt frightfully real. I c 1943. At that time, the Christian Businessmen’s Com- Six days after the revival started, mainland China sso A

c mittee of Los Angeles joined with local parachurch fell to Mao Zedong’s Red Army. Communists pos- heaton, W Graham Center, Graham Center, organizations such as Navigators, Christian Endeavor, sessed both the determination and the ability, in y y elisti g ill ill B B and, especially, Youth for Christ (YFC) to create the Graham’s words, “to holster the whole world.” At van E Christ for Greater Los Angeles committee. Between home things looked just as grim. Recurrent eco- 1943 and 1949, the committee sponsored 17 citywide nomic downturns and the spiraling threat of juvenile Graham Center, Graham y

y evangelistic meetings, led by nationally known reviv- delinquency rattled Americans’ self-confidence. hives of the hives of the c c ill ill r r B B A A alists such as Hyman Appleman, Jack Shuler, Merv Beyond those perils, wherever Graham looked on the Rosell, and (who later lost his faith). American landscape—and he looked everywhere—he tars”—

S Not satisfied, in 1948 they invited a relatively untested saw multiple additional threats: militarism, rac-

hives of the young preacher from to try his hand. ism, materialism, and rampant sexual immorality. c r A The first time the committee invited Graham, he The second stream of influence grew from the com- nder the U popular demand—©

y turned them down, thinking the time was not ripe. mittee and Graham’s awareness that revivals had to be ent Crusade poster— evival— T R

azine “ The following year they asked again, and he agreed— “worked up as well as prayed down.” The committee g g a a

M M but with conditions. He required that they incorporate initiated concerts of prayer (that is, people praying at C C ammoth eld over b F F H Y M Y Youth for Christ rall y — U sed b permission of USA , I n c . clergy into the committee, secure the support of local the same time of the day in multiple places) fully nine

Issue 111 5 In the papers Above: Newspaper magnate focused the press on Graham and brought him national attention.

months before the revival started. It systematically sRO Left: By the end of the crusade, the tent had been enlisted the support of hundreds of local churches and expanded to seat 9,000, and thousands more stood out- g laypeople from the Southern California region. side—for a total of 15,000 on one remarkable occasion.

But the committee also “worked up” the revival by raham.or yg using advertising adeptly. It blanketed the region with flyers, posters, and banners. The materials heralded the of his sermons.” Truth was, if followers had heard one of coming “mammoth” tent, “6000 free seats,” “inspiring Billy’s sermons, they had heard them all. Sooner or later music,” “unprecedented demand,” “dynamic preach- every one of them circled around to the same text, John ing,” and “America’s foremost evangelist.” Hyperbole 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only

took no vacation. begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should hts reserved. www.bill g The third stream of influence grew from Graham’s not perish, but have everlasting life.” In every ll ri own style. Besides having smashing good looks, he of every service for the rest of his life, Graham would A knew how to dress the part. He was outfitted in pastel say, he drove for a verdict. suits, billowing kerchief, hand-painted ties, flamboyant The messages followed a predictable format. In Act permission.

argyle socks, and wide-brimmed hats. He was—as his I, Graham began with a litany of the international and y own advance billing put it—“tall, slender, handsome, national perils noted above—communism, economic sed b with a curly shock of blond hair, Graham looks like a depression, immorality, and crime—among others. Act U collar ad, acts like a motion picture star, thinks like a II consisted of Graham relating those external threats to iation. psychology professor, talks like a North Carolinian internal ones of meaninglessness, loneliness, addictions, c sso A

and preaches like a combination of Billy Sunday and backsliding, or never knowing God in the first place. c ress

Dwight L. Moody. . . . He uses few illustrations, no sob All of those maladies ultimately grew from a sin- g elisti stories, absolutely no deathbed stuff.” gle source, and that was the sinful heart. Graham made g van E of Con

clear that while sin was innate—what theologians y Man with a Message called “original sin”—it manifested itself in sinful acts. ibrar L But of course the main thing was not Graham’s looks Yet the good news was that cleansing from sin and new Graham y ill

or dress but his preaching, which served as the center- life in Christ were available for anyone, simply for the B earst— piece of the revival. Few considered him eloquent, but asking and taking. Believe that Christ died for your H no one doubted his effectiveness. The content of the ser- sins, Graham boomed, receive him into your hearts,

mons proved predictable, night after night. Years later and then carry forth lives of faith and holiness. In short, andolph R one of Graham’s close associates would say, “If you the external threats and the internal ones mirror one an- illiam W have heard Billy 10 times, you probably have heard all other. And the solution for both is the same: Christ. 1949 — © S in- mashin g W eek— A r c hives of the B ill y Graham Center, heaton, I llinois B urstin g at the S eams newspaper—© ill y Graham E van elisti c A sso iation. U sed b permission. ll ri hts reserved. www.bill yg raham.or LA revival tent—© B ill y Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. U sed b permission. ll ri hts reserved. www.bill yg raham.or

6 Christian History “5th sin-SMASHING week” Top: Newspaper ads pro- claimed Graham’s promise to keep “L.A.’s greatest revival” going “as long as sinners are finding at the Throne of Grace.” Bottom: It all took place in the “mammoth” tent.

If the content of Graham’s sermons proved pre- dictable, so did the manner of delivery. Clenched fists pounded the lectern, pointed fin- gers stabbed the air, and crouched knees hurled the preacher forward and backward. Graham paced the platform relentlessly, aided by a newly acquired lapel micro- phone. By one account he paced two miles during every sermon. One reporter said he revealed “the coiled tension of a panther.” The words poured forth fast and loud. A stenographer clocked the torrent at 240 words a minute. The speed was intentional. Graham self-consciously adopted the rapid- fire delivery of successful radio newscasters like Walter Winchell and H. B. Kaltenborn. And then there was the volume. Time g magazine called him “trumpet-lunged.” In later years, when Graham’s preaching much

raham.or more resembled an avuncular fireside chat, yg he admitted that in the beginning he preached very Toward the end of the third week, Graham, song

g fast and very loud. Throughout, Graham clutched a leader Cliff Barrows, soloist George Beverly Shea, and large Bible, which he quoted rapidly, accurately, and the committee fell into consultation and prayer about frequently. In a Bible-steeped culture, that strategy— whether the revival should continue past the sched- raham.or

yg born of deep conviction that the Bible contains God’s uled closing date. Uncertain, they, like Gideon in the

hts reserved. www.bill authoritative answer to every problem—added author- Old Testament, asked God for a palpable sign. g ity. At the end of these sermons, hundreds of men and Their prayer yielded results. First, a spell of warm ll ri A women, who were (by photographic evidence) over- weather rolled in on October 16, the very day the revival whelmingly white and middle class, steadily streamed had been scheduled to close. And then, on October 17, forward to yield their lives to Christ. Stuart “Stew” Hamblen came to faith in an early morn- hts reserved. www.bill permission. g y But not at first. ing meeting with Graham at the hotel where Graham

ll ri and his wife, Ruth, were staying. Hamblen was a sto- A sed b U Slow Start ried country performer, radio show host, and local The success of the Los Angeles revival has obscured celebrity. The following night he professed his faith iation. c llinois I our vision of how hard it was won. Despite concerts publicly at the crusade. The next week Hamblen gave permission. sso y A

c of prayer, meticulous organization, multiple neighbor- his testimony on his radio program. With this exposure, heaton, sed b U W hood committees, and vast and intense publicity, the the crowds grew and the committee extended the cru- elisti g revival got off to a slow start. Initially, the committee sade for two more weeks. Later, Hamblen would write van iation. E

c scheduled it to run three weeks, from Sunday, Sep- the Hit Parade favorites “It Is No Secret (What God Can

sso tember 25 to Sunday, October 16. In those weeks the Do)” and “This Ole House” to herald his new birth. A

c Graham

Graham Center, crowds ran a respectable 2,000 to 3,000 per night, but y y ill elisti ill B since the tent seated more than 6,000, ushers spread out

g Kissed by a Media Mogul B

van the chairs to make the audience look more substantial. The improved weather and Hamblen’s well-publicized E The local press paid little attention to the meet- endorsement were powerfully reinforced early in the ings. The committee placed ads, and neighborhood fourth week. One night, as Graham entered the tent, he hives of the Graham c y

r churches slipped in notices in their usual spots on the found the scene swarming with reporters, flash bulbs A ill B eams newspaper—©

S newspaper’s church page, but otherwise the revival popping, note pads open. Asked what was going on, eek— W seemed destined to follow the path of most revivals: one journalist told him, “You have been kissed by Wil- g

at the earnest support from the faithful for a few days, maybe liam Randolph Hearst.” g

mashin a few weeks, but nothing to make the history books. In the next few days, the Los Angeles Examiner S revival tent—© in- urstin 1949 tent revival— © B ill y Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. U sed b permission. ll ri hts reserved. www.bill yg raham.or W illiam R andolph H earst— L ibrar y of Con g ress S B LA Unseasonably cold weather did not help. and the Los Angeles Herald Express, both owned by

Issue 111 7 from l.a. to boston After Los Angeles, Graham preached a rally in Boston. That event grew into an 18-day series, later capped by a massive meeting on Boston Common.

In any event, the reason for Hearst’s interest was evident. The tycoon was fiercely pro- American and fiercely anticommunist. Less well known is that in some ways he was also progressive: a supporter of women’s rights and an opponent of monopolistic business trusts and long work days—anything that exploited ordinary people. Most important, perhaps, he strongly supported a well-ordered society. The need for a well-ordered society prompted Hearst to support YFC. The organization had emerged in the early , mainly in New York, Philadelphia, and especially Chicago. It aimed to provide “wholesome” entertainment, patriotic uplift, and evangelistic appeal to servicemen and women returned from military duty, as well as crowds of adolescents and young adults throng- ing city streets at night. Graham got his start in big city evangelism at a YFC rally at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, May 27, 1944, 10 days before D-Day. He stayed with YFC for about four years, the publishing tycoon, showcased stories about gradually mixing YFC meetings with ones he organized Graham. Soon the , United Press, on his own. By the 1949 Los Angeles meeting, Graham and International News Service ran accounts too. Time was entirely independent, but YFC had left its mark. His entered the picture on November 14. Time’s cousin pub- aggressive, flamboyant style and hard-hitting message lication, Life, with 25 million readers, ran its own piece had been forged on the anvil of YFC meetings in the on November 21. The Los Angeles Times (not a Hearst United States and Europe. paper) compared Graham—a “silvery-tongued young Many people not notably religious, including evangelist”—with Billy Sunday, the premier traveling President Truman and Hearst, liked YFC. Americans pulpiteer of the previous generation. Graham and the lived in perilous times, and YFC offered solutions. So press had found each other. Over the years Graham it was not surprising that in 1946 Hearst sent a memo to gained vast publicity from the press, and the press his editors urging them to “Puff YFC” (CH emphasis). gained a steady source of revenue from stories about Stanley High’s 1956 biography, Billy Graham: The Personal the affable, photogenic, and loquacious evangelist. Story of the Man, His Message, and His Mission, seems the Folded into this story was another one, not impor- first instance in which a serious biographer claimed tant in itself, but one that gained importance for what that Hearst had sent his reporters a directive to “Puff it revealed about how legends develop and the impact Graham.” Most subsequent biographies, including well- they hold. Hearst was not known to be deeply reli- researched books by William McLoughlin (1960) and gious, much less evangelical. So how did he hear about (1966), picked up the tale. (Graham himself Graham, why did he decide to promote him, and how uncritically repeated it in his 1997 memoir.) In 1983, how- did he communicate this to his editors? ever, ’s biography of Ruth Bell Graham The answers to these questions remain murky. As to cast serious doubt. No hard copy of the directive ever how Hearst heard about the revival, one story held that materialized, and Hearst’s son denied it, claiming that hoto

one of his housekeepers had told him about it, another his father probably had said, “[G]ive attention to Billy P

that the Holy Spirit had directed the housekeeper to Graham’s meetings.” William Martin’s exhaustively AP phone Hearst, and still another that Hearst caught wind researched biography (1991) offered additional reasons of the meetings and came in disguise with his mistress, to question the story’s veracity.

Marion Davies. The most credible narrative is that the The “Puff Graham” tale not only amplified Hearst’s ommon 1950— c committee had worked hard behind the scenes, through role in Graham’s rise, it also created an impression that c apitol—© B ill y Graham E van g elisti A sso iation. U sed b permission. ll ri hts reserved. www.bill yg raham.or intermediaries, to win Hearst’s attention. Graham’s Los Angeles crusade owed its success to a boston

8 Christian History random comment by a wealthy and powerful business- D.C. talk Two years after L.A., Graham’s influence had

g man who had a political and financial interest in the grown so much that he was allowed to hold the first-ever preacher’s work. It erroneously implied that the revival revival meeting on the Capitol steps, February 3, 1952.

raham.or tumbled from the sky like a sacred meteor. Rather, the

yg “Watershed Revival of 1949” grew from intersecting streams of historical influence already well in place. Marshall of the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade when he died at age 97. Borrowed Sermons, Bigger Tent Why did the people come to the great tent in the first The committee extended the revival another week, and place? Graham was disarmingly candid. “People came to then another, and then one more, to a total of eight. the meetings for all sorts of reasons,” he allowed. Some hts reserved. www.bill g Some people wanted it to go on indefinitely, but Graham of them were religious. “No doubt some were simply ll ri

A had reached his limit. He had preached all the sermons curious to see what was going on. Others were skeptical he knew, started borrowing sermons from friends, and dropped by just to confirm their prejudices. Many and even replayed (with credit) Jonathan Edwards’s were desperate over some crisis in their lives and hoped

permission. eighteenth-century fire-breathing masterpiece, “Sin- they might get a last chance to set things right.” y ners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The tent had been Whatever the reasons, thousands came to Christ sed b

U enlarged to seat 9,000, and additional thousands stood for the first time. If the pattern in Los Angeles fore- outside. One night, near the end, 15,000 reportedly shadowed the pattern of later crusades—one well iation. c jammed onto the grounds. studied by historians and sociologists—a different rea- sso A

The revival’s energy drew also on additional celeb- son proved equally important. Graham did not so much c rity conversions and the resulting publicity. Ranking convert them to something wholly new, as call them elisti

g at the top, perhaps, was the conversion of Louis back to something old. He touched their memories and

van Zamperini. An Olympic track star and decorated war reminded them of who they once were and who they E hero (captured and tortured by the Japanese), his life now wished themselves to be, individually and collec- had fallen apart after his return home. Facing divorce, tively as a society. They, too, crossed a watershed. CH Graham y

ill alcoholism, and severe post-traumatic stress, he visited B the tent sometime in the fifth week, found Christ, and Grant Wacker is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Christian His- spent the rest of his long life as a Christian inspirational tory at Duke Divinity School and author of America’s Pas- apitol—© c boston c ommon 1950— AP P hoto speaker on forgiveness. He was slated to be Grand tor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation.

