Billy Graham Research

A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story. By William Martin. New York: William Morrow, 1991, 735 pp., $24.95.

Billy Graham has had a significant and extended impact on American culture. For almost fifty years he has enjoyed not only worldwide fame but also worldwide respect. He has consistently ranked high in opinion polls and enjoys (endures?) celebrity-like status not only here in North America but all over the world. Even his harshest critics concede his respectability. This book traces his life and ministry.

Martin’s interest in Billy Graham is understandable. Although other biographies on Graham have been published, this one is the “official” biography, for the Graham organization solicited Martin and made no stipulations whatever on the book. He received no funding and in fact paid all of his own travel and other expenses. In return Graham made himself available for extensive interviews and gave letters of introduction encouraging others to do the same.

Martin likes Billy Graham. He presents Graham in a largely positive manner as one who is smart but not brilliant, trusting but not naive, godly but not perfect. Martin correctly places Graham in the evangelistic tradition begun by C. Finney, in which evangelism was a matter of methods—organize the facilities, the advertising, the program and the follow-up—and conversions will occur. This book gives the reader a peek behind the scenes of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the precise planning and execution that takes place in crusades.

As one who has been a student of revivalism in America and an interested observer of Billy Graham, I found three surprises in the biography. First, I was surprised at the honesty and candor of Graham. Looking back on a half century of ministry, Martin presents Graham as one who not only easily acknowledges mistakes of the past but also confesses earlier sins of pride and presumption. Not every crusade went perfectly, and sins of early arrogance were many. But Martin presents Graham as one able to look candidly at himself and even laugh at some of the mistakes he made.

A second surprise was the degree to which Graham was intimate with former presidents, particularly Eisenhower, Johnson and Nixon. In later years Graham concedes he was naive, but according to Martin his familiarity with presidents and presidential politics went well beyond occasional photo-ops. On a similar note, Graham’s access into Eastern Bloc countries and the communist powers of the Soviet Union and China in the 1970s and 1980s received mostly support from the highest levels within the State Department. And while Graham recognized the delicate role he was assum-

JETS 38:4 (December 1995) p. 629

ing as an unofficial ambassador, it appears he largely avoided being inappropriately used by either the United States government or host governments. To the diplomatic historian, Graham’s contribution to our nation’s foreign policy would perhaps be an intriguing study. There was more there than I anticipated.

On a negative note, a third surprise concerned the absence of serious inquiry into the effectiveness of crusade evangelism. As Martin reviews various crusades, only passing mention is offered concerning the conversion response. To what extent has Graham really been effective in evangelism? Or to what level has he simply been “preaching to the choir”? As a sociologist of American religion, Martin was well positioned to address this question. A harder look at it would have enhanced the biography.

In conclusion, this is a good book. Whether one is a fan of Billy Graham or not, one is challenged to reach the end and not agree with the title that Graham really is a prophet “with honor.”

Stan Giles
Clinton Evangelical Free Church, Clinton, IA

The Evangelical Theological Society, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Volume 38 (The Evangelical Theological Society, 1995; 2002), 38:628-629.

2. Speaking with godly character.fiThe prophetic voice must speak from godly character. Billy Graham has shown us that a man of God who desires to be heard must maintain the highest standards of integrity. That he has succeeded is shown by the fact that he has been allowed to speak in every part of the world to perhaps one hundred million people with nearly three million responses. It is even more telling that an outspoken, evangelical, Bible-thumping preacher is the only person to make the top-ten list of admired Americans every year since its inception more than forty years ago. Even non-Christians who despise the prophetic message respect prophetic integrity.

Graham is a man who is able to gain this kind of reputation in all spheres of life and bring so many to Christ. Yet Time magazine quotes Bob Jones III as saying that Graham “has done more harm to the cause of Christ than any other living man.”

The Evangelical Theological Society, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Volume 37 (The Evangelical Theological Society, 1994; 2002), 37:21.

Evangelism demands the exclusive nature of truth and the exclusive claims of Christ. This has several inevitable results within the evangelistic process. In his crusades Billy Graham had a huge banner hanging behind the pulpit. It carried one verse, the same verse every time: “Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man

CAJ 4:2 (Fall 2005) p. 53

comes to the Father except by me’” (John 14:6). This banner flew not only in the mildly sympathetic atmosphere of America in the 1950s, but it also flew in the brazenly cynical atmosphere of Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, when this author was associated with the team.

The exclusive claim of Christ is seen across cultures to be the fundament of true evangelism. Literature abounds with examples of this truth. A sampling of noted Christian preachers demonstrates the centrality and exclusivity of Christ. One recalls that each of these men stood out against perverted views of Christology.

Southern Evangelical Seminary, Christian Apologetics Journal Volume 4 (Southern Evangelical Seminary, 2005; 2006), vnp.4.2.52-4.2.53.

