The life of Billy Graham was intentional, and most would say, Christ led. The advancement of God’s kingdom from his evangelism is impressive. He advanced the gospel through multiple traditional “lines” including political and religious arenas. He worked within his constraints and maximized his potential through his strengths. By the time he retired in 2005, he preached to over 215 million people over the span of 185 countries. This does not include the hundreds of millions through electronic media.[1]

Billy Graham started with humble beginnings. Born in 1918, he was like most boys in high school, interested in girls, baseball, and fast cars.[2] His family, devout Presbyterians, owned a three-hundred-acre dairy farm on the outskirts of Charlotte, North Carolina until he was about ten years old.[3] When he was a few weeks shy of sixteen, one of his farmhands, Albert McMakin, “bribed” Graham to go to a local revival that Graham was not interested in attending. Albert told Graham that he could drive his truck and pick up Pauline Presson (a girl he liked) and take her to the service. Graham agreed and went to the revival where Dr. Mordecai Fowler Ham, a “fire and brimstone” preacher was preaching. Graham does not remember much about what he said, but he was spellbound and kept going back for more.[4] It was not until a few months later, at one of Ham’s revivals, that Graham would go up to the alter and surrender his life to Christ.

Graham had a fundamentalist education at Bob Jones College, Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College of Florida), and Wheaton College in Illinois (where he met his future wife, Ruth Bell). He became a local pastor, a traveling evangelist, and a Youth for Christ speaker.[5] He had a preaching style where he fired off two-hundred-forty words per minute and proclaimed Christ and the gospel over much dialogue. He spoke as a Southerner with jokes, he was prolific, and he clearly crafted his sentences.[6] He did not stay local for long.

From 1949 to 1971, Graham moved from leader, to celebrity, to icon. He was ordained Southern Baptist but worshiped indiscriminately (unlike his wife, who remained Southern Presbyterian). In 1963, he told Newsweek that he felt most comfortable in the evangelical wing of the Anglican church.[7] There were multiple traditional “lines” that he used to make such an impact including the political and religious arenas.

The political arena was one of the traditional “lines” that Graham used to extend the Kingdom of God by delivering the Gospel. He served as a spiritual advisor to multiple presidents and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983 and the Congressional Medal in 1996.[8] He had close relationships at the White House with most of the Presidents beginning with Harry Truman through Barack Obama. In 2007, President George Bush labeled him as “America’s Pastor” with all three of the living ex-presidents in attendance.[9] Graham remained first and foremost an evangelist, but he also served as a political strategist, cultural critic, and global humanitarian who worried about global poverty and war orphans.[10]     

There is risk when using the political arena as it is very public, and opinion can be changed quickly in large numbers. In 2002, Graham’s conversation with President Richard Nixon was released and it tarnished Graham’s image as he made odious remarks about Jews and the media.[11] President Harry Truman called him a “counterfeit” and Bob Jones, Sr, president of Bob Jones University, said that Graham was doing more harm to the cause of Jesus Christ than any other living man.[12] These mixed reviews from high level officials provided many different faces of Graham to the public. His radio, television, and global appearances tipped the scales of public opinion as his character, virtues, and Christian marriage should be replicated. He was known for his warmth, humility, and sincerity. There was no argument about his financial integrity, unpretentious lifestyle, or marital faithfulness. The fruit of the Spirit was evident by those who knew or spent time with him. One columnist stated that Graham “certainly prays Republican.”[13]

The religious arena was another traditional “line” that Graham used to advance the gospel. He used radio, television, satellite, internet, and global appearances to proclaim Christ without offending the main Protestant denominations. From 1950 through the 1990s, Graham made it a priority to visit colleges and universities. His visits involved more than just evangelism as he approached these institutions with curiosity and a desire for mutual understanding between his evangelical beliefs and the non-evangelical student bodies.[14] He was also a keynote speaker for many graduation ceremonies giving everyone the gospel.

He kept his Southern roots and used them to his advantage. In the South, the most influential people were the preachers when they were in the pulpits. He was influencing the mainline churches including First Baptist in Dallas, Myers Park United Methodist in Charlotte, Hillsboro Church of Christ in Nashville, and Wheat Street Baptist in Atlanta. These churches had members that ran successful companies and worshiped on Sundays. His company was the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and it was central to his strategy in proclaiming the gospel worldwide. He kept his sermons simple, focused, and direct. He focused on the gospel and the “decision” that was needed by non-believers to follow Christ. This theme prevailed in the naming of his weekly radio program The Hour of Decision.[15] He ensured that everyone heard directly, or indirectly, John 3:16. His association is still very active today with his children conducting “God Loves You” crusades around the world and has a dedicated radio channel of his sermons on SirusXM radio (The Billy Graham Channel).

Both traditional “lines” of politics and religion can be used today to spread the gospel through public theology. Public theology involves engaging in today’s societal issues from a theological perspective that promotes justice, peace, and reconciliation. This can be done by engaging political leaders and using all the media platforms available.

Preachers can integrate world events and political stances into their sermons so the congregation can understand the dire need for Christ in today’s world. The larger churches and denominational associations should provide articles on their stance with specific events and provide biblical explanations for their stance. They can provide the solution, Christ, to the many problems of the world. Unfortunately, America’s largest denominations are experiencing declining numbers, and they are not working together to bring Christ to the world. The non-denominational associations are few and not well funded or supported. This is an area of opportunity for the many churches that are going independent and non-denominational.

Note from Professor: As is no surprise to me by now, one of the top papers on this assignment in every conceivable way. I certainly hope you are making plans (with your wife’s agreement) for a PhD program somewhere. – Dr. Todd Buck

Bibliography

Finstuen, Andrew, Grant Wacker, and Anne Blue Wills, eds. Billy Graham: American Pilgrim. Oxford, UK: Oxford University, 2017.

Laurie, Greg. Billy Graham: The Man I Knew. New York: Salem Books, 2021.

Wacker, Grant. “Billy Graham’s America.” Church History 78, no. 3 (2009): 489–511. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20618750.

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[1] Grant Wacker, “Billy Graham’s America,” Church History 78, no. 3 (2009): 490-491, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20618750.

[2] Ibid., 493.

[3] Greg Laurie, Billy Graham: The Man I Knew (New York: Salem Books, 2021), 20.

[4] Ibid., 42.

[5] Wacker, “Billy Graham’s America,” 493.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid., 505.

[8] Ibid., 491.

[9] Ibid., 492.

[10] Andrew Finstuen, Grant Wacker, and Anne Blue Wills, eds., Billy Graham: American Pilgrim (Oxford, UK: Oxford University, 2017), 119.

[11] Wacker, “Billy Graham’s America,” 493.

[12] Ibid., 494.

[13] Ibid., 496.

[14] Finstuen, Wacker, and Wills, eds., Billy Graham, 23.

[15] Wacker, “Billy Graham’s America,” 501.