Issue 111 9 g raham.or

“I would not call it g illy show business” b Media made Billy Graham a celebrity; Graham worked hard to stay honest and authentic hts reserved. www. g

Elesha Coffman ll ri A

During a 1973 appearance on the British talk HALF- Billy Graham (with song show Russell Harty Plus, Billy Graham described the leader Cliff Barrows) began a regular 30-minute tele- y permission.

promise and peril of television ministry. vision broadcast in 1951, when the medium was b When Harty asked how Graham’s broadcast still young. evangelism compared to the live preaching of John Wesley, Graham replied, “Television is a medium of Later in the interview, Harty pressed the evangelist

face to face communication. It’s the most powerful to name some pet peeves. Graham admitted that fame ssociation. Used A medium we’ve ever known. And whether you’re sell- grew tiresome. “I’m happy to come to Europe once

ing a bar of soap or whatever you’re doing, television in a while where I can get a bit more privacy than in elistic g is the way to do it today. And if you are preaching the America where the television has made [my] face quite van gospel, you can communicate by television.” well known,” he said. Graham also joked with the host E Graham stated that if he appeared on American about his own aging countenance. The 55-year-old man TV for three nights, he would get 500,000 to 750,000 on the screen no longer struck Graham as handsome, letters from viewers, “people pouring out their and he wished for Harty’s “marvelous” hair. hearts and their problems.” Television could be This interview illustrates three aspects of media- used for evil, he explained, but it could also be used molded ministry—one positive, two negative. Graham’s Hour of Decision st u dio—© Billy Graham E van g elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or Time t o R un —© Billy Graham E van g elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or for good. use of media—especially the preeminent medium of the television—© Billy Graham

10 Christian History don’t Touch that dial Top right: The original radio studio where Hour of Decision was recorded has been reconstructed at the .

Silver screen Bottom right: Poster for ‘ coming-of-age evangelistic film, Time to Run.

latter twentieth century, televi- sion—was extremely effective. But success as a media figure could veer dangerously close to slick salesmanship. Additionally, celebrity took a toll on per- sonal life, demanding large amounts of time and energy from Graham while privileg- ing sound bites over sermons and image over substance. the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), the goal TESTING THE MEDIA of was less Graham’s career had been linked to mass media ever to save souls (its early read-

g since newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst ers were clergy) than to (according to a widely circulated legend) instructed establish as

raham.or his editors to pay attention to Graham during the 1949 an intellectually worthy g

g Los Angeles crusade. To keep the momentum going, in religious tradition. illy b Graham launched the Hour of Decision The magazine’s first edi- radio program on 150 ABC stations. Just a few weeks tor, Carl F. H. Henry, argued raham.or g into its run, the weekly broadcast was heard on 1,000 for a version of American illy b stations, and it topped all other religious programs in Protestantism that was the Nielsen ratings. The program was still going under conservative on topics like the iner- hts reserved. www. g the new name Peace with God in 2014. rancy of the Bible and the sovereignty of God but not ll ri

A Graham experimented with a weekly televised ver- rigid and reactionary like . Christianity sion of Hour of Decision, but he quickly, and wisely, shut Today put flesh on these bones, fitting in with other hts reserved. www. g it down. Though Graham recognized the unique power Graham-related institutions such as the National ll ri

A of television, regular broadcasts proved both expen- Association of Evangelicals and Fuller Seminary. y permission. b sive and time consuming. (A constant need for raising As even more new media technologies emerged, the funds would later contribute to the televangelist scan- BGEA harnessed them to extend the reach of Graham’s dals of the 1970s and 1980s.) Graham’s organization evangelism. In 1993, back when the Internet was prac- y permission. b opted instead to purchase occasional airtime, mostly to tically brand new, the 75-year-old Graham participated ssociation. Used

A broadcast crusades. in an hour-long live chat on America Online. And in The success of the radio and occasional TV broad- 1995, he built on a decade of experimenting with tech- elistic

g casts led Graham into more media ventures. He nology, using 30 satellites, 160 digital editing machines, ssociation. Used van A

E launched the My Answer syndicated newspaper col- and 13 generators, to transmit services from San Juan, umn to address recurrent questions from all those who Puerto Rico, to nearly 3,000 sites across the globe in an elistic

g poured their hearts out in letters. He founded World effort to reach a billion viewers—approximately one-

van Wide Pictures, a studio whose full-length feature films fifth the population of the planet. E often followed the narrative of a crusade testimony,

dio—© Billy Graham complete with footage of Graham preaching. And he

u SUPERSTAR started Decision magazine, which also featured crusade Vast as it was, Graham’s own universe of print and testimonies and raised support for evangelism. broadcast media did not encompass the whole of his

un —© Billy Graham One media venture stood apart from the rest: media engagement. By the early 1970s Graham was a R o t Christianity Today magazine, launched in 1956. Unlike regular guest on mainstream TV talk shows and a fre- Hour of Decision st Time television—© Billy Graham E van g elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or the press and broadcast efforts associated with quent contributor to periodicals ranging from Cosmo-

Issue 111 11 meet the press Fresh from the USSR in 1982, Graham responded to charges that the Russians deceived him about religious freedom.

Ministering in the public eye entailed dangers. A remark in an interview could create a firestorm, such as the time in 1975 when a comment taken out of context led to the headline “Billy Graham Backs Ordaining Homosexuals.” He had actually said that homosexuals might be ordained if they repented, accepted Jesus, and were trained. Some reporters left out the parts about repentance and salvation. Graham’s press team tried to head off such problems by vetting reporters before they got to the politan to National Enquirer. He also gave dozens of press evangelist and by cultivating relationships with sym- conferences in cities around the world. pathetic journalists. Even so, press conferences were In some ways, Graham’s celebrity was another not tightly scripted, and writers from a variety of per- example of how media extended his reach as an evan- spectives gained access to Graham. Despite his strong gelist. During a legendary guest spot on ’s objections to the publication, Graham even sat with a talk show in 1969, Graham advocated biblical morality reporter for Playboy in 1970, though he demanded that as the foundation of a happy life, explained why idola- the writer turn off his tape recorder. try is the worst sin, and even evangelized his host. “In God’s sight, you are beautiful,” Graham said. “He made RISKY BUSINESS you, Woody Allen, and he expects you to live up to a Graham also constantly ran the risk of the press label- standard that he has made.” Neither Allen nor his audi- ing him a fraud. Following a 1972 documentary about ence heard that kind of a message very often. Gortner, a phony tent , reporters Press conferences served evangelistic purposes. repeatedly asked Graham about his own finances and Graham typically called a press conference to attract those of other evangelists. Graham reassured the public attention to an upcoming crusade. Staff made sure the that the days of the fictional con-man preacher Elmer details of the meeting would appear in the ensuing sto- Gantry were gone, a claim that has, sadly, been refuted ries. Reporters allowed themselves to be used for free many times since he made it—though Graham himself advertising because Graham fielded questions about scrupulously avoided financial or sexual scandal. current events, and his answers could make headlines. While he must have faced temptation to put on a An exchange from a 1975 press conference in show for the camera, or to alter his message for dif- Lubbock, , illustrates Graham’s ability both to use ferent audiences, Graham’s media engagement was and be used by the media. “You know,” Graham said, remarkable for its consistency and authenticity. In fact, “one of the things about being a well-known clergy- broadcasting his crusades caused Graham to make his man or a well-known evangelist is I’m supposed to be presentation more heartfelt, rather than flashier. an authority on every conceivable subject. And I’m not As he said in 1972, “We have no gimmicks because an authority on many subjects. . . . And there are a lot of you cannot fool the electronic eye of that camera and the problems that we face today that I haven’t figured people can see whether you’re sincere or not. It is true IS out the answer to. Except if everybody would turn to that our crusades are partially designed because of the B COR God, everybody would turn to Christ, I think we could cameras. We have to. . . . have excellent personnel who approach our problems with new attitudes.” do the singing and the music . . . I suppose in that way Having delivered that come-to-Jesus line, Graham we have adapted ourselves to television, but I would proceeded to answer questions about Betty Ford’s views not call it show business.” CH on sex and marijuana, college morality, Watergate, the Equal Rights Amendment, the Middle East, and the Elesha Coffman is assistant professor of church history at the onference—© Bettmann/ American divorce rate. He went on to fill the 48,000-seat University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and a former C ress

Jones Stadium at Texas Tech University for a crusade. managing editor of Christian History. P

12 Christian History “ Go forth to every part of the world” Billy Graham’s early missions to Europe helped shape a global evangelical movement Uta Andrea Balbier

On March 19, 1946, leading US pub- bon voyage A Youth for Christ team departs Chicago lished an image of five members of Youth for Christ for their first European tour. From left: Torrey Johnson, (YFC) kneeling in prayer in front of an American Air- Charles Templeton, Stratton Shufelt, and Billy Graham. llinois I lines plane. Among the five young men in the picture ton, was 27-year-old Billy Graham. The plane took the delegates came from 46 nations—from as far away as a young evangelist on his first trip to Europe. China, Egypt, India, and the Philippines. These young It was the first ever commercial flight from Chicago to realized that the new global reach of com- enter, Whe

C London, and the Youth for Christ team took advantage munication, broadcasting, and air travel would alter m a of the publicity surrounding this historic event. the very nature of missionary work in the second half h a Together with fellow evangelists Chuck Templeton, of the twentieth century. Thus, through his early work

illy Gr YFC president Torrey Johnson, and song leader Stratton with Youth for Christ, Graham became part of a new, B Shufelt, Graham set out on a 46-day tour to Britain and young international community of evangelists. Europe. Graham returned in fall of the same year for These European travels took place during the three another six months. Then in 1948 he went back to Europe years before Graham came to national prominence for more YFC rallies and to attend YFC’s Congress on during his 1949 Los Angeles campaign. These early World Evangelization in Beatenberg, Switzerland. experiences abroad significantly shaped Billy Graham. That meeting exposed him to some 250 other del- As his biographer William Martin wrote, meetings egates attracted by the theme “The Evangelization with influential religious individuals, such as the ne Goodbye—Archives of the a of the World in Our Generation.” Even though the young Welsh evangelist Stephen Olford, had a signifi-

Airpl YFC movement was still predominantly American, cant impact on Graham’s faith and his preaching style.

Issue 111 13 fond farewell Left: In June 1954 English crowds wish a beam- ing Billy Graham well as he departs for meetings in and four other countries following his land- mark 12-week crusade in London’s Harringay Arena. Below: Tickets from the 1967 Crusade, one of eight the evangelist has held in Japan. Graham planted seeds for this crusade in 1956 with meetings in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka.

Seeing the hopelessness and despair of postwar Olympic Stadium in Berlin in June 1954 attracted an Europe also made a strong impact on the young audience of 80,000 and laid the groundwork for a close preacher. Graham saw destruction, hunger, and and lasting relationship between Billy Graham and g many people who had lost their faith during the German Christians. He would return to the country for m.or a

hardship of the war years. His revivalist theology, campaigns—some shorter, some longer—in 1955, 1960, h a r

his machine-gun-like preaching, and his loud neck- 1963, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1990, and 1993. g ties all drew opposition from British church officials. By 1954 the European religious, political, and eco- .billy In Birmingham, England, the local clergy even per- nomic landscape had changed significantly since www suaded the city fathers to revoke permission to use Graham’s first trip to the British Isles only one year after the civic auditorium. Graham responded to their the end of World War II. In particular, Germany and opposition by personally meeting with his crit- the United Kingdom had formed a close relationship

ics and winning them over. All these experiences with the United States. Graham’s strong anticommu- hts reserved. g seem to have strengthened Graham’s faith, and his nism resonated particularly well with audiences in preaching became more intense. During this time, he West Germany, and Germans embraced the evange- decided to dedicate an important part of his career to list as an ambassador of the Free World. For European re-Christianizing Europe. consumers Graham’s image as a healthy, middle-class American became an attractive symbol of the American way of life. But Graham also profited from new support

A Life Commitment CORBIS Graham’s dedication to the re-Christianization of through the established churches. Secularization fears tion. Used by permission. All ri Europe became a lifelong commitment. Even after his and re-Christianization hopes made leading European a ollection/

rise to national fame in the United States, he dedicated religious figures take their seats next to Graham on C a significant amount of his missionary time to Europe. the speaker’s platform during his revivals. Archbishop tsch u

In spring 1954 he held his first three-month revival of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher joined him in London, e elistic Associ D g n

meeting in London, then the largest city on Earth. The while Bishop Otto Dibelius of Berlin-Brandenburg a v lton- E Hu

crusade confronted Graham’s team with significant offered the closing prayer at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. m a h

logistical challenges, but at the same time prepared By the mid-1950s, Billy Graham had traveled Europe a m—© a h

them for future campaigns in other metropolises such and Asia to spread the gospel, and his international a r illy Gr g as New York and Berlin. outreach began to shape his domestic crusades. The B After his successful time in London, with a clos- New York Crusade, which opened at Madison Square ing service held at Wembley Stadium which attracted Garden on May 15, 1957, incorporated and displayed ickets—© T ell to billy

120,000, he traveled to the Netherlands, Germany, the international dimension of Graham’s work. Even w re okyo 1966 B erlin— Archives of the illy Gr a h m C enter, Whe ton, I llinois. © E v n g elistic Associ tion. Used by permission. All ri hts reserved. www .billy r m.or Der Spiegel C over—© 1954 D ER S PIEGEL http:// www .spie g el.de/spie el T Scandinavia, and France. His first revival service at the though Madison Square Garden was decorated in Fa

14 Christian History g m.or a h a r g American colors, with American flags hanging from the berlin call Above: Graham .billy ceiling, the crusade was important not just to American talks with Ethiopian emperor Haile www Christians. By April 1957 around 7,000 prayer groups Selassie at the 1966 World Congress had formed worldwide. Many of these were based in on Evangelism. Right: German mag- azine Der Spiegel devoted its June cities where Graham had preached before. 23, 1954, cover story to “

hts reserved. Letters published in the New York Crusade news- g for Mass Consumption.” The article letter reported that people in London, Basel, Mexico compared Graham’s altar calls to City, Havana, , and Tokyo were praying for selling washing machines. the crusade. In Britain alone over 1,000 prayer part- ners gathered in groups. Through prayer the crusade audiences that gathered at different times and on department, encouraged different sides of the globe blended into one global churches to use Operation evangelical community. As the Reverend Joseph Andrew. “The effectiveness of tion. Used by permission. All ri

a Blinco, a British evangelist who joined Graham during this plan as a soul-winning effort cannot be the New York Crusade, observed: “The shortest route over-emphasized,” he wrote. to New York from any point of the world is not by the magnificent air lines that serve this fantastic age, but A Global Vision elistic Associ g

n through the heart of God on the wings of prayer.” The boundaries between Graham’s national and inter- a v E Blinco was not the only “foreigner” who joined national work eventually blurred, and he became the m a h

a Graham in New York. Other British Christians who face and focus of an increasingly international evan- had experienced Graham’s work in England in 1954 gelical community. The international evangelical meet- illy Gr

