A Prophet with Honor

by William C. Martin

  226.Rice attacks BG’s motives. John R. Rice, “Dr. Rees Defends Billy’s Unequal Yoke,” Sword of the Lord, April 26, 1957. Dr. Rees is Paul Rees, an evangelist and, at the time, president of the NAE, who often worked closely with BG and who had offered a defense of BG’s policy of cooperative evangelism. See Paul Rees, “What About the Criticism?” Christian Life, April 1957, pp. 14–16.

  227.“I intend to continue.” John R. Rice, quoted in Christian Beacon, April 4, 1957. The address was given on April 3.

  227.“principal sparkplug.” Rice, “Dr. Rees,” p. 7.

  227.New York committees short on Fundamentalists. James Bennet, Christian Beacon, April 25, 1957, p. 3. Bennet, an attorney and prominent Fundamentalist layman, had spoken at BG’s businessmen’s dinners during his pastorate at Western Springs, Illinois. Graham, interview, March 26, 1987. John R. Rice made a similar charge: “Of the one hundred fifty-five men and women from the general crusade committee, only a small minority claim to be out-andout Bible believers and converted people and most are openly liberal.” Rice, “Billy Graham’s New York Crusade,” p. 8. The discrepancy in numbers may be due to Rice’s lumping the general and executive committees together.

  227.“They are not godly men.” McIntire, quoted in Robert Dunzweiler, Billy Graham: A Critique, (Elkins Park, Pa.: Faith Theological Seminary, 1961), p. 17. The committee list was published in the November 22, 1956, issue of Christian Beacon. John R. Rice published the same list in Sword of the Lord, July 5, 1974, p. 4.

  227.“not orthodoxy, but love.” BG’s NAE statement, quoted in “The Lost Chord of Evangelism,” Christianity Today, April 1, 1957, p. 26.

  227.“only question is: Are you committed to Christ?” Andrew Tully, “Billy Graham Doesn’t Anticipate Overnight Miracles from Crusade,” New York World-Telegraph and Sun, May 29, 1957, p. 6.

  227.“we’ll send them to their own churches.” New York Evening Journal, September 18, 1956. In the September 29, 1956, issue of the Protestant Council’s publication, Protestant Church Life, Graham was quoted as saying, “We’re coming to New York . . . to get people to dedicate themselves to God and to send them on to their own churches—Catholic, Protestant or Jewish.” Quoted in Edgar Bundy, Billy Graham: Performer, Politician, Preacher, Prophet? (Miami Shores, Fla.: Edgar Bundy Ministries, 1982), p. 10. According to Bundy (p. 9), BG told Wyrtzen and Bennet in a private conversation in 1955 that “he would always tell his converts that they should go to the church of their choice, whether it is Catholic, Jewish, or Protestant.” A virtually identical statement was reported in the San Francisco News, November 11, 1957, p. 3. In contrast, Nelson Bell told Bob Jones, Sr., in 1957, just prior to the New York crusade, that BG “never has sent one card to a Catholic church.” Letter, Bell to Jones, May 7, 1957, in CN 8 (CT Collection), Box 1, Folder 32, BGCA.

  227.Billy’s “amiable personality” leads him to countenance error. William Ward Ayer, “Aftermath of the Billy Graham Crusade in New York,” apparently unpublished article, quoted in Dunzweiler, Graham: A Critique, p. 30.

  228.BG’s “policy never to answer critics.” BG, “The Life That Wins,” sermon, Hour of Decision, 1952.

  228.“petty little fights over non-essentials.” BG, “Peace vs. Chaos,” sermon, Hour of Decision, 1951.

  228.“little love notes.” Stephen Olford, interview, April 21, 1988.

  228.Others speak on BG’s behalf. Letter, Bell to Jones, May 7, 1957, CN 8 (CT Collection), Box 1, Folder 32, BGCA; “Dare We Renew the Controversy,” Christianity Today, June 24, 1957, p. 26. Other articles followed in July.

  228.“no major evangelist,” Robert O. Ferm, Cooperative Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), p. 31.

  Chapter 14: God in the Garden

  230.“fear and trembling.” AP, March 15, 1957.

  230.“I’m prepared to be crucified.” “A Great Revival Coming: Billy.” New York Mirror, May 11, 1947.

