A Prophet with Honor
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242.Ethel Waters. Ethel Waters, oral history, October 1970, CN 141, Box 5, Folder 141, BGCA; Grady Wilson, interview, March 31, 1987; Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 137.
242.“Analysis of decisions.” Robert Ferm interviewed 231 ministers (most had cooperated with the crusade, but some had actively opposed it) and over 2,000 inquirers were selected in a somewhat random fashion. Ferm chose his sample by taking 100 names from each alphabetical grouping of inquirers. This obviously gave inquirers whose names began with such letters as Q or Z a much larger chance of being included than those whose name began with, for example, B or M or S or W. Ferm apparently took this into some account, and it seems clear he was in no way trying to select a sample that would skew findings in a direction that would guarantee an outcome favorable to BG. Ferm, interview, March 28, 1987. Crusade results. “The New York Billy Graham Crusade Report,” typed report, n.d., but apparently 1958. CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 5, Folder 36 (New York 1957 Crusade Reports), BGCA; “One Year Later,” Christian Life, September 1958, pp. 11–15. Reports from individual congregations are found on p. 13 of this article.
243.Post crusade follow-up effort. “Billy Graham Is Back to Follow Up Crusade,” New York Herald Tribune, September 25, 1957.
243.“There is a difference!” BG, quoted in Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 12.
Chapter 15: Reaping the Whirlwind
245.Fundamentalists sign pledge. Sword of the Lord, January 24, 1958, pp. 4–8. Cited in Farley Porter Butler, Billy Graham and the End of Evangelical Unity (Ph.D. diss., University of Florida, 1976), p. 232.
245.Liberal and Fundamentalist opposition in San Francisco. Butler, End of Unity, p. 243; Sherwood E. Wirt, “New Life Surges in ‘Graveyard of Evangelism,’” United Evangelical Action, August 1, 1958, p. 3.
245.“What makes San Francisco significant . . . which divide them” Christianity Today, quoted in Butler, End of Unity, pp. 243–44.
245.BG’s open letter. CN 192 (Lindsell Papers), Box 6, Folder 2, BGCA.
246.“no way I could answer them.” BG, interview, March 26, 1987.
246.BG and Bob Jones in Birmingham. The basic story was told to me by Roy Gustafson, June 27, 1988. BG was able to recall fewer details but confirmed that such a meeting occurred in Birmingham and that he recalled nothing contradicting Gustafson’s story. BG, interview, May 5, 1989.
246.T. W. Wilson not welcome at funeral. The New York Times, reprinted in Charlotte Observer, June 15, 1969; confirmed by Wilson, February 15, 1991.
246.“a little like Saul and David.” BG, interview, March 26, 1987. Barrows recalled an incident in which famed Fundamentalist evangelist John R. Rice displayed a similar spirit. Several evangelists, including Rice and Jones, were involved in a long joint revival in Chicago. The campaign had not gone particularly well except on Saturday nights, when the young preachers from Youth For Christ handled the services. “I remember vividly,” Barrows recalled, “standing in a corner while the executive committee discussed Saturday nights. John R. Rice felt that he and some of the older men should have Saturday nights. The rationale was that ‘these young fellows can’t carry it.’ But in my perception there was also a feeling that ‘if the big crowd came for the young fellows on Saturday night, it sort of shows up the rest of us who don’t get the crowds the other nights.’ There was that little element of tension. It was hard for the older men to move to one side and make room for the younger fellows coming along. I think there was a little jealousy. God forbid if I am wrong, but I don’t think the issue was fundamental, if you press it right down. I don’t want to be unkind. The Scripture says, ‘Let God judge.’” Interview, March 28, 1987.
247.Ockenga calls BG the spokesman of New Evangelicalism. Press release, December 1957, quoted in Christian Beacon, January 9, 1958.
247.Bob Jones removes Fuller program from BJU station. George Marsden, Reforming Fundamentalism: Fuller Seminary and the Hew Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), p. 167.
247.BG’s graciousness on airplane. Lane Adams, interview, February 9, 1987; oral history, May 9, 1978, CN 141, Box 2, Folder 4, BGCA.
248.Costs of celebrity. Patricia Daniels Cornwell, A Time for Remembering: The Ruth Bell Graham Story (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983), pp. 131–49.
248.GiGi recalls Ruth’s child-rearing techniques. GiGi Tchividjian, interview, October 25, 1990.
248.“The children misbehave. . . . I must be careful.” Cornwell, A Time for Remembering, p. 144.
249.Discipline when Billy was home. GiGi Tchividjian, interview.
