Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 29
Following are a few insights from Grant about the man whose
legacy is tangible at Wheaton, where the Billy Graham Center has
served as a resource for “accelerating global evangelism” since 1980.
A UniqUe CoLLeCtion of essAys
“We use Graham as a lens for looking at other issues such as global
justice, American intellectual culture, racism. One of the things
that strikes me about him is his broad appeal to the vast heartland of
America. There was a time when hardly any American didn’t know
who he was, and the majority greatly approved of him,” says Grant.
the imPACt of WheAton CoLLege
Many people know that Billy Graham not only walked away from
Wheaton College with an anthropology degree, but also with
his most trusted advisor and friend, his wife, Ruth Bell Graham,
who was faithfully by his side until her death in 2007.
But there were four, perhaps lesser-known, key influences that
Wheaton had on Billy’s career. Billy himself often notes that he had
not encountered African Americans as social peers until the Wheaton
chapter in his life. He became comparatively progressive (especially as
a white southern preacher in the ’50s and ’60s) on racial issues.
The Wheaton circle provided Billy with the framework for
extensive social networking. He was influenced by individuals such as
Dr. Harold Lindsell ’38 (who later served as an editor for Christianity
Today magazine, which Billy started with Dr. Carl F. H. Henry ’38,
M.A. ’41, LITT.D. ’68) and Torrey Johnson ’30, D.D. ’45, president of
Youth for Christ, which spring-boarded Billy’s evangelistic ministry.
Wheaton’s global missionary focus, propelled by the end of World
War II, also gave Billy an international vision for evangelism that
he did not have until that time. Still today, “He has an openness to
anyone without being intimidated or pretending to be an intellectual,”
Grant says—an openness to the world. “Before, where evangelicals
tended to be more parochial and inward-looking, he turned the lens
around and said, ‘Let’s engage the world.’”
It was also at Wheaton that Billy Graham developed his own selfidentity to a sharper degree. He realized that he was a Southerner
and what that meant for his ministry and how he would come to be
known—informal, unpretentious, and e normously likable.
Defining eLements of BiLLy grAhAm’s PreAChing AnD infLUenCe
Billy Graham taught Christians about living their beliefs through
Christian outreach and building community. He didn’t get caught up
in the finer details of theology by saying that a certain kind of baptism
or doctrine was necessary. Instead, he kept his message simple and
personal. In fact, when it comes down to it, Billy Graham’s legacy
is as much about what he did not do as about what he did. He did
not get rich off of the gospel, or run for political office, or fall into
immorality.
A rarity among figures in the spotlight today, the public “Billy
Graham” has proven to be the real thing. Grant notes that, in fact,
part of the reason for the longevity of his success and influence lay in
his personal life. “He modeled absolute personal integrity—financial
integrity, marital fidelity, honesty—however it is to be measured,
integrity is integrity one’s entire life, public or private.”
“He opened public space for evangelicals to move into American
life,” Grant says. “Out of the shadows, into the sunlight, they
became conspicuous to media, politics, the academy.” A friend to
presidents on both sides of the ticket, over the years Billy Graham
became outspoken in the public arena as the voice of evangelicalism.
His legacy is not without criticism, though. Some theologians and
academics thought him simplistic and narrow-minded. “The extremes
continue to fascinate me,” Grant says. “How does one person become
the touchstone for so much adulation and so much strong dislike?”
“He didn’t really create many things from scratch,” Grant adds,
“but he made everything possible.” Acknowledging exaggeration to
make a point, Grant explains further that developments such as
Christian broadcasting on radio and television, Youth for Christ, and
even Wheaton College grew because of his influence. “His genius
was to take trends in motion and amplify them.” He helped change
the landscape of American religion.
Even in his ninth decade, Billy Graham continues to call not
economics or politics to the forefront of thought, but the heart of the
Christian life—our fundamental calling to faithful discipleship and
to proclaiming Christ’s forgiveness to the world.
Watch
and
Learn
Planning for
adult
education
classes
or small group
studies?
Recently expanding into the realm
of video, the ISAE now has several
offerings that might make leading
a class or small group study easier.
People of Faith: Christianity in America
is a critically-acclaimed, six-part
documentary series that examines
themes, controversies, and people
in the history of the American church.
A similar DVD documentary on Billy
Graham’s crusades is forthcoming in
2013. The ISAE has also created one
stand-alone video: Saving the World:
The Changing Terrain of American
Protestant Missions.
To find out more about the Institute,
to order videos or other resources,
and to see a schedule for upcoming
conferences, including the “Worlds of
Billy Graham” conference this fall, go
to www.wheaton.edu/isae or email
[email protected].
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