  230.Crusade committee members. “Billy Graham Crusade Aims at Awakening City.” New York World-Telegram and Sun, March 4, 1957, p. 1; “A Talk with Billy Graham,” New York Post, May 12, 1957. Roger Hull had become interested in BG after his wife and son heard the evangelist in Memphis in 1951, an event that sparked a significant change in the son’s life and eventually led to his entering the ministry and becoming pastor of New York’s Broadway Presbyterian Church. Roger Hull, oral history, December 10, 1970, CN 141, Box 4, Folder 37, BGCA. During the crusade, Jane Pickens Langley, whose husband was president of the New York Stock Exchange, entertained BG at a private luncheon to which she had invited several friends associated with New York’s oldest money, and during the middle of the crusade, the entire team enjoyed a daylong outing with 150 guests at the Long Island estate of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. Curtis Mitchell, God in the Garden (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957), p. 101.

  231.Wealthy backers. William G. McLoughlin, Billy Graham, Revivalist in a Secular Age (New York: Ronald Press, 1960), p. 159; also, p. 102.

  231.African tribesmen pray for BG. Herbert Weiner, “Billy Graham: Respectable Evangelism,” Commentary, September 1957, p. 258.

  231.Far East prayer groups. Mitchell, God in the Garden, pp. 80–81; “One Hundred Cities in Prayers for Graham Crusade,” New York Herald Tribune, May 26, 1957, p. 23.

  231.New York prayer groups. David Bazar, “Billy Graham Relies on Power of Prayer at Crusade Next Month,” New York Journal-American, April 20, 1957.

  231.“Every time I see my name up in lights . . .” Quoted in Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 63. BG has made this same observation countless times throughout his ministry.

  231.BG spends fifty times more than Billy Sunday on publicity. Unidentified clipping from publication that appeared during the crusade. CN 360, MF Reel 9, BGCA.

  232.“The campaign will spin along.” “In the Garden,” Christian Century, May 15, 1957, pp. 614–15.

  232.BG at Yale. Yale Daily News, February 12, 13, 15, 1957. I am indebted to Jim Ford, Yale 1988, for his assistance in seeking out the pertinent issues of the Daily News. 232. “Billy . . . master artist.” Lane Adams, interview, February 9, 1987.

  233.Niebuhr’s criticisms. “Salvation,” Newsweek, April 23, 1956; Reinhold Niebuhr, “Proposal to Billy Graham,” Christian Century, August 8, 1956, p. 921–22; “After Comment, the Deluge,” Christian Century, September 4, 1957, pp. 1034–35; quoted in McLoughlin, Revivalist, p. 503.

  233.“merely by signing a card.” Reinhold Niebuhr, “Differing Views on Billy Graham,” Life, July 1, 1957.

  233.“It simply would not do.” Reinhold Niebuhr, “Literalism, Individualism, and Billy Graham,” Christian Century, May 23, 1956, p. 641.

  233.“even less complicated answers.” Reinhold Niebuhr, Life, July 1, 1957; “Graham Ballyhoo Cheapens Ministry, Niebuhr Says,” New York Post, June 2, 1957, quoting Niebuhr’s comments in Advance, the official magazine of Congregational Christian Churches, June 14, 1957.

  233.“Theologians don’t seem to understand.” Saturday Evening Post, April 13, 1957, quoted in David Poling, Why Billy Graham? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977), p. 99. In fact, Graham did touch on such matters as housing, poverty, race relations, employment, and public education in his sermons during the New York crusade, and he did so not just offhandedly but after substantial research by his assistants and himself. Social concerns by no means dominated his preaching, but neither were they completely absent. Dan Potter, oral history, CN 141, Box 10, Folder 17, BGCA.

  234.“If I tried to preach as he writes.” Quoted in Noel Houston, “Billy Graham,” Holiday, February 1958, pp. 140–41. Some liberal churchmen agreed with BG. Henry P. Van Dusen admitted that “there are multitudes whom Mr. Graham may reach who are not now and never will be touched by a more sophisticated interpretation of the gospel.” “A Talk with Billy Graham,” New York Post, May 12, 1957.

  234.“I knew he wouldn’t see me.” BG, quoted in George Champion, oral history, CN 141, Box 23, Folder 14, BGCA.

