Ship of Fools: Death of Billy Graham

Thread: Death of Billy Graham Board: Purgatory / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Kaplan Corday (# 16119) on :

I was converted as a boy through Graham's 1959 crusade.

It was arguably the single most important religious event in twentieth century Australian history (the crusade, not my conversion), and produced countless Christian activists, many of whom later moved on to what they considered a more theologically sophisticated faith, evangelical or non-evangelical.

Christianity in Australia had, since about 1900, been in a gradual decline which plateaued out after WWII, so most of the 1959 converts did not come out of "heathenism", but had some sort of Sunday school or church background which gave his message a receptive context.

The decline became much more precipitous during the 60s, so his subsequent returns in 1968 and 1979 did not have anything like the same impact.

My friends and I grew up inside what was, in retrospect, "Billy Grahamism", a domesticated, homogenised, lowbrow evangelicalism which we came to gently mock during our adolescence("Psychologists tell us...").

I still respect Graham for his successful handling of the unholy trinity of money sex and power ("the gold, the girls and the glory"); for his early move to racially integrated meetings, despite his Southern roots; for his Arminian and ecumenical largeness; and for his openness to work with people like John Stott on projects like the 1974 Lausanne Movement to broaden evangelicalism's ministry.

He made the mistake (which he later admitted) of getting too close to presidents, and while his 1972 taped comments with Nixon were, in context (I believe, though obviously cannot prove) prompted by animus toward individuals who happened to be Jews rather than anti-Semitism per se, they were ingratiating and totally unacceptable.

Mass evangelism appears to have had its day, and Graham's fame had faded considerably before he died - many younger Shipmates might hardly have heard of him - so it is possible he will quickly become a historical curiosity.

What is your assessment of him, given his evangelical presuppositions (there is not much point in criticising him for not promoting religious syncretism, or gay marriage)?

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Just FYI:

There's a thread in AS, something about "Did you see Billy Graham in person?". There's been a fair amount of discussion of the type you're starting.

I have no idea whether you should have this thread here. But thought I should let you know.

Posted by Kaplan Corday (# 16119) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Just FYI:

There's a thread in AS, something about "Did you see Billy Graham in person?". There's been a fair amount of discussion of the type you're starting.

I have no idea whether you should have this thread here. But thought I should let you know.

Thanks GK.

I was a bit surprised that no-one had started anything on the main boards - obviously I should have investigated further.

I'll leave it with the Hostocracy.

Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :

hosting/

Here is a link to the All Saints thread, which does indeed seem to be straying into the more Purgatorial territory you have firmly started in.

To avoid chaos, Kaplan I suggest you hold your thought for 12 hours or so and repost your comment as an OP in the new Purgatory, with a link to the legacy All Saints thread, if one of the hosts doesn't get there first.

I'll close this thread in the meantime; please post in the Styx if that's not clear.

/hosting

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