A Prophet with Honor

by William C. Martin

  173.Communists behind reform efforts. Los Angeles Times, September 15, 1951.

  173.“You can’t clean up a city.” BG, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 37. 169 “race with race.” Ibid., p. 38.

  173.No discrimination in Washington crusade. “Graham Begins Plans for Big Four-Week Washington Revival,” Charlotte Observer, January 12, 1952, CN 360, Reel 5, BGCA.

  173.“love, love, love.” The Washington Post, January 21, 25, 1952; February 18, 1952, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 39.

  173.Segregation at the Houston crusade. John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), p. 97.

  173.Service for black leaders. “Negroes Ask Graham to Stay Over” Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1952.

  173.Baptist colleges should admit blacks. “Billy Graham Urges Negroes in Colleges,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, May 18, 1952, CN 360, Reel 5, BGCA.

  174.Race problem “something you’re going to have to face.” Billy Graham, “Why Don’t Our Churches Practice the Brotherhood They Preach?” Reader’s Digest, August 1960, p. 116; also Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 97.

  174.No segregation at the cross. UP, July 9, 1952.

  174.Christian Century applauds BG. Christian Century, August 13, 1952, p. 934.

  174.“I feel I have been misinterpreted.” Jackson Clarion-Ledger, July 10, 1951.

  174.“I cannot be hypocritical on this matter.” G. Merrill Lenox to BG, July 8, 1952; BG to Lenox, July 12, 1952, CN 1 (Haymaker Papers), Box 1, Folder 18, BGCA; quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, pp. 43–44.

  175.“personally removed ropes.” BG, sermon, Washington, D.C., May 3, 1986. Also, personal conversation.

  175.Detroit pastor complains; Haymaker responds. Charles A. Hill to Haymaker, June 11, 1953; Haymaker to Hill, June 15, 1953, CN 1 (Haymaker Papers), Box 1, Folder 18, BGCA, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, pp. 47–48.

  175.“The church must practice Christianity.” Michigan Chronicle (Detroit), October 3, 1953, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 49.

  175.“A great spiritual revival is needed.” Ibid.

  175.Christian Century commends BG. Frank Fitt, “In the Wake of Billy Graham,” Christian Century, December 1, 1953, pp. 1438–39.

  176.BG rejects “curse of Canaan” argument. Detroit Sunday Times, September 27, 1953, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 51.

  176.“There is no ‘Master Race.’” “My Answer,” in Asheville Citizen-Times, November 15, 1953, quoted in Hopkins, Race Problem, pp. 52–53.

  176.“The church should have been the pace-setter.” Graham, Peace with God, p. 181.

  176.“When true Christians look at other people.” Ibid., p. 182.

  176.BG’s lukewarmness toward integration during Nashville crusade. Hopkins, Race Problem, pp. 60–61. BG to James M. Gregg, July 24, 1954, CN 1 (Haymaker Papers), Box 1, Folder 24, BGCA.

  Chapter 11: Harringay

  177.“From vict’ry unto vict’ry.” From George Duffield and George J. Webb, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,” popular Evangelical hymn.

  177.Limited support, even among Evangelicals. Robert O. Ferm, oral history, 1978, CN 141, Box 3, Folder 37, BGCA. In an interview with U.S. News & World Report, BG asserted that approximately one thousand churches had been involved in the invitation and that he imagined approximately two thirds of them were Anglican churches. This appears to be a gross overestimate. Billy Graham (interview) “Billy Graham’s Story: New Crusade in Europe,” U.S. News & World Report, August 27, 1954, p. 82.

  177.Resistance to a crusade. The Reverend A. Jack Dain, interview, July 14, 1986, Amsterdam. See also Frank Colquhoun, The Harringay Story: The Official Story of the Billy Graham Greater London Crusade, 1954. (London: Hodder &C Stoughton, 1955), p. 18.

  177.“His theology is fifty years behind contemporary scholarship.” Reynolds’ News, May 22, 1955, quoting Dr. Brian Wellbeck, a psychologist who contended after the crusade that BG had harmed British churches.

  177.Forms of opposition to the crusade. Various interviewees made similar observations. One of the most articulate and analytical was Brian Kingsmore, a Scottish Presbyterian minister interviewed in Amsterdam, July 10, 1986.

  178.hope “to start a spark.” Hour of Decision television program, April 1954, CN 54, Film 99, BGCA.

  178.Earl Warren attends prayer service. United Evangelical Action, 1954, p. 15.

  178.“Spiritual vacuum.” BG’s use of this term with respect to England is cited in Louis Hofferbert, “The Billy Graham Story,” Houston Press, May 1952, Chapter 16, CN 360, Reel 5, BGCA.