249.“Some dad you are!” GiGi Tchividjian, interview. Cf. also Cornwell, A Time for Remembering, p. 145.
249.Ruth uses dog-training manual. Ruth Graham, It’s My Turn (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1982), p. 100.
249.GiGi’s difficulty at being good. Cornwell, A Time for Remembering, pp. 112, 141–42.
249.GiGi’s “practical theology.” Graham, It’s My Turn, pp. 110, 92.
250.GiGi at boarding school. GiGi Tchividjian, interview.
250.“I never take sides.” “A Talk with Billy Graham,” New York Post, May 12, 1957. At about this same time, BG told reporter Noel Houston that a group of conservative Democratic senators had come to his home to urge him to enter the primaries against North Carolina’s senator Kerr Scott. He had declined their offer by saying, “Why should I demote myself to be a senator?” The implication was not that he was more famous than any senator but that his work as an evangelist was more important. Over the following decades, he would often give similar answers when asked about possible political ambitions. Noel Houston, “Billy Graham,” Holiday, March 1958, p. 114.
250.“religious issue would be very strong.” Letter, BG to Nixon, December 2, 1957 in CN 74, Box 299 (Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard Nixon, National Archives and Record Service), MF 1, BGCA. Subsequent correspondence between BG and Nixon prior to Nixon’s presidency is from this source.
250.“a split deep within democratic ranks on the race issue.” Letter, BG to Nixon, August 27, 1958.
250.BG offers Nixon “moral and spiritual” opportunity. Letter, BG to Nixon, March 28, 1957.
251.“one of the most historic events of your administration.” Letter, BG to Eisenhower, August 2, 1957. The President declined. Letter, Eisenhower to BG, August 9, 1957. BG was not alone in assuming a growing parity in his relationship with political leaders. During the New York crusade, a Long Island woman who had been unsuccessful in her efforts to arrange a personal visit with the evangelist wrote to Richard Nixon to see if he would intercede on her behalf. Letter, Mrs. L. Diess, Richmond Hill, Long Island, to Nixon, July 25, 1957.
251.“Dear Miss Counts . . . Graham, D.D.” quoted in “The Political Education of Billy Graham,” the Washington Post, April 14, 1986. See also the New York Times, September 16, 1957.
251.Faubus attended New York crusade. New York World-Telegram and Sun, May 24, 1957, p. 6.
252.“duty of every Christian to obey the law.” “Graham Hits Race, Hate in Talk to 10,000 on Long Island,” Newsday, September 25, 1957.
252.Turmoil linked to outsiders. “Graham Links ‘Outsiders’ to School Rioting.” New York Journal-American, September 27, 1957.
252.Communist newspapers report Little Rock trauma. Reported in the New York Times, September 19, 1957.
252.Oveta Culp Hobby and Richard Nixon communicate with BG. Long Island Daily Press, September 26, 1957, pp. 1, 22.
253.Ike consults BG about sending troops. BG, interview, February 27, 1987. Also, Billy Graham (interview), USA Today, August 15, 1988. Other details of the Little Rock conflict from the New York Times, September 4–9, 14–16, 21–26, 1957.
253.BG willing to visit Little Rock, but not without an invitation. New York Times, September 25, 1957; “Graham Hits Race,” Newsday, September 25, 1957. Fundamentalists do not want him. Ernest Q. Campbell and Thomas F. Pettigrew, Christians in Racial Crisis: A Study of Little Rock’s Ministry (Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press, 1959), p. 55. This provocative book
shows that many clergymen favored school integration but chose not to speak out, primarily because they feared the effects their actions would have on their careers. For a replication of their study in a northern (Rochester, New York) setting, see William C. Martin, Christians in Conflict (Chicago: Center for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1972).
253.“the most remarkable man in history.” Letter, BG to Eisenhower, December 2, 1957.
254.“largest religious gathering ever held in the southeast.” “Graham Sets the South an Example,” Christian Century, November 19, 1958, p. 1326.
254.BG in Columbia. Charlotte Observer, October 12, 14, 23, 27, 1958; Charlotte News, October 23, 1958. John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), pp. 225–26; also, Columbia State, October 24, 1958, cited in Hopkins, Race Problem, pp. 89–91. Bonnell’s letter is quoted in Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 225. The Christian Century had commended BG’s actions in an article, “Billy Graham Sets the South an Example,” November 19, 1958, p. 1326.
255.BG calls bombings Hitler-like. AP, in Charlotte Observer, October 16, 1958.