B and 1955 flew to New York to participate in the cru- ings Graham took part in expanded the global reach of sade. Irene Hicks, for example, worked for Harrods in his organization. They also created a new international el g London and had accepted Christ during the London evangelical network. llinois. © I Crusade. She happened to be on a business trip to In 1966 Graham gave the keynote address at ton, a el.de/spie New York and gave a public testimony at the New the World Congress on Evangelism, which was g York Crusade. organized by Christianity Today and the Billy Graham .spie It became obvious that Graham’s team was willing Evangelistic Association and was held in Berlin after www enter, Whe C to learn from their British brothers and sisters when they yet another successful Graham campaign in England m a h http:// a used an outreach tool known as “Operation Andrew.” and Germany. The congress attracted a significantly Operation Andrew (OA) involved churches chartering larger and more international community than the PIEGEL illy Gr S B buses to take their members and, more importantly, one that had met at Beatenberg 20 years earlier. ER friends of their members to the crusades. OA was the Around 4,000 Christian leaders from 100 different brainchild of British evangelicals who organized the countries went to Berlin including Haile Selassie, the London Crusade in 1954 where it was born of necessity. emperor of Ethiopia.

over—© 1954 D In New York Graham’s team adapted to the American In his speech “Why the Berlin Congress?,” C

context and used it to connect suburbs with the urban Graham revealed not just his global vision for evan- erlin— Archives of the

B center. In the New York Crusade News of May 1957, Walter gelism, but showed also a detailed knowledge of the 1966 Der Spiegel Fa re w ell to billy g r a h m—© Hu lton- D e u tsch C ollection/ CORBIS T okyo ickets—© B illy Gr a h m E v n g elistic Associ tion. Used by permission. All ri hts reserved. www .billy r m.or H. Smyth, director of the crusade’s group reservations global challenges of that decade when he addressed

Issue 111 15 overpopulation, poverty, and racial struggles. Billy of evangelical Christians worldwide. The diver- Graham had seen these problems firsthand during his sity of these delegates proved that the world had many trips abroad, and he had the authority to discuss become smaller. Dynamic new evangelical players them at the congress. It became clear in his speech just joined from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The how much his own global encounters had changed Lausanne Congress highlighted evangelicalism’s Graham. The evangelist, often criticized for his focus new global identity and also displayed the signifi- on personal conversion rather than social activism, cantly increased global knowledge in evangelical said, “Today, the evangelist cannot ignore the diseased, missionary circles. When delegates discussed the the poor, the discriminated against, and those who concept of “unreached people” as the focus of future have lost their freedom through tyranny. These social missionary work, they did so now based on expert evils cry loudly in our ears, and we, too, must ‘have knowledge, maps, and data. Evangelical mission- compassion on them.’ ” How to balance evangelism and aries had traveled the globe for centuries, but they social responsibility was much debated in evangelical now developed a more analytical understanding of circles in the 1960s and 1970s. the challenges ahead. This became concrete when The question also featured prominently in the the Lausanne steering committee commissioned a discussions eight years later, when 2,700 dele- report on the state of Christianity in every country gates from 150 countries answered Billy Graham’s of the world. invitation to the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World The global community present at Lausanne was Evangelization. The meeting gave birth to the the fruit of seeds planted by YFC’s international cam- Lausanne Movement, an umbrella organization paigns and the crusades that Graham had held on g

A citizen of the world m.or a h a

An interview with Leighton Ford new covenant In 1974 Anglican bishop Jack Dain r g joined Billy Graham in signing the .

As Lausanne’s honorary executive chair, Bishop Dain .billy

pressed Graham to give social ministry a place alongside www evangelism in the Lausanne Movement’s agenda.

the base, and with a deep shaft. The point has always hts reserved. g been the gospel, always Christ—whether he’s speaking to a great stadium or university group or a group of scientists or whatever. Like the base of an arrowhead, the implications of his gospel broadened through the years: in terms of racial justice and poverty, in terms of relationships between churches and nations, in terms of nuclear war. Then, like the shaft of an arrow, he kept tion. Used by permission. All ri

going deep—deep into the Word, deep into God. a Leighton Ford was an associate evangelist for the Billy Gra- The amazing thing is that this young fellow from ham Evangelistic Association for 30 years and observed the the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the growth of Billy Graham’s international ministry firsthand. farmlands of North Carolina became a citizen of the elistic Associ g

He went on to chair the Lausanne Committee for World world and an ambassador to the world. Billy Graham n a v Evangelization and to found Leighton Ford Ministries, stands in the heritage of Zinzendorf, who said, “I would E m a h

which focuses on developing the next generation of leaders. go anywhere and do anything for the evangelization of a Dr. Ford’s wife, Jean, is Billy Graham’s younger sister. Matt the world and the unity of Christ’s church.” illy Gr

Forster asked Dr. Ford how he saw Billy Graham grow in His early days with Youth for Christ after the war B

international ministry over the years. took him to England. His early preaching and mak- — © g

ing contacts there broadened him beyond the United nin g i , I was speaking at Duke Divinity States. That time in England was very important, and S In the late 1960s G School’s chapel when someone asked me, “How have during the 1954 Harringay crusade in London, he B nd a

you seen Billy Graham’s mind change across the years?” became an Anglophile. He loved the Anglican Church. in The image of an arrow came to me. Billy Graham has I wouldn’t be surprised if parts of his Baptist heart had Da ck a been like an arrowhead—sharp at the point, broad at bits of Anglican in it. J N i g eri a n F orest—A P hoto/ D ennis L ee R oyle L ei g hton F ord— ord M inistries

16 Christian History all five continents in the 1950s and 1960s. They were forest primeval In the first three months of 1960, Graham closely knit by air travel, the rise of international media, preached in nine African countries. Here the evangelist meditates in a and ever faster communication technology. They were Nigerian rain forest. Graham visited Jordan and Israel on his way home. nourished by the shared memory and experience of Billy Graham’s international campaign work, while ministry both transformed him as an evangelist and growing closer through the global practice of prayer. shaped his work in his home country. CH Graham eventually preached evangelistic mes- sages in 49 countries. His international outreach is Uta Balbier is director of the Institute of North American often underestimated in the United States, and many Studies at King’s College London. Her research focuses on US evangelicals don’t understand the ways his global US and transnational religious history.

Billy learned through people. Jack Dain, for in Africa; I did it in parts of French- example, was very important in his life. Jack had speaking Europe. It wasn’t just Billy been a missionary in Pakistan. He had led the India- dropping in for two or three days. focused Bible and Medical Missionary Fellowship. He His preaching was part of a longer had been a missions leader and bishop in Australia. and deeper outreach. And Billy certainly learned a lot from him about India People who were there ahead of and Asia. time would send him a briefing book His friend Don Hoke, whom he knew from col- to give him background on the coun- lege days at Wheaton and who had been a missionary try, the city, the leadership, and so in Japan, was a great help to him on matters relating forth. Often that would come from leighton Ford to Asia. Robert Evans, who founded Greater Europe his crusade directors. Mission, a friend from Youth for Christ days, informed We had some interesting experiences. In Accra, him about what was going on in Europe. In the United Ghana, they told us, “Don’t give the same invitation Kingdom, there was and also Arthur you give in North America, because if you ask people Goodwin Hudson and Hugh Gough, both of whom to come forward, everybody will come. They want to went on to be bishops in Australia. There was Billy Kim see the evangelist from overseas. in Korea and Peter Schneider in Germany. He relied a “Instead,” they said, “ask people who sense God great deal on these friends and the fact that they lived is speaking to them to wait behind and then you can in and knew well these places. counsel with those who want to receive Christ.” I also think dealing with the press was very impor- The first night in the brand new Freedom and tant. Going to a London pub in 1954 and sitting down Independence Stadium in Accra, Billy threw caution to with one of the best-known columnists of the day the winds and gave his usual invitation. Half the sta- and taking questions was a very important learning dium started to come forward. He suddenly realized experience. what was happening, and he said, “No, no, no, no. Stop, oyle R Billy’s curiosity, his willingness to ask questions, you don’t understand. Go back, go back.” ee L

inistries to be humble, and learn from others was very typical Off to one side, I saw a policeman with a billy club M

ennis of him. He was trained in and Bible. His actually beating some of the people who were coming D ord F uptake on cultural things was pretty savvy. forward and sending them back to their seats. And I hoto/ P

hton A pattern developed in the international crusades said, “No one’s ever going to be able to say that Billy P g ei

L that an associate evangelist—such as myself—would Graham makes it too easy to come to Christ.” go to a city or country ahead of time and preach for a So he learned and changed his approach for the rest ord— orest—A F F

n week or two at the same venues. Then Billy would come of the meetings. a hton

eri and, of course, crowds would explode when he came g g i ei J a ck Da in nd B G S i g nin — © illy Gr h m E v n elistic Associ tion. Used by permission. All ri hts reserved. www .billy r m.or N L on the scene. We did that in Latin America; we did it Matt Forster is a journalist in Clarkston, .

Issue 111 17 Confessor-in-chief Billy Graham shared the spotlight—and moments of intimate prayer—with more presidents than any other Christian leader stephen rankin

In 31–year-old Billy Graham and three easy to cross the line between pastoral presence and associates met with President Harry Truman. political partisanship, and several times during his sto- Unschooled in presidential protocol, they offended ried life, Billy Graham had to redraw that line. Truman by spilling the contents of their conversa- Graham met Dwight Eisenhower not long before tion to a waiting press. They then agreed to a much- Ike became the Republican nominee in 1952, but it took photographed prayer session on the White House lawn. some special effort. A mutual friend encouraged their As Graham’s fame spread and Democratic leaders meeting and suggested that Graham give Eisenhower noted his influence, Truman persistently refused fur- advice about how to “contribute a religious note” to his IS

ther contact. He referred to Graham as “one of those campaign speeches. The relationship soon took off, giv- RB O counterfeits. He claims he’s a friend of all Presidents, ing Graham opportunity for pastoral conversations. but he was never a friend of mine when I was President.” Graham’s interactions with Eisenhower foreshad- Only much later did the two men find a modicum of owed a regular pattern. Most conversations revolved

reconciliation. around personal spiritual concerns and prayer, but n—© Bettmann/C w a

No one could have predicted that this first disas- in critical moments, a president would ask Graham’s L trous encounter with a president would establish an perspective. When Arkansas governor Orval Faubas ouse unparalleled legacy. Billy Graham stood in the glare defied a federal order for African American students to H of public scrutiny with US presidents and other heads integrate Little Rock High School, Eisenhower sought of state more than any other Christian leader. Their Graham’s advice about sending federal troops. “Mr. friendships gave him unprecedented opportunity for President,” he responded, “I think that is the only thing nixon— A P Photo spiritual influence that also came with great risk. It is you can do.” Kneeling on White

18 Christian History We bow before thee Left: After a visit with Harry Truman, Graham and friends show reporters how they prayed with the president.

strange bedfellows Right: In 1971 President Nixon takes the platform for Honor Billy Graham Day in Charlotte, NC. Graham had prayed to open a rally for Nixon in 1960.

As Eisenhower’s trust in Graham deep- ened, he opened the door for personal concerns. After his first heart attack, he called Graham for pastoral conversation. He asked about heaven and admitted his lack of assurance. In 1968 he sought Graham’s help to reconcile with . This pattern of pastoral care with occasional forays into strategic mat- ters became a temptation too great for Graham to resist. By the time Nixon made his first run for the presidency, he and Graham were fast friends, He also made numerous visits to the Johnson ranch in provoking Graham’s first serious temptation to political Texas. They often had spiritual conversations and prayer, partisanship. John Kennedy’s Catholicism complicated occasionally in the middle of the night when the sleep- the 1960 campaign. Other Protestant leaders like less president wanted company and counsel. Johnson had made openly anti-Catholic struggled with doubts about his salvation. On one of statements in support of Nixon. Graham was by then a many car rides around the ranch, he parked the car and personal friend of Cardinal Francis Spellman and did asked Graham to share the gospel with him once again. not want to get caught in that controversy. Henry Luce, Johnson also engaged Graham in social matters. In Time’s editor-in-chief, asked him to write a testimonial 1965 he asked him to go to Selma, Alabama, to help calm on behalf of Nixon. He did, then regretted it and asked a desperately tense situation along with the placement of Luce not to use it, narrowly avoiding a serious breach of troops to protect the freedom marchers. Graham went. his nonpartisanship rule. After leaving office Johnson voiced the significance When Kennedy defeated Nixon, Graham took it of Graham’s support: “No one will ever know how as God’s sovereign guidance that religious differences you helped to lighten my load or how much warmth should not cause political divisions. Kennedy’s father, you brought into our house. But I know.” Graham Joe, recognized the need for a good relationship with reminisced, “Although many have commented on his the Protestant evangelist and encouraged the presi- complex character, perhaps I saw a side of that com- dent’s staff to arrange a meeting. When the day came, plexity that others did not see, for LBJ had a sincere and Kennedy had questions about the second coming of deeply felt, if simple, spiritual dimension.” Christ, admitting it was a doctrine his church did not Johnson’s decision not to run for re-election in emphasize. He and Graham agreed to have a follow-up 1968 freed Graham to support his old friend Richard conversation that was fated never to happen. Nixon. Nixon credited him more than any other per- son for his decision to pursue the presidency again. THE SLEEPLESS PRESIDENT Nixon remembered Graham telling him: “If you don’t In the wake of Kennedy’s assassination, Billy Gra- run, you’ll worry for the rest of your life whether you ham and Lyndon Johnson forged a lasting friendship. should have, won’t you?” Had Graham succumbed, however, to the temptation In Nixon’s 1972 re-election bid, Graham, by his to run for president, the friendship might never have own admission, overstepped his boundaries. H. R. developed. In 1964 the prospect of a Graham candidacy Haldeman mentioned several occasions when Graham had a brief moment of life. Texas oil baron H. L. Hunt participated directly in campaign strategy. When offered Graham $6 million to run. It was a real tempta- word of the broke, Graham could tion, but he quickly resisted it. not believe that his friend knew about it or took part A telegram of pastoral support from Graham to in the cover-up. Not until a Christianity Today interview

P Photo Johnson shortly after Johnson took office prompted an in early 1974 did Graham acknowledge that Nixon had A invitation to the White House. On more than 20 occa- made mistakes, though he continued to believe that nixon— Kneeling on White H ouse L a w n—© Bettmann/C O RB IS sions, Graham, often accompanied by Ruth, was a guest. Nixon would be exonerated.

Issue 111 19 Civil rights Left: After police beat civil rights marchers in Ala- bama, President Johnson asked Graham to help restore calm. Graham responded by preaching in three key Alabama cities.