  178.Award-winning public relations campaign. Gerald Beavan, interview, March 1988. BGEA shared one of the awards with Craven-A Cigarettes. Colquhoun, Harringay Story, p. 44.

  178.“Hear Billy Graham,” World Press News, October 15, 1954.

  178.Eisenhower endorses crusade, Dulles to help. Letter, BG to Willis Haymaker, n.d., CN 3 1 (Haymaker Papers), Box 1, Folder 21 (London 1954, 10/53–6/54); “Billy Graham: Young Thunderer of Revival,” Newsweek, February 1, 1954, p. 42; John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), p. 113.

  178.“like a Biblical Baedeker.” “100,000 Pounds Worth of Hot Gospel,” London Evening News, February 23, 1954, CN 360, Reel 6, BGCA. Unless otherwise noted, all newspaper clippings relating to the Harringay crusade can be found in CN 360, Reel 6.

  179.Text of “Socialism” brochure. The New York Times, February 21, 1954. The basic account of this snafu was provided by Gerald Beavan, interview. Pollock and Graham have written that the offending word was to have been changed to secularism. Beavan, who wrote the copy, insists that the only change suggested or made was from an upper case to a lowercase s.

  180.“Apologize—or stay away!” Hannen Swaffer, in London Daily Herald, February 20, 1954.

  180.“interfering in British politics.” Radio news sheet, February 20, 1954, quoted in Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 115.

  180.“an attack on the British Labor government.” London Daily Mirror, February 22, 1954.

  180.Reporters board the liner. Billy Graham, “‘God Is My Witness,’” Part II, McCall’s, May 1964, p. 183.

  180.“never attacked Socialism.” London Daily Herald, February 22, 1954, p. 1.

  180.George Wilson takes blame. Montreal Daily Star, February 22, 1954.

  180.Beavan claims to have ordered change in calendar, Glasgow Sunday Mail, n.d. (1954). Beavan insisted he was responsible for using the word socialism but observes that it would never have surfaced had not Wilson used the text in the calendar without his (Beavan’s) knowledge. Beavan, interview.

  180.Socialism an equivalent to theatergoing. Montreal Daily Star, February 22, 1954.

  180.BG response “fatuous.” London Daily Herald, February 24, 1954.

  180.“less than fully convincing.” A spokesman for the crusade committee told reporters, “You caught him on the High Seas without his documents or his adviser.” London Daily Herald, February 22, 1954.

  180.Marx “a subtle, clever, degenerate materialist.” BG, “Satan’s Religion,” sermon, Hour of Decision, December 1953.

  181.BG calls for revolt against socialism. BG, “Revival or the Spirit of the Age,” sermon, Hour of Decision, 1952, quoted by William G. McLoughlin, Billy Graham, Revivalist in a Secular Age (New York: Ronald Press, 1960), p. 102. 177 “England would turn to Marxist socialism.” BG, “World Reds Hit by Billy Graham,” sermon, Miami Daily News, May 18, 1952.

  181.BG might go to England to help halt Socialist trend. BG, “Our Spiritual Debt to England,” sermon, Hour of Decision, June 8, 1952.

  181.Aneurin Bevan “a dangerous man.” “British Call Billy Graham Back, but Must Wait for Two Years,” Chicago Daily News, March 21, 1952.

  181.Bevan agent of “Communist advance.” BG, “The Urgency of Revival,” sermon, Hour of Decision, 1954.

  181.“Labor [party] is killing all initiative.” Quoted by Cassandra (nom de plume of columnist William Conner), “What Is Billy Graha
m Up To?” London Daily Mirror, February 28, 1954.

  181.De Courcey’s approval. Quoted without citation in McLoughlin, Revivalist, p. 106.

  181.BG “not partial to Socialism.” Quoted without citation, ibid.

  181.Awakening would detach people from socialism. Intelligence Digest, June 1954, p. 5, quoted in McLoughlin, Revivalist, p. 107.

  181.London Free Press advertisement in London Times, quoted in McLoughlin, Revivalist, p. 105.

  181.De Freitas impressed by BG’s Christianity. Glasgow Daily Record, February 27, 1954.

  181.BG greeted like a celebrity. “4,000 Women Mob Hot Gospeler,” London Daily Mail, February 25, 1954.

  181.“It’s time we let out the lions.” Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 117.

  182.“I thought I heard [Bill] praying.” Ruth Graham’s diary, quoted in Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 119.

  182.Beavan’s message garbled. Ibid.; Beavan, interview.

  182.“The building is packed.” Noel Houston, “Billy Graham,” Holiday, February 1958, p. 143; Graham, “‘God Is My Witness,’” Part II, May 1964, p. 183.