255.BG in Clinton. UPI, December 15, 1958; Pollock, Authorized Biography p. 226; Drew Pearson, Diaries, 1949–1959, (New York, 1974), pp. 487–88, cited by Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 95.
255.BG visits Little Rock. AP, September 11,1959; UPI, September 14, 1959; Also, Arkansas Democrat, September 11–15, 17, 1959, cited in Hopkins, Race Problem, p. 98. Vaught’s assessment of BG’s influence, quoted in Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 226.
256.“a breezy, easy-to-read style.” BG’s conception of the new magazine, quoted by Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 240.
256.Decision’s beginnings. Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 240–41; Sherwood E. Wirt, oral history, January 6, 1976, CN 141, Box 5, Folder 47, BGCA.
256.Crusade University. Minutes, “Billy Graham Project,” November 5, 1959, December 29, 1959, Washington, D.C., CN 313, Box 2, Folder 14, BGCA.
256.Brochure. The name Crusade University was a working designation only. At the November board meeting, BG apologized for the appearance of his name and picture on the brochure’s cover and told the gathering that “I don’t want this to be a Billy Graham College or a Billy Graham University.” CN 313, Box 2, Folder 14, BGCA; Carl F. H. Henry, interview, February 10, 1987.
Chapter 16: Unto the Uttermost Parts of the Earth
258.“Less than a third . . .” Gallup poll. Stewart Barton Babbage and Ian Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross (New York: Doubleday, 1960), p. 18.
258.Australian opposition to previous evangelists. “An Evangelist Far Away,” Newsweek, March 9, 1959, p. 104; “Real Cool, Billy,” Time, March 23, 1959, p. 63; Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, passim. Brian Willersdorf (Australian evangelist), interview, July 15, 1986.
258.The invitation to hold a crusade in Australia. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, pp. 20–22.
259.Feature films used to generate interest. Ibid., p. 26.
259.Edwin Orr’s preparatory meetings. J. Edwin Orr, interview, July 14, 1986; Willersdorf, interview.
259.BG suffers eye problem, recuperates in Hawaii. Grady Wilson, interview, March 1, 1987. Also. “Billy Graham’s Journey,” Newsweek, February 16, 1959; “Conquest Down Under,” Newsweek, May 25,1959; Charlotte Observer, January 15, 1959; UPI, January 13,1959; John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), p. 205. BG’s Canadian benefactor was Charles A. Pitts.
260.Melbourne venues and attendance figures. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, p. 32; Pollock, Authorized Biography, pp. 190–96. The attendance figure of ten thousand for the original indoor stadium includes crowds watching on closed-circuit television in an auxiliary building.
260.Trains slow down by Cricket Grounds. Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 196.
260.Letter from Eisenhower. Charlotte Observer, March 12, 1959.
260.Governor reads Ps. 23. Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 196. Long before the campaign began, U.S. ambassador William J. Siebald, acting on a recommendation from Richard Nixon, had sponsored a reception for BG and a representative group of government and church leaders at the embassy in Canberra, thus making it clear that BG came to Australia with blessings of his own government. Noted in letter from BG to Nixon, October 14, 1958 in CN 74, MF Reel 1, from Box 299 (Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard Nixon, National Archives and Record Service).
260.New Zealand statistics. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, pp. 35–36.
260.Sydney statistics. Ibid., p. 36.
260.BG’s press coverage. “Inquiries re Crusade Results,” notes in CN 19 (Ferm Papers), BGCA; Willersdorf, interview.
261.Telephone counseling. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, p. 48. Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 192.
261.Press and TV coverage. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, pp. 49, 52; Willersdorf, interview.
261.“national adulation.” Willersdorf, interview.
261.“biggest thing in . . . church history of Australia.” Bishop R. C. Kerle, quoted by AP, in Charlotte News, May 7, 1959.
261.Prestigious converts. Students and medical personnel converted. The Reverend Gordon Powell, pastor, St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, “Six Months After Billy Graham,” address at University of Sydney, “Folder Inquiries re Crusade Results,” CN 19 (Ferm Papers), BGCA; Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, p. 110.
261.Governor’s wife, business leaders, and lawyers converted. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, pp. 56, 105, 113. At Sydney, a section of reserved seats was set aside for professional people, and doctors had access to a restricted parking lot.
261.Growth at St. Stephen’s. Powell, “Six Months (address)”; Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, p. 138; Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 212.
262.Results proportionate to effort. Various letters from pastors, in “Inquiries re Crusade Results,” CN 19 (Ferm Papers), BGCA; John Mallison, interview, July 13, 1986.