Graham found another long- time friend in . He saw Reagan as a man of “quick wit and warm personality,” and he respected “his insight and tough-minded approach to broad political issues.” Despite the renewal of tensions in the 1980s, Graham dreamed of preaching the gospel behind born-again bush Left: George the . Through a complicated and persistent W. Bush hugs a 92-year-old strategy and with diplomatic influence, he realized that Graham at a 2010 book signing. dream in 1982. Having the president of the United States as a close friend helped dramatically.

When Graham read GULF WAR BLESSING through the Watergate tran- Billy Graham’s relationship with the Bush fam- scripts, he saw the gravity of ily was almost three decades old by the time George Nixon’s misdeeds. Biographer H. W. Bush became vice president, and it became even William Martin wrote: “What closer as Bush made his run for the Oval Office. By he found there devastated the late 1980s, the “evangelical vote” had become very him. He wept. He threw up. desirable, and this fact complicated their relationship. And he almost lost his inno- The staunchly Episcopalian Bush did not know how to cence about Richard Nixon.” present himself to evangelicals. He studiously avoided Nixon’s pervasive pro- using Billy Graham for political gain, but also depend- fanity repulsed Graham. ed on him to understand this powerful voting bloc. Eventually, Nixon’s deceptions got to The Bushes deeply appreciated Graham’s trans- him too: “I’d never heard him tell a lie. But then the way parent faith and fruitful ministry. They began inviting it sounded in those tapes—it was all something totally him to Kennebunkport for family gatherings. He often foreign to me in him. He was just somebody else.” Years fielded questions about the Bible in after-dinner con- later he acknowledged, “Nixon’s candidacy . . . muffled versations. During one such session in August 1985, those inner monitors that had warned me for years the topic of being arose, which caught the to stay out of partisan politics. I could not completely attention of George and Barbara’s eldest son, George W. distance myself from the electoral process that was Bush. The following day he and Graham took a walk on involving such a close friend.” the beach. His presidential memoir credits that conver- In the crisis Billy Graham responded to crit- sation as the significant turning point in his spiritual ics with characteristic generosity and recommitted life. himself to nonpartisanship. Two comparatively brief By 1990 America appeared headed toward war in amoto

presidencies gave him time to regroup. Though he the Persian Gulf. In contrast to criticisms from prom- Ok hi knew , he was careful to keep his dis- inent liberal clergy, Graham voiced public support c oi Y

tance. When he held a crusade in Pontiac, Michigan for Bush’s policies. He also provided private sup- y b (Ford’s home state), Graham chose not to invite him port. When the war began in January 1991, Graham hoto to speak from the platform (a mistake he had made was a guest in the White House. Barbara Bush invited p y is Keane r r with Nixon). Ford did consult with Graham about him to watch television with her that day, and he a br /Ch i L S

R pardoning Nixon, something Graham said was in the quickly realized that she wanted him with her as the J B best interest of the country. He did not develop a close war began. The president joined them, and Graham L EUTE

friendship with fellow Southern Baptist , offered prayer. Years later, Bush said, “We wanted —R USH EISENHO W E R— isenho w e r P esidential L i br a y & M useum k ennedy— Abb ie Ro w e. White H ouse Photog r a p hs. J ohn F. Kennedy P esidential L i br y and M useum, Boston R EAGAN —Ronald Reagan P r esidential L i br a y B A R CK O AMA — Wikipedia B though they both spoke later of strong mutual respect. Billy Graham by our side.” johnson—

20 Christian History johnson—LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto BUSH—/Chris Keane

EISENHOWER—Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum kennedy—Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston REAGAN—Ronald Reagan Presidential Library —Wikipedia Issue 111 to visit Billy Graham in his home. to visitBillyGrahaminhishome. Barack Obamabecamethefirstsittingpresident and Graham flewtoDCpraywiththeFirstLady. March 1980attemptonPresidentReagan’slife, G assassin sidetrackedplansforfuturetalks. Kennedy metbrieflywithGraham,butan F baptized just12daysintohisfirstterm. Eisenhower tomakehisfaithpublic.Ikewas private general s remained influence yet his ceased, had appearances lic pub his and waned had Graham’s time, that strength prayed. for whom and he has By known has Graham it 12 presidents that Montreat home,at making his for Bush’s meant Graham Billy election? public moment with what this tell can Who resolution. its long-delayed and chads” for “hanging election 2000 not have moment. We come at the abetter remember It could evangelist. the with photo Bush of candidate produced apublic them private conversation between F in behavior. He campaigning was irresponsible hol and Bush’s on fixed alco with news problems media earlier Day 2000, of Election cusp the On about endorsements. W. George rule Bush’s his he bent renewal, spiritual will.” do His and God to serve adesire heart his in has but who always Christians fellow approval won the of his not who has a man with fellowship of warm a time was “It Clinton: aconversation with he described as through shone compassion pastoral his of Clinton’s term, first Graham’sIn memoir, IAm Just As failings. moral president’s publicized the highly through of state. heads between of courier akind as Kim with met Il-Sung’s Graham regime. Kim with tensions ease to help 1994, him Korea engaged in President Clinton North to visit he intended that House White told the help. Graham When personal for more than evangelist prayer. offered Graham 1985.in 1993, January At Clinton’s in Billy inauguration h governor As of Arkansas, sion public to enter service. deci his in factor aboy, as Rock Little in asignificant as racially on Graham’s credited insistence often Clinton Bill DIPLO trong. As a Christian leader he entered extensively into into extensively leader he entered a Christian As trong. irst Catholi lorida, and Graham was preaching a crusade there. A A there. acrusade preaching was Graham lorida, and e met Graham at the National Governor’s National at the Graham e met Conference ospel forthe In April 2010 President Obama visited Billy Graham 2010 Graham April Billy In visited President Obama played had role in Graham Perhaps of the because not did waverGraham’s for Clinton care pastoral out to the reached him, before others like Clinton, O 21 integrated crusades, which Clinton witnessed witnessed Clinton which crusades, integrated ba M ATI m a C m c

akes 12Bottom: P Top: O resident G U ipper Right: Graham urgedDwight RIER Right: , published at the end end at the , published After the After the John F. John F. In 2010 In 2010

- - - The record reveals the truth of these words. of these truth the reveals record The maturing.” and growing changing, learning, constantly apilgrimage— been has judgment: “Much of my life C of the Goal The at Maturity: sity andauthorofAiming Stephen Rankin is of Southern Methodist Univer a During coupled transparency. to principle with mitment com exemplified all of power through and circles the hristian Life. Life. hristian N ewsweek interview in 2006, Graham offered this this offered 2006, Graham in interview CH - - The Christian History Timeline The Life and Ministry of Billy Graham

1940 1950 1960 1970

— 1944 – Becomes evangelist — 1952 – Resigns presidency of with Youth for Christ. Northwestern Schools.

— 1947 – Accepts W. B. Riley’s –— 1952 Holds Christmas invitation to lead Northwest- services for troops at Korean ern Schools in . front lines.

— 1948 – Formulates “Modesto — 1953 – Removes ropes Manifesto,” the crusade separating blacks and whites team’s ethical charter. at Chattanooga Crusade.

— 1949 – After crisis of faith — 1954 – Holds Greater november 11, 1918, first World War ends. jubilation at Forest Home Bible Con- London Crusade; preaches sweeps france. Billy Graham ference, recommits himself also in Finland, Sweden, is four days old. to the trustworthiness Germany, Netherlands, 1973, demonstrators call for of Scripture. France. impeachment of richard nixon, — 1918 – Born near Charlotte, Graham’s personal friend. North Carolina, to William — 1949 – Extends Christ for — 1956 – Launches Christianity and Morrow Graham. — 1966 – Gives keynote Greater Los Angeles revival Today magazine. address at World Congress — 1934 – Is converted at Mor- to eight weeks; garners on Evangelism in Berlin. — 1957 – Holds crusade decai Ham revival. major press attention. in Madison Square Garden — 1969 – Shares Lyndon — 1939 – Is ordained as South- for unprecedented 16 weeks; Johnson’s last night in the ern Baptist minister. welcomes Martin Luther White House; holds first King Jr. to his platform. White House church service — 1940 – Enrolls at Wheaton for Richard Nixon. College. — 1960 – Gives invocation at political rally for — 1973 – Holds integrated — 1943 – Marries Ruth Bell. Richard Nixon. evangelistic meetings in South Africa. — 1943 – Begins pastorate at — 1965 – President Lyndon Springs Baptist Johnson attends — 1973 – After Key ’73 contro- Church. Crusade. versy over plans to convert 1955, polio vaccine a success. , says he does not feel — 1944 – Recruits singer Graham announces plans for called to target Jews in George Beverly Shea. new york crusade. evangelism.

— 1950 – Holds groundbreak- — 1974 – Convenes Interna- ing New Year’s meetings tional Conference on World in Boston. Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland. — 1950 – In Columbia, , dubs meetings — 1977 – Receives National “crusades” for the first time. Interreligious Award eschel from American Jewish H h Committee. a

— 1950 – Incorporates Billy nn a

Graham Evangelistic us S Association. — 1980 – Billy Graham

Center dedicated at rch— y— Wikipedia Ma

1944, allied troops invade a

— 1950 – Begins Hour of Decision Wheaton College. ixon— Wikipedia N normandy. Graham’s plans to 1965, religious leaders march ccine— Wikipedia a ights

radio broadcast. ch

become military chaplain are for civil rights. in alabama R a y— Wikipedia e a thwarted by mumps. graham pleads for calm. il p v i m R e a g n Berlin W ll— Wikipedia / on l d Presi enti L i b r ry O K C ity Bom b ing— Wikipedia Worl d T r ad e C enter— M ich a el For n / Flic k E gy p ti a n re v olution— Wikipedia / Ko dak Ag fa D-D Polio V Armistice D C I

22 Christian History Compiled by David Neff

1980 1990 2000 2010

— 1982 – During USSR trip, — 1995 – Expands evangelistic — 2001 – Preaches at post-9/11 says there is “a measure of audience through technol- service at National religious freedom” there; ogy to as many as 1 billion Cathedral. controversy erupts. during Puerto Rico Crusade. — 2002– Anti-Jewish com- — 1982 – Receives Templeton — 1995 – Speaks at memorial ments from tapes of 1972 Prize for Progress in service following conversation with Richard Religion. City bombing. Nixon made public. Graham apologizes, mends fences — 1985 – Discusses being born — 1995 – Collapses just before with Jewish leaders. again with George W. Bush Toronto Crusade; announces while vacationing at that son Franklin will Kennebunkport; future replace him when he dies or president is converted. becomes incapacitated. 1995, — 1986 – Holds kills 186. Graham preaches at — 1996 – Receives Congres- televised memorial service. Conference for Itinerant sional Gold Medal together Evangelists. with Ruth Bell Graham. –— 1991 Holds Buenos Aires — 1989 – Prays at inauguration Crusade as part of television — 1998 – Addresses TED of George H. W. Bush. and video outreach to 20 conference on technology countries. and spirituality. — 1989 – Holds Mission ’89 in London; meets top — 2000 – Convenes Amster- 2011, Egyptians overthrow — 1992 – Visits North Korea; president mubarak. aging Gra- British leaders. lectures at Kim Il-Sung dam Conference for 10,000 ham publishes Nearing home. University. evangelists. Illness prevents — 1989 – Receives star on him from attending. — 2005 – Holds “last crusade” . –— 1992 Holds Cru- in . sade; preaches in Moscow — 2001 – Franklin stands in — 1991 – Spends night before Central Baptist Church. for his indisposed father — 2007 – Billy Graham Library Operation Desert Storm at George W. Bush’s opens in Charlotte, NC. begins with George and — 1993 – Spends last night inauguration. Barbara Bush. of George H. W. Bush’s — 2007 – Ruth Bell Graham presidency in the White dies. House; prays next day at ry

a first inauguration of — 2010 – Prays with Barack r b i

L President . Obama in his Montreat l a home. enti

d — 1993 – Holds Pro-Christ crusade in Germany, reach- — 2012 – Meets with Mitt

n Presi ing largest audience yet a Romney. r g k fa a

e through satellite. R Ag

d

l — 2013 – Marks 95th birthday a dak n / Flic a — on 1994 – Visits Japan, China, with My Hope digital and R and North Korea; attends home-based evangelistic el For a house church in . campaign; 22,000 churches ich M participate.

ll— Wikipedia / –— 1994 Preaches funeral a

enter— service for President Richard C — 2013 – Singer George Beverly olution— Wikipedia / Ko ing— Wikipedia v e b M. Nixon.

ad Shea, Graham’s first team

r 1987, ronald reagan to sovi- 2001, 19 jihadists kill 2,958 in n re T

a n Berlin W member, dies at age 104. d

a 9/11 attacks. graham preaches

ti ets: tear down berlin wall. ity Bom p g C

a Graham plans 1988 USSR Visit. at national memorial service. K e gy R O Worl E Armistice D a y— Wikipedia D-D a y— Wikipedia Polio V a ccine— Wikipedia C i v il R ights Ma rch— S us a nn h H eschel I m p e a ch N ixon— Wikipedia

Issue 111 23 Mama was “a real theologian” In marrying Ruth Bell, Billy Graham acquired a strong-willed partner, a shrewd father-in-law, and a heritage of Presbyterian purposefulness g Anne Blue Wills raham.or g “Ruth and I don’t have a perfect marriage, but we’ll take manhattan In 1958 Ruth Graham joined illy we have a great one,” wrote Billy Graham in the closing her husband in New York City for the record-setting 16- b pages of Just as I Am, his 1997 autobiography. week crusade in Madison Square Garden. Billy grew up on a dairy farm and moved from the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church into the or tangible reward. And she did not believe that her raucous world of mid-twentieth-century Protestant calling included Billy’s pastoral role at Western Springs hts reserved. www. revivalism. Ruth was born and reared on a Chinese mis- Baptist Church, not far from Wheaton College where g ll ri

sion field dominated by southern Presbyterians. As his the pair had met. But she did feel called to evange- A wife of more than 60 years, Ruth shaped him in the myr- lism, and she worked with him on evangelistic projects iad untraceable ways that any spouse shapes a partner. such as the Sunday evening radio program, Songs in the ermission. A close look at how these two worked out the practical Night, broadcast from the church’s basement. p y and theological give-and-take of their commitment and As they grew together in marriage, Billy came to b forged a life together reveals more about Billy and Ruth rely on her more as a trusted adviser than as an acces- than most people have known. Their marriage reflected sory, a reliance that crossed public and private lines. iation. Used their mutual love, but also their working partnership. Ruth’s voracious reading habits and creative eye c sso A

In addition, Ruth proved to be a generational link: she supplied Billy with sermon illustrations and references c infused Billy’s work with her father’s influence and to contemporary culture for his writing. He claimed elisti

molded their elder son’s vision in a way that may per- that they cowrote his first major book, Peace with God g van

manently reshape the Graham legacy. (1953), after they discovered that the ghostwriter hired E Early in their marriage, Billy committed a now by the publisher was out of her depth. Ruth seems to storied newlywed blunder by accepting a call to pas- have singlehandedly revised the book for its 1984 edi- tor a church without consulting Ruth. The 1943 event tion, plowing plenty of illustrations into the text which marked a turning point on his learning curve as a were drawn from the world of technological prog- husband. Ruth had never wanted to be a traditional ress—like NASA’s shuttle program—while sharpening pastor’s wife—a role that historically subjected women criticisms of the nation’s moral decay, as epitomized by Kiss Good b ye— © Billy Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. Used y p ermission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or Ru th p ortrait—© Billy Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. Used b y ermission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or to public scrutiny but brought them little public power the “blasphemous words of punk rock.” City Profile—© Billy Graham

24 Christian History Good-bye kiss Left: A familiar scene in the Graham home: Gigi remembers Daddy kissing Mother “warmly and firmly” and the children “dreading—another long separation.”