  182.Symington and Bridges. Glasgow Daily Record, March 2, 1954; Beavan, interview; Houston, “Billy Graham,” February 1958, p. 143; Graham, “‘God Is My Witness,’” Part II, May 1964, p. 183; Patricia Daniels Cornwell, A Time for Remembering: The Ruth Bell Graham Story (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983), pp. 95–97; Pollock, Authorized Biography, pp. 119–21.

  182.178 souls. Graham, “‘God Is My Witness,’” Part II, May 1964, p. 184.

  182.Attendance at Harringay. Grady Wilson, “Three-Month Miracle,” Moody Monthly, October 1954; Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 121.

  183.Operation Andrew beginnings. Stephen Olford, interview, April 21, 1988; Robert O. Ferm, manuscript for article on the history of Operation Andrew, CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 11, Folder 3 (February-March, 1965), BGCA.

  183.“landline relays.” Herbert Lockyer, Jr., “The Relay Meetings,” Moody Monthly, October 1954; “Graham London Crusade Is Breaking All Records,” United Evangelical Action, 1954, p. 148; Colquhoun, Harringay Story, pp. 130–32.

  184.Banquet at Claridge’s. Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 117.

  184.“reminds me of my ancestors.” Ibid., p. 122; Graham, interview, March 28, 1987.

  184.Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Cornwell, A Time for Remembering, p. 99.

  184.Giant rallies. “34,586 Decisions,” Time, May 31, 1954, pp. 58–59; Cornwell, A Time for Remembering, p. 108; Pollock, Authorized Biography, pp. 129–30; Charles T. Cook, “Memorable Climax to London Crusade,” The Christian, May 28, 1954.

  185.“It could have been better.” Bishop A. W. Goodwin-Hudson, oral history, January 7, 1976, CN 141, Box 4, Folder 5, BGCA.

  185.“Brother Archbishop.” This oft-repeated story is perhaps the best known of the many anecdotes regarding Grady Wilson. BG repeated it at Grady’s funeral in September 1987. Grady told me the same story, noting that “he outranks the prime minister. He is second in line only to the queen, and here I was calling him ‘Brother Archbishop.’” Wilson added that the day before, BG had driven him past Lambeth Palace, the arch bishop’s residence in London, and had told him that the palace contained thirty-two bathrooms. “I couldn’t see the reason for that,” Grady said, still marveling more than thirty years later. “To a country boy from North Carolina, that was just sort of overwhelming.” Interview, March 1, 1987.

  185.Frank Martin’s change of heart. Quoted in Colquhoun, Harringay Story, p. 175.

  185.Donald Soper’s reaction. J. Erskine Tuck, “Winning the Press,” Moody Monthly, October 1954.

  185.Weatherhead: “what does fundamentalist theology matter?” Ibid.

  185.BG hears sharp criticism. Colleen Evans, remarks at National Press Club, April 24, 1986.

  185.BG “teachable and humble.” “Why Not Export Billy Graham?” Christian Century, March 24, 1954, p. 357.

  186.“my eyes were scalding with tears.” “William Hickey Meets Billy Graham,” London Daily Express, March 1, 1954.

  186.The bloke means everything he says.” Cassandra, “What Is Billy Graham Up To,” Daily Mirror, February 28, 1954.

  187.“Mr. History.” Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 132.

  187.BG disowns descriptions of heaven. British press conference response, quoted in Colquhoun, Harringay Story, p. 79; BG, “The Ten Commandments,” Hour of Decision, 1958.

  187.“As for hell, . . .” British press conference, Colquhoun, Harringay Story, p. 79.

  187.Invitation hymn dropped. “The Crusade for Britain,” Time, March 8, 1954, pp. 72–74. Other changes noted by crusade organist Paul Mickelson, oral history, May 19, 1976, CN 141, Box 21, Folder 14, BGCA.

  187.BG changes views on socialism. Ralph Lord Roy, “Billy Graham’s Crusade,” The New Leader, August 1, 1955, p. 8, quoted in McLoughlin, Revivalist, p. 222.

  187.Positive view toward organized labor. AP, in Charlotte Observer, September 6, 1954.

  188.BG permits cessation of collections. Bishop A. W. Goodwin-Hudson, a key member of the crusade’s executive committee, wanted to continue the collections, but the crusade chairman, General D. J. Wilson-Haffenden, felt it was important to stop the collections as early as possible to offset any criticism of financial arrangements. Goodwin-Hudson, oral history.

  188.Harringay statistics. “Assess Permanent Results of the Graham London Campaign,” Christian Century, March 2, 1955, p. 262; “Billy’s Britain,” Time, March 22, 1954, p. 67; also, Colquhoun, Harringay Story, passim.

  188.Results comparable to Wesley. “Old-Time Religion,” U.S. News & World Report, July 9, 1954, pp. 42–43.

  188.Indifference a veneer. London Sunday Times, May 30, 1954.

  188.Evening Standard poll. “Where Are the Billy Graham Converts?” London Evening Standard, December 6, 1954.