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Evangelicalism Divided: A Record of Crucial Change in the Years 1950–2000, by Iain H. Murray, Edinburgh, UK/Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2000. Pp. 342.

In this provocative survey of contemporary “evangelicalism” (primarily in the United Kingdom), Murray laments the compromise of doctrinal standards in the name of mass appeal, intellectual respectability, and the ecumenical movement. Murray contends that until the 1950s, “The evangelicals upon whose leadership gospel witness depended took clear positions on liberalism” (13). He marks the beginning of this compromise with the mass evangelism efforts of Billy Graham, who subordinated doctrinal distinctions in the name of cooperation in his “crusades.” Murray documents how this approach led to the inclusion of liberal and nonevangelical Protestants, and eventually, even Roman Catholics. Murray

FM 20:2 (Spring 2003) p. 125

calls into question the impact of Graham’s evangelistic ministry and even implies that its ultimate outcome has been the weakening of evangelicalism.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Faith and Mission Volume 20 (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003; 2006), vnp.20.2.124-20.2.125.

Billy Graham And God’s Word

Billy Graham said: “In August of 1949, I was so filled with doubts about everything that when I stood to preach and made a statement, I would say to myself: I wonder if that is the truth. I wonder if I can really say that sincerely. My ministry had gone.

“I then took the Bible up into the high Sierra Nevada mountains in California. I opened it and got on my knees. I pled, ’Father I cannot understand many things in this Book. I cannot come intellectually all the way, but I accept it by faith to be authoritative, the inspired Word of the living God! ’ “

Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers (Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979).

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In discussing miracles, Billy Graham stated:

We have to go back to the basics, Jesus performed these miracles to prove his divinity, and so I accept them, and I accept them by faith. I can’t prove everything scientifically. But when I do accept the Scripture by faith, it has an impact in my own personal life, and I can apply the principles Jesus taught to everyday life.

So to me the miracles of Christ are essential. They are not essential to salvation but to one’s Christian living.3786

3786 Graham, William Franklin “Billy”. Nancy Gibbs, “The Message of Miracles” (New York: Time, April 10, 1995), Vol. 145, No. 15, p. 73.

William J. Federer, Great Quotations : A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Quotations Influencing Early and Modern World History Referenced According to Their Sources in Literature, Memoirs, Letters, Governmental Documents, Speeches, Charters, Court Decisions and Constitutions (St. Louis, MO: AmeriSearch, 2001).

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He has preached in person in more than eighty countries to over 110 million people, more than any other individual in history. Hundreds of millions more have heard him through television, radio, and film. J. D. Douglas, Philip Wesley Comfort and Donald Mitchell, Who's Who in Christian History, Illustrated Lining Papers. (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1997, c1992).

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Almost from the beginning of his public ministry Graham opted for a cooperative approach to evangelism, i.e., working with all churches and denominations that would cooperate with him. This led to criticism from both fundamentalists and liberals—the former denouncing him for compromising (in their view) with liberal churches and clergymen, the latter rejecting his message and methods as simplistic, out–of–date, and socially irrelevant. Conservative critics also assailed him for integrating his meetings, which he did more than a year before the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on civil rights (1954). In the late 1970s and early 1980s others criticized him for accepting invitations to preach in communist–dominated Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, although many of those same critics later acknowledged that his visits had a significant impact on the later course of religious freedom there.

In spite of these critics, however, Graham’s integrity, personal humility, and popular appeal have made him one of the most influential religious leaders of the twentieth century. The annual Gallup poll has ranked him among the ten most admired men in America since 1951. He has sometimes been called the unofficial White House chaplain, due to his friendship with every American president since Harry Truman.

J. D. Douglas, Philip Wesley Comfort and Donald Mitchell, Who's Who in Christian History, Illustrated Lining Papers. (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1997, c1992).

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On the other hand, Billy Graham (1918- ),38 the most well known international evangelist of our time, a graduate of Wheaton College, and a member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, proclaimed his simple gospel message to thousands. This message was undergirded by the evangelist’s commitment to a completely truthful Bible and augmented by a “deeper life” approach to the Christian life and an apocalyptic eschatology, both of which were widely accepted and repeated in thousands of churches throughout the SBC. The nation as a whole during this time of unsettling transition was looking for stability and authority. Many were ready to hear the word of God announced with authority as demonstrated with Graham’s now famous words, “the Bible says.” 38 38. See J. D. Woodbridge, “William (Billy) Graham” in Dictionary of Baptists in America, ed. Bill Leonard (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 135–137.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology Volume 9 (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005; 2006), vnp.9.1.45.