PRETTY IN pearlS Below: There’s little wonder Ruth McCue Bell caught Billy Graham’s attention.

Ruth acted as a personal and theological mainstay Having affiliated with the Southern in 1939, for Billy. Where he spread a message of Christ’s mercy Billy once told Ruth that her father, L. Nelson Bell, could g g and joy, she held to a more sober, sin-drenched story of not claim to be a “man of God” without being baptized rescue for sinners. Where Billy was eager to please and by immersion, but in the face of her resistance, Billy raham.or raham.or g g often disregarded the long-term implications of split- dropped that notion. Indeed, he came to depend on Dr. illy illy b b second decisions, she was more circumspect about the Bell in many ways, both personal and professional. Bell connections and commitments that competed for his provided the Graham children, who called him Lao E, a energies. In building the Montreat, North Carolina, Chinese name for grandfather, with a father-figure who home where Billy still lives, Ruth supplied more than a was consistently present when Billy was not. permanent address: she rooted him in one of the hearts hts reserved. www. hts reserved. www. g g of American . Like Father, Like Daughter

ll ri Montreat had been founded as a nondenomina- Ruth Bell Graham also depended heavily on her father. ll ri A A tional Christian retreat center in hopes that it would In 1945, when she was pregnant with their first child, attract organizations devoted to evangelism and good Ruth decided to move to Montreat to live with and then ermission. ermission. works. But it soon became a decidedly Presbyterian across the street from the Bells. Her determination to p p y y b b place. This location positioned the Billy Graham stay in that most Presbyterian of places—rather than Evangelistic Association (BGEA) at a theological and Minnesota, Switzerland, or , all potential home social crossroads, one where impassioned supporters bases during the 1950s and 1960s—ensured that the iation. Used iation. Used of decision-oriented evangelism and staid predesti- children grew up surrounded not only by loving grand- c c sso

sso narians could encounter one another. It made the parents, but also by Presbyterian clergy and missionary A A

c c BGEA more influential in American Protestantism. families. This meant that all five Graham children were elisti

elisti While a missionary doctor, Ruth’s father had embedded in networks of Christian connection and g g praised her mother, a mission nurse, for giving prior- Presbyterian purposefulness. The children—especially van van E E ity to her duties as mother of four. He disapproved of Franklin, born when Nelson and Virginia Bell were still “women on the field” who put work ahead of “children relatively young—imbibed their worldview, shaped as and home.” The independently minded Ruth mar- it was by decades of mission evangelism and service. ried another man with conventional ideas about male In Montreat Ruth’s parents, especially her father, headship. Having absorbed her father’s views and her reinforced her adamant personality. She closely resem- ye— © Billy Graham b mother’s priorities, she became the effective head of bled her father in temperament. Father and daughter ortrait—© Billy Graham p household. Because she managed children and home, were both skilled at sidestepping opponents. With th Ru Kiss Good City Profile—© Billy Graham E van g elisti c A sso iation. Used b y p ermission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or Billy was able to travel and preach. what Billy Graham biographer John Pollock called

Issue 111 25 The next generation Billy and Ruth Graham’s children found their own niches for ministry

a fifties family Ruth Gra- ham poses with her children in Montreat, North Carolina, in 1958. From left: Franklin, Bunny, Anne, Gigi, Ruth with baby Ned.

unfaithful, she felt suicidal. By the time her third marriage was on the rocks, she founded Ruth Graham and Friends to help wounded Christians stop pretending they have it all together. In 2009, she married a fourth time to a former minister who was being tried for posses- sion of child pornography. The next year, Ruth Graham was ordained as a Baptist minister,

and her husband was among g those who laid hands on her. raham.or irginia Leftwich “Gigi” Graham Foreman (b. he teenage William III g illy 1945) married Swiss-Armenian Stephan Tchivi- T(b. 1952) gave his parents plenty to worry about: b Vdjian at the tender age of 17. But life in Switzer- long hair, bad grades, tobacco, alcohol, large loud land proved intolerable under her father-in-law’s domi- motorcycles, and late hours. He resisted a call to neering influence. They fled to America and had seven preach, but took readily to relief work. Mentored by children. Gigi became depressed and began to write on Samaritan’s Purse (SP) founder, Bob Pierce, Franklin hts reserved. www. scraps of paper between household tasks. Eventually became SP president in 1979. In 1989 he added BGEA g ll ri

she completed 10 books and developed an inspirational events to his SP responsibilities, and by 1995 Billy A speaking and writing ministry. After she and Stephan Graham recommended that Franklin succeed him. divorced, she married and divorced a private investiga- Franklin’s hard-edged style is often contrasted with ermission. tor, and in 2012 wedded childhood friend Jim Wilson, his father’s more gentle ways. As Franklin told News- p y son of her father’s constant companion T. W. Wilson. week , “We preach the same gospel, but Daddy hates b to say no, and I can say no.” illy Graham called (b. 1948) iation. Used B“the best preacher in the family,” but she prefers ig sister Anne says Nelson Edman “Ned” Graham c sso A

the title “teacher” to reduce conflict with conservative- (b. 1958) was Ruth Graham’s favorite child. Ned

B c minded Christians. Anne married dentist Daniel Lotz has continued the family focus on Chinese missions elisti

at age 18 and had her first child at age 20. She soon felt as president of East Gates International. East Gates g van

she was drifting and sought an anchor through Bible works with existing structures to meet the needs of E Study Fellowship. Her success as a Bible teacher led Chinese Christians. Ned tried to honor his mother’s her to found AnGeL Ministries. She has six honorary wishes to be buried near their Montreat home, but doctorates and 11 books and has taken her “Just Give Franklin won his father’s approval for her burial at the Me Jesus” seminars to 12 countries and has spoken to Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. Ned has been mar- hundreds of thousands. ried twice, spent time in rehab for substance abuse,

and says he suffered from demonic oppression. He hildren—© Billy Graham c uth “Bunny” Graham (b. 1950) said that her father told Charisma magazine that he experienced deliver- gave her and she wants to give grace to oth- ance after “inner healing” prayer and that God gave

R th and 5 Ru ers. After Bunny discovered her first husband had been him a new “prayer language.” —by the editors M otor c y le—© Billy Graham E van g elisti A sso iation. Used b p ermission. ll ri hts reserved. www. illy raham.or

26 Christian History Ruth and 5 children—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org

Motorcycle—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Issue 111 time to appoint the magazine’s editor. to appoint the second time Ruth’s taking advice when it came recalled Billy And father magazine’s her Ruth benefactor.the major and Both w contributions Bell’s of Nelson One ism. significant most modern biblical a“scholarly took that against stand” early 1930s ashort-lived the newspaperfrom in he read Today for Christianity gave credit Bell Pollock even John fundamentalism. obscurantist and modernism skeptical both rejected that Protestantism of to aform platform to give alarger desire a strong and experience ableboth he was to contribute Thus PCUS. the in toorthodoxy defend Journal Presbyterian F Century. Christian the with compete could that cation Today P “a on “a built than program” rather ated aChristianity view, his over cre in that, revelation placed and reason studies approach of biblical skeptical by the for years century. Vexed mid-twentieth the made in Graham b evangelist’s young the during written letters quently in a“ into t son-in-law’s ability his unique admired and ognized Moreover, stance. rec Bell conciliatory characteristic even appreciate more helps Billy’s us disputation to have debate. reveled in Bell’s seems for Bell taste division, more than soughtinclusion Billy Where commitments. evangelical clear maintaining still while politics, denominational from distance his to keep Billy allowed PCUS—Bell the debates within in exercised p and Billy than tone Spicier in tism. conserva for theological reputation own of his because opponents those persuasively rebut could Jones. Bell Bob like more conservative those especially critics, among for Billy China. in hospital (PCUS) Church Presbyterian largest it the into building Tsingkianpu, in director obstacles bureaucratic and cal, politi natural, through barreled shrewdness,” Dr.“Nelsonic Bell brought brokenbones,redfaces. Her attempts to ride as an adult father’s motorcycleasachildinChina. on thero o smooth a sometimes rancorous group of supporters of supporters group rancorous asometimes o smooth Southern Southern the created had earlier, years Bell ourteen udding career. Billy highly valued Bell’s highly support. Billy career. udding Christianity Christianity to get worked Graham erson,” with Bell ossessed of insistent as to cultivate Sun Oil Company’s Oil Sun to cultivate as J. Howard Pew as Bell catalyzed one of the most important moves Billy important most of one the catalyzed Bell public interference ran also Bell Graham wanted an intellectually rigorous publi rigorous intellectually an wanted Graham magazine off the ground in 1956. in ground the off magazine contributed regular columns to the magazine. magazine. to the columns regular contributed 27 group” and bucked him up fre him group” bucked homogeneous and of Love and Mercy Hospital Hospital of Love Mercy and ad

Ruth ridesinher theological precision—which he he precision—which theological a

s - -

’s borrowed title,

- - - - -

he and his mother clashed over of morality, points clashed mother his he and argument any to win a love adesire jokes, and of practical Jordan. Mafraq, in hospital Rover to a mission London, England, from of 1971, summer the motorcycle in and, drove aLand own who ride his ason did reared azip line testing life her era)her womenfew risked as in did and and China to ride amotorcycle (aswanted done had father in her who woman The Christ. of Jesus gospel the sharing early 1940s about the as in woman asingle as in of adventure being were much about at as the least mother. Maybe Ruth’s his ambitions from missionary spirit adventurous his he inherited that wrote Franklin shecould. only as him temper and to chastise around not been has mother his 2007 because since evencontroversy more freely for taste may his display Franklin grandfather. and f days Billy’s may have those munist. bite come more in anticom vociferously and Graham—confrontational effects have public can how private demonstrates connections inheritance family her. way shaped Dr. same that This Bell the much theologically, and in who he is, temperamentally father his who succeeded eldest Franklin, son, Grahams’ the in clearly most displayed its fruit father’s influence her under children Ruth Graham’s their to raise choice T could could o message his and tone he moderated his since viction, con deeply rooted from 1940s 1950sof the and than rom his reading of the religious and social contexts contexts social and religious of the reading his rom ver the years. Franklin’s spikiness has endured, which which endured, has spikiness Franklin’s years. ver the he Fr Franklin and his mother shared a stubborn streak, streak, astubborn shared mother his and Franklin 1995 his autobiographyIn with aCause, Rebel early Billy the public faceFranklin’s resembles as head of the BGEA in 2000. Ruth made Franklin Ruth 2000. made Franklin BGEA head in of the as indicate a . Franklin reflected later on the many times times many later the on reflected . Franklin nklin F a lasting inheritance from his mother mother his from inheritance lasting a . a ctor - - Back in the USA Above: Aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth in March 1960, Ruth Graham welcomes her husband after his two-and-a-half-month evangelistic tour of Africa and the Middle East.

A Poet’s prayers Left: Ruth Graham’s regimen of prayer and study became fertile ground for her writing, including four volumes of poetry.

as a way to spread the Christian message, and just as Ruth opened her mountain home to wayward col- often to comic effect. Determined to break him of lege students to share Christianity with them, so SP’s a developing habit, Ruth once had a young Franklin Operation Christmas Child addresses the needs of both smoke a whole pack of cigarettes in one sitting. He givers and receivers while sharing the gospel. Franklin got sick, repeatedly, but smoked through the pack became a pragmatic and gospel-driven person like his because, he wrote, “It gave me great satisfaction not to grandfather and his mother. give in.” Many times, his mother’s punishments sim- What shape will the BGEA’s future work take? The ply appeared to Franklin as a “new adventure.” While organization’s immediate future hinges on how the Ruth’s daring spirit was tempered by marriage and influences of Nelson Bell and Ruth Graham play out motherhood, Franklin’s leadership continued to be in Franklin Graham’s life. At the close of his autobiog- defined by impulsiveness. raphy, Franklin described his work with Samaritan’s Franklin described his sister Anne as “a real theo- Purse and his growing call to preach. At the end logian (like Mama).” Ruth held stubbornly to her of the twentieth century, he anticipated combining theological commitments. There is a common thread of Ruth’s mission aspirations and Billy’s preaching work.

theological intransigence passing from Nelson Bell to Indeed, Samaritan’s Purse continues its worldwide out- is b Ruth to Franklin. reach, and the BGEA’s Festivals of Hope with Franklin The combined influences of Ruth, her parents, Graham are carrying the tradition of international Press/Cor

and the Montreat ethos surely made a powerful case mass meetings into the twenty-first century. arris H

MA b U o to Franklin for orienting his career toward missions. Nelson Bell and his daughter gave untold support Z c ez/

Although Samaritan’s Purse, the organization that to Billy Graham during his long public ministry. In the p o Franklin has led since 1979, provides disaster relief and end, Graham’s legacy may depend on what they gave L ony T material support to people around the world, it works to Franklin. CH P Photo/Ja A

in a way that Bell would have approved—sharing the — © g illy— gospel while addressing physical needs. Just as Bell Anne Blue Wills teaches the history and culture of US reli- b rayin oversaw his hospital’s unprecedented success treat- gions at Davidson College. She is currently writing a biogra- p th and th

ing the parasitical infestation known as black fever phy of Ruth Bell Graham. Ru Ru

28 Christian History THE BILLY GRAHAM DVD COLLECTION A Gathering of Souls My Hope America The Billy Graham Crusades Billy Graham has been asking were an outworking of a God for an opportunity to bring sophisticated organizational lasting hope to the entire nation. structure, each representing Through My Hope, this message years of planning and months has been shaking nations, of follow up. The crusades drawing millions to the truth—a shaped the face of evangelical saving faith in Jesus Christ. Christianity in the twentieth Don’t miss this unprecedented century and altered the courses opportunity to join Billy of countless individual lives. Graham in sharing the message With expert commentary from of God’s love with your family, pastors, academics, Graham friends, and neighbors. This associates, and fellow three-DVD set includes over evangelists such as , seven hours of material, this documentary gives the featuring Billy Graham’s newly history of the crusades from released “The Cross” message the first event in Los Angeles in 1949 to the and two other My Hope programs: “Defining Moments” remarkable gatherings behind the Iron Curtain and in and “Lose to Gain.” Also included are training resources the Far East. 51 minutes. and evangelism tools to assist you in sharing the good DVD—#501582D, $14.99 SALE! $9.99 news of Jesus Christ and three legacy messages from Billy Graham’s Crusades Classics. 420 minutes. DVD—#330034D, $19.99 SALE! $9.99 Common Ground Billy Graham: Prophet with Honor Hear firsthand the stories of In this fast-paced international people touched by Graham’s television special hosted by ministry, and witness the , we meet Billy dramatic transformations that Graham and hear in his own have taken place in their lives. words about his unprecedented Individuals featured in the opportunities and the formidable program include Graham’s challenges that marked major wife, Ruth, and their five turning points for him. children; former presidents Documentary footage, Graham’s George H. W. Bush and Gerald own explanations, and Ford; television personality comments from friends, ; actress associates, and critics provide Jeannette Clift George; Jerome insight into one of the most Hines, leading bass of the unusual and influential lives of Metropolitan Opera for 41 our era. 50 minutes. years; and Phillip Goudeaux, DVD—#501236D, $19.99 SALE! $9.99 former member of the Black Panther party and now pastor of a growing San Diego church. Narrated by stage and screen actress Julie Harris. 60 minutes. DVD—#501148D, $19.99 SALE! $9.99 YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED!