  188.“The effect . . . very little.” Denis Duncan, in British Weekly, May 29, 1958, p. 1, quoted in McLoughlin, Revivalist, pp. 192–93.

  189.Archbishop of Canterbury assesses BG. Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Canterbury Diocesan Notes, June 1954.

  189.“very little to show.” Viewpoint, a Protestant Episcopal Church television program, Mutual Broadcasting System, quoted in Charlotte Observer, June 15, 1958.

  189.A contrast between two churches. I have heard several such stories, of London and other cities. The one alluded to here was told to me by Maurice Rowlandson, a longtime BGEA representative in London. He compared Edgeware Parish Church, St. Martin’s, with St. Lawrence Whit Church. St. Lawrence was the little engine that couldn’t. Interview, July 10, 1986.

  189.Few new members. One pastor told of receiving ninety referrals, of which only two were still active in his church a few months later. Errol Hulse, Billy Graham: The Pastor’s Dilemma (Houslow, Middlesex: Maurice Allan, 1966), pp. 11–12.

  189.Ordained Evangelicals in 1956. Charlotte Observer, November 13, 1956, citing British religious journals; John Pollock, “England Four Years After Graham,” Christianity Today, April 28, 1958, pp. 10–12.

  189.Growth of Evangelicalism among Anglicans. Various supporting statistics and anecdotal material were furnished to me by the Reverend Dr. John R. W. Stott, interview, September 29, 1986; The Reverend A. Jack Dain, oral history, December 1, 1971, CN 141, Box 3, Folder 12, BGCA; Bishop Maurice A. Wood, interview, October 2, 1986; The Reverend Richard Bewes, Rector, All Souls, London, interview, October 1, 1986; The Reverend Gilbert W. Kirby, interview, September 29, 1986.

  189.“I am deeply grateful.” Letter, BG to Dwight D. Eisenhower, May 10, 1954, CN 74, Box 1, Folder 12, BGCA. Also, Graham (interview), “New Crusade,” p. 88.

  Chapter 12: Fields White Unto Harvest

  190.European Tour. Billy Graham (interview) “Billy Graham’s Story: New Crusade in Europe,” U.S. News & World Report, August 27, 1954, p. 86; United Evangelical Action, August 1, 1954.

  190.“a salesman in God’s company.” Unidentified newspaper with Berlin dateline, July 3, 1954; Abendpost, June 12, 1955.


  190.“God has a TV camera focused on you.” BG criticized in letter to editor of unidentified German newspaper (translation), CN 360, MF Reel 8, BGCA.

  191.East German newspaper criticism. Graham (interview), “New Crusade in Europe,” p. 83; Abendpost, June 12, 1955; Zeitung, June 27, 1954; other German newspapers in CN 360, MF Reel 8, BGCA.

  191.BG on German rearmament, reactions. London Daily Express, June 24, 1954, ibid; unidentified German newspaper, June 24, 1954, ibid.

  191.BG denies political mission. Unidentified Düsseldorf newspaper, June 25, 1954, ibid.

  191.BG’s kidney stone. Jerry Beavan believed the stone had a more mundane origin. “I saw the stone [after it was removed.] It looked like a chip out of a coke bottle. They did an analysis at North Carolina or Duke or someplace, and they found the stone had a heavy phosphorus content. A homeopathic physician named Brown Henry had dosed Billy up with lots of white pills. We provided the lab with those pills, and they were loaded with phosphorus.” Gerald Beavan, interview, July 7, 1988.

  192.Bolten with BG in Berlin. John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), pp. 136–37; Beavan, interview; “New Crusade in Europe,” p. 83. Estimates of the numbers of East Germans were possible because most had come across the border in buses.

  192.BG’s alleged nightclub visits. Unidentified newspaper clipping, March 3, 1955, citing reports in East Berlin newspapers, CN 360, MF Reel 8, BGCA.

  193.Wembley crusade and meeting the royal family. Pollock, Authorized Biography, pp. 151–54; George Burnham, Mission Accomplished (Westwood, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1955) pp. 101–103.

  193.“The French just sin and sin.” “Billy Graham Preaches to Americans in Paris,” Chicago Daily News Service, in Minneapolis Star, March 24, 1952.

  193.BG’s Cambridge mission. Pollock, Authorized Biography, pp. 154–58; Stephen Olford, interview, April 21, 1988.

  194.Divinity professor’s introduction . . . students applaud. “Billy in the Lion’s Den,” Time, November 25, 1955, p. 54.

  194.Dain had doubts. The Reverend A. Jack Dain, interview, July 14, 1986.

  195.“As I was with Moses . . .” (Josh. 1:5) George Burnham, To the Far Corners: With Billy Graham in Asia (Westwood, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1956) p. 14.