262.Growth in volunteer ranks, cuts in crime. Babbage and Siggens, Light Beneath the Cross, pp. 27, 55.
262.Bible sales. Roy Gustafson, oral history, 1976, CN 141, Box 4, Folder 12, BGCA.
262.Stabbing. UPI, May 11, 1959.
262.Sydney clergymen encouraged by Graham crusade. The Reverend A. Jack Dain, interview, July 14, 1986. Also, Walter Smyth, interview, June 11, 1986. The Most Reverend Archbishop Marcus L. Loane also reported that through the middle of the 1960s, a majority of applicants to the Church of England’s Moore Theological College traced their conversion or sense of call to the ministry to the 1959 crusade, as did a substantial number of candidates seeking to become missionaries under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society. Loane, oral history, March 29, 1982, CN 141, Box 13, Folder 28, BGCA.
262.“Australia far from revived.” Orr, interview.
263.Tea with the queen, sex in the parks, and Jayne Mansfield. Charlotte Observer, June 9, 1959; UPI, June 9, 19, 22, 1959; Charlotte News, July 3, 4, 1959.
263.“If the female bosom were covered.” AP, May 22, 1958.
263.BG visit to Russia. UPI, July 7, 14, 19, 1959; Charlotte News, July 3, 1959
264.“it will put Khrushchev on the spot.” AP, September 27, 1959.
264.Graham-sanctioned book about African tour. Tom McMahan, Safari for Souls (Columbia, S.C.: State-Record, 1960). Most of the citations in this chapter are to press releases prepared by McMahan and syndicated in American newspapers. The book was in large measure compiled from these releases. CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 5, Folder 50, Africa 1960, BGCA.
264.“documentary.” The film Africa on the Bridge won the Golden Reel Award as documentary of the year, 1960.
264.Why BG has seldom returned to Africa. Graham, interview, February 26, 1987.
265.Documentary positive toward Nkrumah. Africa on the Bridge. McMahan reported that shortly before their visit, a group of women visiting Nkrumah’s mother had chanted, “Blesse
d art thou among women.” McMahan, Safari, pp. 26–27. Interestingly, in the 1966 coup in Ghana, Nkrumah’s statue was one of the first symbols of his regime to be toppled.
265.Islamic opposition. “Moslems vs. Billy,” Time, February 15, 1960, p. 86; “Graham Wins Friends but Alienates Moslems,” Christian Century, February 17, 1960, pp. 180–81; “New Attitude,” Christian Century, February 24, 1960, p. 214; UPI, February 4, 1960.
266.BG urges Eisenhower to visit Nigeria. McMahan, “Safari,” press release; Charlotte Observer, April 1, 1960.
266.Islamic healing challenge. AP, March 5, 1960; McMahan, Safari, p. 101. The story of Elijah’s challenge to the priests of Baal is found in I Kings 18.
266.“Country devil.” McMahan, Safari, p. 14–16.
266.“Witchdoctors.” Ibid., p. 68; “Have Graham’s Crusades Helped Africa?” Our Africa, May 1960 (Our Africa is a magazine published in Durban, South Africa). Clipping in CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 5, Folder 50, Africa 1960, BGCA.
267.BG at leprosarium. Grady Wilson, Count It All Joy (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1984), pp. 296–97.
267.BG “put the cookies on a lower shelf.” George F. Hall, “Billy Graham in Moshi,” Christian Century, March 23, 1960, p. 366.
267.Fear of being misunderstood. McMahan, “Safari,” press releases from Jos, Nigeria, and Nairobi, Kenya.
268.“Just this little visit.” Unidentified clipping, March 4, 1960, in CN 19 (Ferm Papers), Box 5, Folder 50, Africa 1960, BGCA.
268.Drunken dance scene. Chicago Daily Tribune, February 29, 1960.
268.“All over Africa . . . Christ belongs to all races.” UPI, March 30, 1960; “Safari for Souls,” Time, February 1, 1960; p. 37; Christianity associated with colonialism, McMahan, “Safari,” press release, Jos, Nigeria.
268.First integrated meetings in Rhodesia. “Billy Graham’s World,” Newsweek, March 28, 1960, p. 86; McMahan, Safari, pp. 54, 57.
268.“God doesn’t . . . see color of skin.” BG, sermon, in Africa on the Bridge.
268.White women shoulder to shoulder with blacks. South African Press Association/AP clipping, February 28, 1960. Numerous papers carried this statement. In CN 360, MF Reel 14, BGCA.