All four DVDs above only $24.99, #97643D. Save 66%!

Phone: 1-800-523-0226 M–F 8–6 eastern time Web: www.visionvideo.com (Please mention source code “CHM111A” when ordering.) (Please reference code “CHM111A” in catalog source field.) The evangelist and the intellectuals Billy Graham nurtured intellectual institutions and took the gospel to universities mages I

Andrew Finstuen etty G n/ o Billy Graham the world-famous evangelist campus cool Graham’s desire for intellectual was also Billy Graham the lifelong learner. Dissatisfied llecti respectability drove him to visit leading universities. Co after one semester by what he saw as the cultural and Here he chats with two Oxford University students religious rigidity of Bob Jones College, he transferred in 1966. Picture to Florida Bible Institute. He could have launched his LIFE

preaching career from there, but Graham wanted more, experience just prior to the Los Angeles crusade of 1949. he T and he decided on Wheaton College, a premier evangel- In California’s San Bernardino Mountains, Graham ical institution. After Wheaton Graham entertained the went through a crisis of doubt provoked by Templeton’s idea of further study. At the urging of his friend Charlie urgent questions. Graham emerged from a prayerful rd students—

Templeton, he considered a Princeton seminary educa- walk in the pine forest with faithful certitude in the o tion. Graham even proposed they forgo Princeton and truth of the Bible and the way of Jesus Christ. Newly continue their studies at Oxford University. convicted he launched a career free from agonizing Graham did not go to either Princeton or Oxford, intellectual questions about the truth of the Christian but the questions raised by the prospect of critical study faith. At points in his career, this led Graham to occa- of Christianity and the Bible followed him anyway. The sional damning statements about intellect that brought most widely known moment when Graham wrestled on charges of anti-intellectualism. Yet, for the balance C harles E . F uller—Ph o t made available by uller T he l gical S eminary “billy graham A nswers C ritics”— rchives o f the B illy G raham enter, W heat n, I llin is with faith and reason was his storied mountaintop of his six-decade ministry, Graham focused substantial billy graham talking with Oxf

30 Christian History seminary booster Top right: In 1956 Graham joined the Fuller Seminary board of trustees. He is pictured here between evangelist Charles E. Fuller (left) and seminary president E. J. Carnell.

faqs Bottom right: Graham’s team widely distrib- uted reprints of this 1956 Look magazine article.

energy on the importance of education and ideas, which opened up avenues of inquiry for him and countless other Americans.

Educating Evangelicals Graham’s interest in the life of the mind placed him in the company of the New Evangelicals, a group led by the likes of and Carl Henry who sought an intellectually rigor- ous middle way between archfundamentalism and archliberalism. Out of that vision, and with the funding and influence of Charles Fuller, Fuller Theological Seminary was born in 1947. Graham was an early and ardent supporter. His interest in Fuller grew more pointed dur- ing his time as president of the Northwestern Schools in Minnesota (1948–1952). After all, he had charge of young students, some of whom would want to attend seminary. In 1956 Graham joined Fuller’s board of trustees. That experience prepared him, with Ockenga’s help, to found Gordon-Conwell Seminary in 1969 and serve as the chair of its board. The seminary’s swift growth in student body and prestige made it an East Coast complement to Fuller. Graham also considered establishing Crusade University in the late 1950s and Billy Graham University in the late 1960s. In both cases, plans were drawn up, is o curricula developed, and funds solicited. But Graham llin I backed out of these ventures, for fear that they would n, o divert his energies from evangelism. heat

W Though Graham never founded a university, his publishing activities indicate his clear interest in shap- eminary S enter,

C ing evangelicalism’s style and content. From the first and sketched the plan for a magazine that he thought

gical of his 32 books, Peace with God (1953) to the last, The would “give theological respectability to evangelicals.” o l raham o G Reason for My Hope: Salvation (2013), Graham was con- Backed by the influence of Harold Ockenga and he T

illy sistent with the moderate conservatism of the New Graham’s father-in-law, L. Nelson Bell, Christianity B

uller Evangelicals. He encouraged a born-again, thought- Today exceeded ’s circulation F f the

o ful, and socially responsible faith, neither dogmatic nor within weeks. The magazine published authors who indefinite. This attitude suffused his syndicated col- shared a predominantly charitable, yet rigorous, rchives

A umn, which reached millions of Americans and taught Christian voice—attuned to the strengths and weak- the nature of “new evangelical” Christianity. nesses of both fundamentalists and liberals. made available by

ritics”— Graham’s cofounding of Christianity Today in 1956 o C t o further illustrates how he tried to form Americans’ theo- Campus Outreach logical imaginations. In the early 1950s, when the press Graham’s desire for “intellectual respectability” and nswers A

uller—Ph still called Graham a “Gabriel in Gabardine,” he con- his interest in a middle course through the theological F .

E sidered launching a conservative periodical that would landscape also drove his many visits to colleges and uni- answer the liberal Christian Century. In 1953 inspiration versities of all types—church related and secular, lib- harles “billy graham C billy graham talking with Oxf o rd students— T he LIFE Picture Co llecti n/ G etty I mages struck in the middle of the night. Graham got out of bed eral and conservative. Most conspicuous were repeated

Issue 111 31 The B.I.B.L.E. After a 1949 crisis of faith, Graham committed himself to the trustwor- thiness of Scripture. His signature line soon became “The Bible says.”

Graham in a series of articles between 1956 and 1958. Their print relationship never became a personal one, though Graham and Niebuhr were both invited to participate in a forum on “Evangelism in Our Time” at Princeton University in December 1956. Graham attended, but Niebuhr did not. Others who joined the forum included John Stott, rector of All Souls Church, London; John Mackay, pres- ident of Princeton Theological Seminary; Paul Lehmann, then a professor at Harvard Divinity School; Theodore Gill, managing editor of the Christian Century; trips to such bastions of secular scholarship as Harvard, James Jones, Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia; Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Califor- and Sidney Lovett, chaplain at Yale University. nia, Berkeley. Graham went to such places ostensibly to give lectures, but in reality he gave sermons, omitting Sparring with heavyweights rg

only the at their conclusion. Inevitably, he won Graham’s connections to accomplished academics o respect—sometimes begrudging—from students. He stretched beyond this group to other theological heavy- did so by indefatigable charm and sincerity, but also by weights from America and Europe, including Karl giving an unflinching and genuine articulation of the Barth, Emil Brunner, and . Christian gospel. He turned the halls of learning into These thinkers hardly embraced Graham uncriti- unlikely settings for a lesson in evangelical preaching. cally. Barth, for example, lectured at the University There were always some present who resisted of Chicago during Graham’s 1962 Chicago Crusade. the lesson and challenged him with condescending He endorsed that effort but also told reporters that questions and comments. In Cambridge, England, “mass evangelism is not for me,” explaining that he

in 1955, the Manchester Guardian reported Graham and Graham had breakfasted together and that he told ll rights reserved. www.billygraham. A

faced a “barrage of questions” from “academic doubt- Graham: “You point a pistol at a man’s breast. I prefer n. o ers.” Graham’s “directness and shrewd tactics” held a more inviting approach.” Still, Barth and many theo-

the doubters at bay. noted that despite logical colleagues agreed that Graham authentically ermissi p Graham’s smile, he commented wryly, “Any fool represented the gospel message of sin and salvation.

can ask a question that ten men can’t answer.” The All of these activities point to Graham’s under- sed by U n.

Guardian concluded, “The point went home.” standing that education and ideas matter. They matter o A few years later at Harvard, one of the because he believed certain books, universities, and ciati o

introduced Graham but could not resist a critical word: even theologians posed threats to his and his audience’s ss A “I cannot agree with all that Dr. Graham says. His bib- understanding of Christianity, and so he countered licism troubles me a bit. When he says ‘the Bible says,’ I with books of his own, the support of seminaries and wish he would get on to talk about Christ and leave out universities, and his own reading of and relationships vangelistic the rooting of his authority in the Bible.” In his opening with theologians. But Graham was by no means merely E remarks, Graham replied, tongue-in-cheek: “I want to on the defensive. Rather, he pursued all of this intellec- raham turn to the Bible, if I might, to find a quotation of Jesus tual work to persuade Americans and the world that G illy because I don’t know of any quotations of Jesus outside while ideas and education would forever be important, B of the Bible.” The audience burst out in laughter and they are secondary to a faith in Jesus as the Christ—the ible—© warmed to Graham immediately. answer to all questions, even those of doubters. CH B Graham’s growing print empire and his unques- tionable influence commanded the attention, even the Andrew Finstuen is dean of the honors college at Boise State respect, of intellectuals. He certainly caught the atten- University. He is the author of Original Sin and Everyday tion of prominent theologian and political philosopher, Protestants: The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, Billy

Reinhold Niebuhr, who both praised and criticized Graham, and in an Age of Anxiety. billy graham reading

32 Christian History “Jesus was not a white man” Billy Graham asked Howard Jones to become a living experiment in racial progress Edward Gilbreath

There were many sides to Howard Jones— Windy city preacher In June 1962, nine days after musician, pastor, family man, missionary—but as an flying to Chicago with Martin Luther King Jr., Graham told editor at Christianity Today some years ago, I wanted members of 18 rival gangs, “Jesus was a tough guy.” to interview him about his unique role in evangelical history: in 1957 he became the first African American Playing clarinet and alto saxophone, Jones started leader to join Billy Graham’s organization. off wanting to lead a big band and hoping “to become Howard Jones’s stoic demeanor when we met the next big name in jazz music.” In the late 1930s, big reflected the steely focus that carried him through band leaders like Duke Ellington and Count Basie the challenges of being a pioneer of racial progress in made women swoon, men jealous, and young musi- America. “It’s an awareness that you’re a living test, a cians like Jones eager for a shot at fame. human experiment,” he told me. “Your every word and From all appearances, Jones was a star in the mak- S

I action has the potential to make or break the hopes of ing, but his future wife, Wanda, flipped the script on RB your race.” his planned career. “As a jazz musician, I tended to When Jones joined Graham’s crusade team, racial attract a lot of attention,” he said, “but Wanda attracted reconciliation was decades away from becoming a mine.” As classmates at Oberlin High School in Ohio, ettmann/CO B Christian buzzword, and Martin Luther King Jr. had Wanda Young and Howard Jones dated seriously for not yet reached the full height of his fame. Yet, because a couple of years. Then she delivered an ultimatum: Jones accepted the challenge of being a “human put God first or find another girlfriend. “She told members—©

g experiment,” he was a primary case study in Graham’s me, ‘I love you, but I love Christ more,” he remem-

Gan evolving courage in racial relations. bered. “‘You keep playing, and I’ll keep praying.’”

Issue 111 33 “apartheid doomed” Graham refused to hold segregated meetings in South Africa when first invited in 1951. But by 1973 he preached to integrated crowds there, calling the “terrible injustice” of apartheid a “sin.” ’s Sunday Tribune gave the evangelist banner headlines.

hold major rallies in Africa. “The people went wild,” Jones said. “They beat drums, chanted, and said, ‘Praise the Lord! We’ve seen the white missionary, but we’ve never seen a black preacher from America.’” Jones believed their enthusi- asm disproved the narrow-minded notions American Christians har- bored about African missions. “White evangelicals [believed] that Africans would not respond to black American missionaries. We helped change that perception.”

SEGREGATION FROM g r

MOODY TO GRAHAM o am.

Jones’s efforts in African missions h ra

After several miserable weeks, he came to see things were groundbreaking, but his most significant contri- g lly Wanda’s way. bution to dismantling the church’s cultural prejudices i In 1941 the couple enrolled at Nyack Missionary came by way of a letter from Billy Graham. Training Institute (now Nyack College) in metropolitan In the 1950s Graham realized that his integrity as New York. After graduation they married, and Howard an evangelist would be measured by his response to began pastoring Bethany Chapel in Harlem. Drawn to America’s struggle over race relations. Nearly a full the lost souls outside the church walls, he formed an century after the Civil War, Christians in the former ts reserved. www.b igh evangelistic outreach to New York’s inner-city neigh- Confederate states still balked at integration. ll r A

borhoods. Along the way, he met Jack Wyrtzen, a Nineteenth-century evangelist Dwight Moody n. io ss

bandleader-turned-minister, whose Word of Life youth had confronted the race issue head-on when in 1876 he i radio broadcast and evangelistic rallies packed venues attracted both black and white audiences to meetings in like Carnegie Hall. Augusta, Georgia, but whites began complaining that After eight years in the Bronx, Jones returned blacks were filling the best seats. So the rally’s sponsors

to Ohio and became the pastor of Smoot Memorial divided the seating by race. Moody opposed the deci- n. Used by perm io

Alliance Church in Cleveland. There an advertisement sion but bowed to white pressure. at oci

in Christian Life turned his attention to Africa. A radio In 1917 America’s next superstar preacher—Billy ss A

station in Liberia wanted recordings of Negro spirituals Sunday—held special meetings for African Americans ic st i

produced by African American churches. Their Liberian and visited black churches during a campaign in el listeners loved the spirituals. Jones’s church choir . He had been sensitive to the plight of minori- g van recorded some tunes, and the station responded enthusi- ties since the start of his ministry as a Bible teacher for E am astically. Jones began sending tapes regularly. They were the Chicago YMCA. However, he drew the line when it h soon inundated with mail from listeners across Africa came to holding integrated meetings. He knew that no lly Gra

who had been converted through the program. “They national white Christian leader who wanted to remain Bi said it was the first time they had ever heard the voice of in good standing could upset such social mores. an American black man,” Jones recalled. Billy Graham faced a similar dilemma. During his med—© Doo d