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William Franklin Graham, Jr., (born November 7, 1918) better known as Billy Graham, is an evangelist and an Evangelical Christian. He has been a spiritual adviser to multiple U.S. presidents and was number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for the 20th century. He is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than anyone who has ever lived.[1] As of 1993, more than 2.5 million people had stepped forward at his crusades to "accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior".[2] As of 2002, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped two billion.[1]

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[edit] Controversy

[edit] Antisemitism

In 1994, H.R. Haldeman's diaries revealed that Graham had taken part in conversations speaking of "Jewish domination of the media." The allegations were so at odds with Graham's public image that most did not believe his account, and Jewish groups paid little attention. Graham released a statement denying that he talked "publicly or privately about the Jewish people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in the most positive terms." He said, "Those are not my words."[12]

In 2002, however, newly declassified "Richard Nixon tapes" confirmed remarks made by Graham to President Nixon three decades earlier. Captured on the tapes, Graham agreed with Nixon that Jews control the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with Nixon.[21] "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain,"[22] said Graham, agreeing with Nixon's comments about Jews and their influence in American life. Later, Graham mentions that he has friends in the media who are Jewish, including A.M. Rosenthal, saying they "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he tells Nixon, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."[21] These remarks were highly controversial to some Jewish leaders that characterized them as antisemitic, such as Abraham Foxman.[12]

When the tapes were released, Graham apologized for his remarks, stating that "although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently made ... They do not reflect my views, and I sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks,"[23] and "If it wasn't on tape, I would not have believed it. I guess I was trying to please... I went to a meeting with Jewish leaders and I told them I would crawl to them to ask their forgiveness."[24] According to Newsweek magazine, "the shock of the revelation was magnified because of Graham's longtime support of Israel and his refusal to join in calls for the conversion of the Jews."[24]

[edit] Other issues

• Graham has received some critism from leaders of The Southern Baptist Convention on his view of baptism. He has mostly supported a believers baptism view; however he has said in interviews that infant baptism is also an acceptable and historic practice. All of Graham's children were baptized as infants.
• Graham has been careful to receive reasonable compensation far below what other television evangelists would later receive. Graham, along with his associates that he called the "Team," created in 1948 what one of them called, "The Modesto Manifesto," because they produced it in Modesto, California. They decided among themselves to avoid certain problems that gave evangelists a bad name. The first item on the list was a matter of money, to which Graham was sensitive, because of the practices of some unscrupulous evangelists. (The "manifesto" proceeded to note the dangers of sexual immorality, criticism of local churches, and exaggerated publicity.).[25][26] The official biography of Graham is John C. Pollock's Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (1966). Other helpful biographical studies include William G. McLoughlin's Billy Graham: Revivalist in a Secular Age (1960), Curtis Mitchell's Billy Graham: The Making of a Crusader (1966), The Reader's Companion to American History (1997), Gospel Communications Network (GCN), Time Daily (Nov. 95), and People (1997).[27]
• In 1993, Graham said in Columbus, Ohio, "Is AIDS a judgment of God? I could not say for sure, but I think so." After seeing letters criticizing that comment, Graham later said, "I remember saying it, and I immediately regretted it and almost went back and clarified the statement," and "To say God has judged people with AIDS would be very wrong and very cruel."[8][9]
• Graham would not allow himself to be seen or photographed in public with his daughters or any other women without his wife, Ruth, present. He did not want to give any sort of impression of marital infidelity.[citation needed] When then-First Lady of Arkansas Hillary Clinton invited him to lunch as he arrived in Little Rock for a crusade in 1989, Graham declined and said, "[2] "I don't eat with beautiful women alone" and met her in a hotel dining room instead.[2]
• Graham once said, "I fully adhere to the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith for myself... but as an American, I respect other paths to God." His refusal to proselytize to Jews, in particular, differed from the Southern Baptist Convention.[12] This was controversial since some Christians equated respecting with believing, inferring that he thought there were other ways to God than through Jesus (the fundamental tenet of the Bible).

[edit] Awards and honors

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Though Graham has never, to my knowledge, spoken out on behalf of the poor, it seems legitimate to conclude that his almost exclusive emphasis upon soul saving is his passionate center, even his authentic obsession. And there, whatever his inadequacies of intellect or of spiritual discernment, Graham has ministered to a particular American need: the public testimony of faith. He is the recognized leader of what continues to call itself American evangelical Protestantism, and his life and activities have sustained the self-respect of that vast entity. If there is an indigenous American religion — and I think there is, quite distinct from European Protestantism — then Graham remains its prime emblem

Still, one can ask how so theatrical a preacher became central to the U.S. of the past half-century. Always an authentic revivalist, Graham has evaded both doctrine and denomination. He sounds not at all like a Fundamentalist, even though he affirms the fundamentals — the literal truth of the Bible: the virgin birth, atoning death and the bodily resurrection of Christ; the Second Coming; salvation purely through grace by faith and not works. Graham's most important book, "Peace with God" (1953), is light-years away from C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity," which is revered by Fundamentalists. Everything that is harsh in Lewis is softened by Graham, whose essential optimism is inconsistent with his apocalyptic expectations. But you cannot read "Peace with God" and expect consistency; soft-edged Fundamentalism, Graham's stance, will not sustain scrutiny