Soon the radio ministry invited Jones to preach early years of ministry, he never questioned the custom i e in Africa. So he embarked on a three-month tour, of segregated seating at his southern crusades. But by h part H o ward J nes—© Bi lly Gra h am E van g el i st ic A ss oci at io n. Used by perm ll r igh ts reserved. www.b ra am. becoming the first African American clergyman to 1952 the young celebrity preacher was wrestling with A

34 Christian History Apartheid Doomed—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org

Howard Jones—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Issue 111 recommended Howard Jones. recommended Wyrtzen American. but to addAfrican he wanted an w team his integrated already had evangelist The tion. integra to racial commitment his eager to demonstrate city, host of he was his diversity and the to reflect rallies for his it important was realized event.at the Graham J sade at New York’s He asked Garden. Square Madison cru 68-day of his early weeks the in then was Graham Graham. 1957 Billy in from a letter was Africa from American church. b incremental he began on From then crusades. regated d court’s by Emboldened the public schools. in regation seg later, A year banned Supreme Court the meetings. s ropes removed he famously the There gated seating. segre when he outspoke against , crusade Chattanooga, of his sponsors the 1953 stunned Graham In message. spiritual his from issue social this detach issues.” local Bible not into to enter the and only preach to to Jackson we “I he said. came minister,” which in country whatever of the in part customs social existing “We views. his follow the softened Graham pressure, Under enthusiastically, but were critical. whites most in the church.” w places “It are may there Mississippi. be Jackson, in ence for he toldaudisegregation,” basis an no scriptural is “There church. the in prejudice of racial hypocrisy the ack Wyrtzen how to reverse the low minority turnout turnout low how minority the to reverse Wyrtzen ack eparating black and white seating before one of the of one the before seating white black and eparating ut clear steps toward dismantling segregation in the the in segregation toward dismantling steps ut clear ecision, Billy Graham vowed to hold Graham never seg Billy again ecision, here such is desirable to both races, but certainly not not races, but desirable to both certainly is such here ith Akbar Abdul-Haqq, a gifted preacher from India, India, from preacher Abdul-Haqq, agifted Akbar ith But the last thing Jones expected when he returned when he returned Jones expected thing But last the not he could realized soon Graham Nevertheless, Graham’s words greeted whites afew and Blacks 35 ------o “Weties,” wrote. they may have but no choice to end minori by adding “You’re your ministry to ruin going should not have yourwarned. on team,” aNegro they “You letters. of angry number alarming an Graham looks.” dirty of of recipient plenty the he “but Iwas said, threats, Graham’s Jones didn’tBilly ministry, receive “the of As Robinson” Jackie threats. death and stares angry received had Robinson Jackie Baseball, League stage. on American African only Jones the was but them, leaders sat with civic and pastors other dozen of 18,000 front people. in A him with platform sit the on Jones to asked tougher. was next came Graham What BILLY boosted black attendance at the crusade. By the end of of end By the crusade. at the black attendance boosted minorities B event week by Harlem, followed next ple an in the in A to missionaries white were sending that churches cal ‘Don’tsaying go to Harlem’ of evangeli were members Jones right. was knew but Graham you!”— kill savageswill up there dangerous—“Those Harlem.” to are,”go where they “Billy, Jones said. you to go need to you, they’re “If you not coming have truth. to hard minority to do.” him calling was God Billy’s on hesitation any part r He criticisms. and letters of angry barrage the ered b pastor “borrowed” to have their thrilled was gregation me out,” he said. they’d off for more any time Iasked kick if that afraid Iwas so months, away for three mybeen church from “I already had church. advantage of his about taking Jones wary was team. his Jones to join invited then and situation his hug. explained awarm Graham with him American associate,HowardJones,joinstheevangeliston preacher from America that audiences there had ever seen. preacher from America that audiences there had ever seen. preached forGrahaminAfrica,hewasthefirstblack the platforminSeoul,SouthKorea,1973.WhenJones a playing it safe. There was never was idea it There of .playing the safe. esisted ur support.”ur y the world’sy the preacher. famous most rooklyn, where more than 10,000 blacks and other 10,000 other and blacks where more than rooklyn, frica,” Jones said. frica,” Jones said. m News of Jones’s brought team the on inclusion black player Major in first A decade earlier, the as Jones organized a rally of more than 8,000 peo 8,000 of more than a rally Jones organized who were whites of is, some those thing funny “The ofMany Graham’s it too said was colleagues white Jones how asked to increase But when Graham radical,” was did Jones. “He Billy said weath “What But when Graham wrote to Jones’s wrote con But the when Graham church, greeted Graham evangelist, the Jones met When an G of turnout at the crusade, Jones gave him the the Jones gave crusade, at him the turnout came out to hear Graham. The events The outGraham. to hear came RAHA

m any M’S J f ir s t AC s Billy Graham’s first African BillyGraham’sfirstAfrican K He knew it what was . He knew I E R O BIN SO N

- - - - -

A Globetrotter GOES to har- lem In October 1960, immediately after returning from rallies in Ger- many and Switzerland where he spoke to over 800,000 people, Billy Graham made a beeline for New York City’s multiethnic East Har- lem. There he met with leaders of street gangs and held a three-day crusade aimed at the neighbor- hood’s Hispanic population. Just two months later, Ben E. King enshrined the neighborhood in popular culture with his song, “Spanish Harlem.”

In South Africa in 1973, during the height of apartheid, Graham preached: “Jesus was a man; he was human. He was not a white man. He was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa, and Asia, and Europe, and he probably had a brown skin.” And then this: “Christ belongs to all people. He belongs to the whole world.” the campaign, blacks made up 20 percent of the 18,000 Jones saw Graham’s boldness up close, and it trou- people who attended each night. bled him greatly when critics, both black and white, Jones was often the only black person in the room questioned the evangelist’s commitment to racial rec- during the long days prior to the evening meetings. onciliation and social justice. “I lost a lot of my black And the isolation in the evenings seemed worse. “I friends who thought I should leave Billy,” Jones said. remember sitting on the crusade platform on various “But the people who accuse Billy of not being vocal occasions with empty seats next to me because some enough against racism and other social issues have not white crusade participants had decided to sit on the seen what goes on behind the scenes. They do not know other side of the stage,” he recalled. that man’s heart.” At other times Jones went down to counsel new In November 2010 Howard Jones died at the age of believers during the altar calls only to see white coun- 89. His life was marked by many “firsts” that helped selors move away. shape racial progress in the modern evangelical move- ment: first African American evangelist in Africa, first INTEGRATING SOCIAL MINISTRY president of the National Black Evangelical Association, AND EVANGELISM first African American inducted into the National A year later Jones joined the Billy Graham Evangelistic Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and first black Association (BGEA) as a full-time associate, serving associate with the BGEA. for more than 35 years, until he retired in 1994. He Among all those accomplishments, partnering with participated in countless evangelistic campaigns to Graham during the turbulent days of racial unrest in Africa and elsewhere, helped recruit Canadian evange- America brought him particular satisfaction. list Ralph Bell as Graham’s second African American “In New York, Billy once and for all made it clear associate, and was instrumental in various humanitar- that his ministry would not be a slave to the culture’s S ian initiatives on behalf of the BGEA, raising $80,000 for segregationist ways,” Jones said. “The gospel has I famine-stricken West Africa in 1975. always transcended whatever racial or cultural bound- RB “Howard played a strong role in showing Billy the aries we’ve constructed to limit it.” CH importance of meeting physical needs as well as the ettmann/CO spiritual,” Ralph Bell told me in an interview. Edward Gilbreath coauthored Howard Jones’s 2003 memoir, B s—©

During Graham’s 1966 London Crusade, a hotel Gospel Trailblazer. He is executive director of communica- h t refused Jones a room because of his skin. Graham told tions for the Evangelical Covenant Church. His most recent You his entire team to vacate the premises and find a hotel book is The Birmingham Revolution: Martin Luther

that welcomed all races. King Jr.’s Epic Challenge to the Church. Harlem

36 Christian History INSPIRATIONALINSPIRATIONAL

✧New Ife foR Ife Films NewMaximilian Films Kolbe l l — roduced in Poland by acclaimed film director Krzystof Zanussi, this is a powerful drama about the life and death of Polish mar- tyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life for a fellow prisoner inP Auschwitz. The Nazi practice of putting 10 prisoners to death by starvation was the punishment when one escaped. The story of Kolbe is seen through the eyes of the escaped prisoner who was haunted by this priest who made such a heroic of his life for the life of a stranger. He learns that Kolbe was the founder of the largest Franciscan monastery ever, a publisher, writer, theologian, missionary and Marian mystic. Pope John Paul II proclaimed Kolbe as the “patron saint of the difficult 20th century.” Stars Christoph Waltz and Edward Zentara. In Polish w/ English & Spanish subtitles. Includes 16 page Collector’s Booklet & study guide. “More than any film, it explores how the saints should inspire us. Among the most essential saint films I’ve seen.” — Steven Greydanus, Film Critic, National Catholic Register LFL-M . . . 90 min., $19.95

✧ PoPe John Paul II: ✧ The RevoluTIon of ✧ fRancIs: ✧ fIndIng sT. anThony: I Kept Looking for You John XXIII: The Second The Pope of Renewal A Story of Loss and Light his is world’s biggest docu- Vatican Council arthquake, revolution, his film reveals the spiri- mentary on the new saint. It hen he surprised every- openness . . . how do we tual journey of St. Anthony Treveals his remarkable legacy one by calling for the his- Edefine the “Francis effect”? Tof Padua in the 13th century, a in the history of the the world toricW Second Vatican Council This film shows the striking young man who was often lost and how his extraordinary in 1962, John XXIII launched ascension to the top of world’s and searching for direction in personality, faith and courage a spiritual revolution in the popularity of the little-known life. As we encounter his hu- united people on all continents, Church and the world. He Argentinian cardinal. It reflects manity, we find a saint we can regardless of social status, age summoned the world’s bish- on the renewal of the Catho- relate to, who struggled in life, or religion. Using exclusive ops to discuss the direction and lic Church’s image that Pope someone we could easily call archival footage on John Paul future of the Church and the Francis has generated. With our friend. Shot on historic lo- II, with original new footage, relationship of the Church to amazing images of his memo- cations in Portugal and Italy, this comprehensive epic film the modern world. This docu- rable first year, this film offers this film focuses on the experi- was four years in the making mentary presents original film inspiring stories, encounters, ences of Anthony in his search and filmed in 13 countries. It footage of the Council in action humorous details and provok- for the life God was calling him features many world-famous and insights from witnesses ing messages from an already to. What we discover may sur- figures from the Church, poli- who took part in the Council, historic papacy. Includes com- prise us: a reflection of our own tics, entertainment and news including Cardinals Francis mentary by John Allen, Cardi- search. The story of this great industries, and their inspiring Arinze, Julian Herranz, Paul nal Dolan and others. saint gives us inspiration for insights about the impact of St. Poupard and more. An illumi- FPOC-M . . . 55 min., $19.95 our own spiritual journeys. John Paul II. nating film about the historic FSA-M . . . 50 min., $19.95 PJPKL-M . . . . 90 min., $19.95 Council. RJ23-M . . . 55 min., $19.95 www.ignatius.com P.O. Box 1339, Ft. Collins, CO 80522 1 (800) 651-1531 g raham.or g illy b . An evangelistic www hts reserved. g ll ri band of brothers A Five friends who helped Billy Graham set—and stay—his course y permission. Seth Dowland b

Over the years dozens of friends supported melody makers Cliff Barrows (left) led more than Billy Graham, protected him, helped him think stra- singing—including Graham’s radio and film efforts. Bass ssociation. Used tegically, and carried responsibilities so that he could “Bev” Shea was Billy Graham’s first, and oldest, recruit. A focus on public ministry. Decision magazine editor elistic Sherwood Eliot Wirt compiled a list of 30 of Graham’s g van “royal musketeers.” Here are five key friends from alliance was born. Barrows joined Graham full time E among them who joined Graham in his earliest days in the late 1940s. In 1950 Barrows became part of the and stayed with him. founding board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and took the reins of the Hour Cliff Barrows of Decision radio program. As years passed Barrows hea—© Billy Graham Five years younger than Graham, Cliff Barrows first acquired other roles, including president of World S sang at a Billy Graham campaign in 1945 in Asheville, Wide Pictures. Most observers considered Barrows North Carolina. Barrows and his wife, Billie, inter- the number-two man in the BGEA. Behind the scenes s, Graham, rupted their honeymoon to fill in when Graham’s he defused budding controversies and kept the orga- w Wilson Brothers—© Billy Graham E van g elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www . illy raham.or regular song leader left abruptly, and a six-decade nization humming. Barro

38 Christian History righteous brothers Brothers T. W. and Grady Wil- son, Graham’s high school friends, converted with him at the same 1934 revival. T. W. (left) traveled with Graham, spending more time at his side than anyone, including Ruth. Grady was the first associate evangelist Graham recruited and in 1950 became vice president of the newly formed Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

As the song leader at Billy Graham crusades, the genial and charismatic Barrows welcomed the crowds that flocked to hear Graham preach. Educated in music and Shakespearean drama at Bob Jones College, Barrows deftly kept services moving and ably led thou- sands in congregational singing. As the last opening act for each Graham service finished, Barrows would excitedly give the floor to “a man with a message for these crisis days.” Billy Graham. Barrows’s showmanship was integral to the success of Graham’s crusades, for both attendees and the mil- They enrolled together at Bob Jones College, but the lions who watched on television. When intense heat school’s strictness drove Graham away after just one prematurely ended Graham’s 1962 Soldier Field ser- semester. The two reunited briefly at Wheaton College vice in Chicago, Barrows devised a plan to fill the seven in 1943 and then permanently in 1947, when Wilson minutes still needed for an hour-long television broad- joined Graham’s team as an associate evangelist. cast. He took Graham back to the stadium hours after Wilson accompanied Graham on some of his ear- the last visitor had left. Alone in the stadium, Graham liest ventures into the national limelight, including a g filmed a plea for viewers not to miss their chance to 1950 White House visit with President Harry Truman give their lives to Jesus. The panorama of a deserted and and a 1952 Christmas campaign with soldiers in Korea. raham.or

g desolate Soldier Field provided a dramatic backdrop Wilson won acclaim as a preacher in his own right,

illy for Graham’s message. Viewers made the largest-ever attracting the attention of prominent Christian busi- b . response to a Graham television program. nessmen like R. G. LeTourneau and H. L. Hunt. During www In the last third of his career, Barrows was inducted a 1963 visit to the White House, Wilson’s storytelling into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Religious tickled Lyndon Johnson enough that the president Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and the Southern Baptist asked an aide to take notes.

hts reserved. Evangelists’ Hall of Faith. He increasingly accommo- Two major heart attacks sidelined Wilson in the late g dated new singers onto crusade platforms in the 1970s 1970s. He could no longer keep up a regular schedule ll ri A and 1980s, as contemporary Christian music became of preaching, but he remained a beloved member of part of the services. But Barrows kept a firm hand on Graham’s inner circle. Just before Wilson passed away crusade programs, and his unerring leadership of clas- in 1987, a nurse asked him if he was afraid of death.

y permission. sic hymns gave services predictable appeal for decades. Wilson’s response reflected the certainty of salvation b he had carried since that 1934 revival. Grady Wilson “Honey, why should I be afraid? I’m going to see Jesus.” In 1934 Billy Graham and his friend Grady Wilson attended a revival meeting together in Charlotte, North T. W. Wilson ssociation. Used A Carolina. The two 15-year-olds joined the choir—which Like his younger brother Grady, Thomas Walter (T. W.) sat behind the pulpit—to escape the withering gaze Wilson attended the 1934 Mordecai Ham revival and elistic g and damnation preaching of visiting revivalist Mor- soon after heard a call to ministry. He pastored several van E decai Ham. Their plan didn’t work. During the invita- churches in Georgia and Alabama in the 1940s before tion hymn, Graham and Wilson felt convicted of their reluctantly accepting Graham’s invitation to serve as sin, went forward, and registered a decision for Christ. vice president of Northwestern Schools in Minneapo- They invited countless others to follow in their steps lis in 1948. Like Graham, Wilson made a poor college over the next 50 years. administrator, and he left the school in 1951 to launch Wilson was the first of the two to announce his inten- an independent evangelistic ministry. tion to go into full-time ministry. He began preaching Wilson’s ministry and bank account were thriv- around age 18 and was ordained a Baptist minister at ing in 1956 when Graham called and asked him to Wilson Brothers—© Billy Graham Barro w s, Graham, S hea—© Billy Graham E van g elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www . illy raham.or 19. Graham soon decided to enter the ministry as well. take a massive pay cut to join the BGEA team as an

Issue 111 39 The “Modesto Manifesto”

n 1948, 31-year-OLD Billy Graham was coming architects of ethics The year before Graham off a successful stint as a Youth for Christ evange- gained national prominence, he huddled with Bev Shea, Cliff Barrows, and Grady Wilson (not pictured) to set up list and entering a period of independent ministry g tIhat would last almost six decades. His revival team safeguards against the temptations of money, sex, and included Bev Shea, Grady Wilson, and Cliff Barrows. power. raham.or The quartet was young and charismatic. As Chris- g illy b tianity entered its heady postwar boom, Americans The pledge also enabled Graham to capitalize on his .

flocked to revivals. Some sought salvation, but others good looks without worrying about an oversexualized www had different aims. Politicians saw the revivals as a image that might scandalize his fellow evangelicals. hedge against communism; entertainers saw a chance In coverage of the famous 1949 Los Angeles crusade, to promote themselves. Temptations loomed. To guard reporters mentioned Graham’s “curly hair,” “broad hts reserved.

against allegations or the actual abuse of money, sex, shoulders,” and “blue eyes.” Several articles reported g

and power that had felled previous evangelists, the that Graham “has repeatedly turned down offers to ll ri A Graham team decided to take concrete steps to avoid go into the movies.” Nearly every piece commented on the slightest whiff of controversy. Graham’s good looks. The team gathered in a hotel room in Modesto, Graham managed to benefit from all this adulation y permission. California. They drew up a compact that became known while remaining safely off-limits to sexual advances. b as the “Modesto Manifesto,” though they produced no Both the Modesto Manifesto and his marriage to written document. The manifesto included provisions Ruth made this possible. The manifesto ensured that for distributing money raised by offerings, avoiding crit- Graham would avoid tempting situations, while Ruth

icism of local churches, working only with churches that seemed content with a marriage full of long absences. ssociation. Used A supported cooperative evangelism, and using official She frequently said she “would rather have a little of

estimates of crowd sizes to avoid exaggeration. These Bill than a lot of any other man.” The line spoke both to elistic g

policies would help Graham and his team avoid charges Ruth’s contentment and to Billy’s desirability. Standing van of financial exploitation and hucksterism. in front of thousands, Graham’s rapid-fire delivery and E But nothing loomed larger than sex. The most piercing stares won both converts and admirers. The famous provision of the manifesto called for each letters that flooded BGEA offices testified to his whole- man on the Graham team never to be alone with a some appeal. Graham’s 57 appearances on ’s s—© Billy Graham

woman other than his wife. Graham, from that day annual “Ten Most Admired People” poll derived in no w forward, pledged not to eat, travel, or meet with a small part from his reputation for sexual fidelity—a woman other than Ruth unless other people were reputation guaranteed by the most famous provision of present. This pledge guaranteed Graham’s sexual the Modesto Manifesto. probity and enabled him to dodge accusations that hea, Graham, Barro

have waylaid evangelists before and since. —Seth Dowland S g eor e w ilson—© Billy Graham E van elistic A ssociation. Used b y permission. ll ri hts reserved. www . illy raham.or

40 Christian History Shea, Graham, Barrows—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org

george wilson—© Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.billygraham.org Issue 111 1987. developed for hard-nosed areputation Wilson in semiretirement his 1950 in until its inception from W. T. Grady to brothers and relation Wilson—no George G age at of 2013. 104 the died Shea April in l adult Graham sades. For lives, and of most Shea their cru Graham at Billy people, vast majority the million live to over He sang 200 Grammies. the sponsors that Academy, Award Recording the from organization the 1966, 2011 Achievement in in and aLifetime received favorite. perennial “I’d composition, own Have Rather Jesus,” another was His demand. popular evenings—by 108on consecutive w New Yorksade in City, forever linked became Shea At1957voice the warmth. blended with cru reverence his reveled as listeners and unadorned, hymns sang ( campaigns. for early some Graham handbills the lined prelude the for as Graham’sserved staccato preaching. Shea’s always forward, point that almost bass rich Songs in Night the From the toteam. join broadcast Shea r he took over Church, the Baptist tor at Western Springs a enrolling radio after the on sing Shea heard first ham byGra Moody owned Bible radio station the Institute. 1930s the to workmoved in to Chicago for south WMBI, native, Shea An fame. own his to establish first the and oldest of the was Graham’s circle Shea Bev inner G deeply.” very loss his feel I prayed, of occasions. wept laughed, hundreds on and 2001, “We said, in attack Graham of aheart died Wilson long before evangelist G Grady, brother his Like T. crusades. ing W. provided H the airing radio stations monitoring as such tasks, less of He thank ably feathers. anumber juggled ruffling Graham’s on without time intrusions overwhelming off to fend ability his praised members team T. W. Wilson.” at Billy’sRuth, would more time spend side than “no one, including Martin, biographer William a Graham’s as serve reluctantly—to personal ing—again W scolding. spiritual light and persistence with vailed pre But Graham resisted. Wilson evangelist. associate “Bev Shea will sing. Billy Graham will preach.”) will He Graham sing. Billy will Shea “Bev ived just one mile apart in Montreat, North Carolina. Carolina. Montreat, North in apart ived mile one just adio t Wheaton College in 1940. After Graham became pas became 1940. Graham College in t Wheaton After ide in 1962.ide in years,” 30 “Over next Graham the wrote raham with the security of a friend who knew the knew of afriend security the with raham and handling security threats dur threats security handling and our Decision of eorge eorge Beverly ith the hymn “,” which he sang “How he sang GreatArt,” hymn Thou which the ith ilson preached for six years in that roleagree before that in years for six preached ilson Shea recorded more than 70 , won 70 aGrammy albums, more than recorded Shea radio Shea’s fame, Bev of his head Because name W —ran the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Association Evangelistic Graham Billy the —ran Graham persuaded persuaded Songs in Night. the Graham program ilson accepted his private BGEA grace. role with his accepted ilson 41 W ilson his worldwide T. his When fame. W. S hea potentially ------

drew upthelegalpapers.Wilsondiedin1999atage85. encouraged Billy Graham to incorporate his ministry, then efficiency hard-nosed iom possible.” as of fast people as number greatest the world’s economy to greatest the product with greatest 1 the in brushes Fuller hawking while he learned tics added up. savings year, each those letters of millions received that received. organization For an BGEA the letter for each apenny half as saved little as that about efficiencies he boasted Martin—and wrote building, foot—“easy dreary to believe” about the for square $2.25 per BGEA headquarters the acquiring about Martin He toldtrappings. biographer William modest and efficiency organization’sfor the legendary responsible was Wilson person, other any More than 1950. in BGEA role formed when the same the filled manager. He business as served where Wilson Schools, of Northwestern presidency the later, assumed Graham at a1945 Two Chicago. in Youth rally years for Christ out. stood demeanor BGEA’sdominated Wilson’s George circle, firm inner that personalities conciliatory and genial the Among directions.” for giving “a had gift Wilson unique said associate One manner. a brusque and efficiency Gender, Authority, and the Rise of the . Right. Gender, Christian of the Authority, Rise the and Values: Lutheran Universityandistheauthor ofFamily Seth DowlandteachesAmericanreligious historyatPacific man’s man’s 930s, Wilson understood evangelism in a business in evangelism understood 930s, Wilson Just Graham’s employed as tac sales sermons Graham met Wilson layman, A -based id . “Our job,” said Wilson, “is to dispense the the job,”. “Our “is to dispense Wilson, said In 1950GeorgeWilson CH

- - Recommended resources Books, magazines, online resources, and media recommended by CHI staff and this issue’s authors

our top Books on billy graham Six Books to Help You • Grant Wacker, America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and Understand the Context of the Shaping of a Nation (2014). Captures Graham’s Billy Graham’s Ministry aptitude for capitalizing on the trends that shaped • Andrew S. Finstuen, Original Sin and Everyday Protes- America in the twentieth century, thus tants: The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, Billy Graham, and making America’s story his own. Paul Tillich in an Age of Anxiety • William A. Martin, Prophet with Honor (2009). America’s Christians (1991). Presents over 700 readable pages in the middle of the twenti- of well-documented narrative. Covers eth century weren’t as upbeat the 72 years from Billy Graham’s birth and shallow as many suppose. to his 1990 Hong Kong Crusade. These three influential thinkers • Billy Graham, Just As I Am (1997). This gained prominence precisely memoir of ministry to the famous, the because their theology took evil infamous, and the ordinary concludes seriously. with Bill Clinton’s second inauguration. • Steven P. Miller, Billy Graham Graham’s constant theme is wonder and and the Rise of the Republican gratitude for God’s leading. South (2009). Traces Graham’s • David Aikman, Billy Graham: His Life and Influence role in helping the South say good-bye to Jim Crow and (2007). Time magazine’s former bureau chief in to Democratic Party dominance. Eastern Europe, Beijing, and • Garth M. Rosell, The Surpris- traces the way Graham used powerful ing Work of God: Harold John connections to minister in high places Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the and evangelize in difficult ones. Rebirth of Evangelicalism (2008). • Ken Garfield, Billy Graham: A Life in Tells how a Boston pastor Pictures (2013). Draws on Garfield’s insider brought Billy Graham’s evange- knowledge as former religion editor at listic energies to the Northeast Graham’s hometown newspaper. Written and then worked with him to with affection for Charlotte’s favorite son nurture evangelical institutions and richly illustrated from the Charlotte of national influence. Observer’s archives. • Brian Stanley, The Global Dif- • Nancy Gibbs and Duffy, The fusion of Evangelicalism: The Age Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in of Billy Graham and John Stott the White House (2007). Two veteran Time magazine (2013). In the second half of the twentieth century, the journalists track the way Graham and the politicians evangelical movement spread from the British Isles and he ministered to influenced each other. America to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Graham, Stott, and others created net- Six Important and works and resourced preach- Influential Books by ers and teachers from the Billy Graham Global South. 1. Peace with God (1953, rev. 1984) • George M. Marsden, 2. Angels: God’s Secret Agents (1975) Understanding Fundamentalism 3. How to Be Born Again (1977) and Evangelicalism (2010). Mars- 4. World Aflame (1965) den, who famously defined an 5. The Jesus Generation (1971) evangelical as “anyone who 6. T he Journey: Living by Faith in an likes Billy Graham,” surveys Uncertain World (2006) this constantly evolving reli- gious movement.

42 Christian History • Darren Dochuk, From to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk • Billy Graham Library. Take a virtual tour of the Billy Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Con- Graham Library, explore video clips and photographs, servatism (2012). Beginning in and plan your visit to this Charlotte, North Carolina, the 1930s, southern preachers attraction. www.BillyGrahamLibrary.org in California laid the ground- work for locally oriented, “color blind,” probusiness, anticommunist politics among newly prosperous suburban congregations. Graham’s stun- ning success in Los Angeles and his friendship with Ron- ald Reagan helped mainstream this movement.

In addition . . . • Patricia Cornwell, Ruth, a Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1997). A newspa- per crime reporter turned nov- elist draws on her deep per- sonal relationship with Ruth Related DVDs available from Graham. Vision Video • , Billy Graham: • A Gathering of Souls, 2014 video history of the A Parable of American Righteous- Graham crusades ness (1979). At times irrever- • My Hope America with Billy Graham, a three-DVD set ent and angry, this perceptive featuring over seven hours of content reporter effectively sets Gra- • Common Ground, a 2002 documentary featuring ham in his cultural context as those touched by Billy Graham’s ministry an idealized icon of America’s • Billy Graham: Prophet with Honor, 1989 television hoped-for innocence. special hosted by David Frost

Also watch for . . . • A new edition of William Martin’s Prophet with Honor to be published after Graham’s death • A major biography of Ruth Graham by historian Anne Blue Wills • American Pilgrim: The Worlds of Billy Graham, scholarly essays exploring the intersection between Graham’s career and American culture, edited by Andrew Fin- stuen, Anne Blue Wills, and Grant Wacker

On the Web Past issues of Christian History • The Archives. The premier • Issue 92: A New Evangelical Awakening collection of documents and artifacts related to • Issue 99: Faith and the American Presidency twentieth-century evangelism and the work of Billy • Issue 102: People of Faith CH Graham is housed at Wheaton College, his alma mater. The website catalogs many of these documents and offers photos, excerpts of oral history interviews, and 66,000 pages of digitized sermon materials. www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/archhp1.html • Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Offers audio recordings of 1,600 Billy Graham ser- mons as well as general information about Gra- ham’s organization and its ongoing ministries. www.BillyGraham.org

Issue 111 43 One man journeyed from the heart of the Carolinas into the hearts of millions.

Seoul, Korea, 1973: 1.1 million gathered to hear Billy Graham.

Come experience his inspiring life for yourself at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. Retrace his journey as you explore state-of-the-art exhibits, multimedia displays, films, and the Graham family homeplace. Relax over lunch in the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar and browse Ruth’s Attic for unique books and gifts.

FREE ADMISSION Monday to Saturday, 9:30–5:00 • BillyGrahamLibrary.org • 704-401-3200 • Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more; email [email protected] or call 704-401-3270 • 4330 Westmont Drive • Charlotte, North Carolina

A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ©2014 BGEA

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