  234.“Catholics seemed to app
reciate” BG. During his 1952 Washington crusade, an editorial in the diocesan Catholic Standard had commended him for exhorting people to return to the law of Christ and noted with approval the contrast between his services and those Fundamentalist gatherings at which Catholics had been attacked. This irenic spirit, the paper said, was “a great assurance to our Catholic people who have long known not to confuse the majority of Protestants with a vocal few.” Editorial, Catholic Standard, February 1, 1952, quoted in “Catholic Standard Supports Graham,” Arlington, Virginia, unidentified newspaper, February 8, 1952; The Tablet (Brooklyn, N.Y.), February 9, 1952. In a similar spirit, the national Roman Catholic weekly, America, reported on his five-day crusade in France in 1955, noting that “he is evidently intelligent, sincere, and genuinely zealous. Undoubtedly he is doing a lot of good among devout Protestants here and abroad.” America, quoted in Chicago Daily News, June 11, 1955, p. 1.

  234.Weigel on BG. Gustave Weigel, quoted in America, May 4, 1957, pp. 161–64.

  234.“nine sermons on Catholic doctrine.” “Catholic Sermons on Doctrine Set,” New York Journal-American, May 5, 1957, p. 10; “St. Patrick’s Sermon,” the New York Times, May 6, 1957. In a letter to his friend, Richard Nixon, BG optimistically interpreted this directive as an attempt by the archbishop to assist the crusade by contributing to “genuine spiritual awakening.” Letter, BG to Nixon, in CN 74, MF 1, from Box 299, (Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard Nixon, National Archives and Record Service), BGCA. Unless otherwise noted, correspondence between BG and Nixon (and members of their staffs) prior to Nixon’s becoming President is from this source.

  234.Catholics forbidden to hear BG. Rev. John E. Kelly, in Homiletic and Pastoral Review, April 1957, quoted in “Don’t Be Half Saved?” Time, May 6, 1957, p. 86; “Gentle but Firm,” Newsweek, May 6, 1957, p. 80; “Catholics Warned on Graham Talks,” New York World-Telegram and Sun, April 24, 1957.

  234.“a danger to the faith.” The New York Times, April 25, 1957. It is interesting to note that this story of conflict was the first story about the crusade to make the first page of the Times.

  234.BG’s heart grew cold. “This Can Happen in New York,” unidentified clipping in BGC scrapbook. Appears to be from Chritianity Today.

  235.“like our Lord weeping over Jerusalem.” Stephen Olford, interview, April 21, 1988.

  235.“We do not expect to see a city transformed.” “Graham’s Viewpoint,” New York Herald Tribune, May 12, 1957, pp. 1, 25.

  235.“largest-ever opening-night attendance.” Stanley Rowland, Jr., the New York Times, May 16, 1957, p. 22.

  235.Times coverage of the crusade. Ibid., May 16, 1957.

  235.“garish red headlines.” New York Journal-American, April 13, 1957.

  235.“part Dick Nixon.” “Graham’s Great Appeal,” New York World-Telegram and Sun, July 18, 1957.

  235.“He is like an excellent salesman.” Mitchell, God in the Garden, pp. 57–58.

  236.BG on Life’s cover. Life, July 1, 1957.

  236.Telephone counseling. “Scores of Students at Crusade,” New York Herald Tribune, May 19, 1957, p. 30.

  236.Inaugural TV program. Trendex ratings, “TV, Radio Today,” June 4, 1957, p. 7; also, “Great Medium for Messages,” Time, June 17, 1957, p. 61. For J. Howard Pew’s role, Stephen Olford interview and John Pollock, Billy Graham: The Authorized Biography (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), p. 180. Some estimates of Pew’s contribution run as high as $400,000. The New York Times set the figure at $200,000, but this seems based on an estimated cost of $50,000 apiece for the first four programs. The $100,000 figure is approximately correct, but it appears Pew’s contribution was geared to cover the first two weeks of programming, even though the original contract negotiated by Bennett and Dienert was for four weeks. BG furnished the information about Goldenson and the fact that Pew was not required to make good on his guarantee pledge. Graham, interview, March 5, 1989.

  237.“Gallup poll revealed.” Gallup poll, June 1, 1957.

  237.“This will affect Graham’s ministry.” “Amazing TV,” Christian Life, September 1957.

  238.TV show reviewed. Quotations from reviews are from Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 119, and Variety, June 5, 1957, p. 1957, p. 31. Quotation explaining appeal of live services is from Tedd Seelye, cited by Pollock, Authorized Biography, p. 180.

  238.Wall Street meeting. New York Daily News, July 11, 1957, p. 1; New York World-Telegram and Sun, July 10, 1957, p. 21.

  238.Yankee Stadium rally. “Held Over,” Time, July 29, 1957, p. 48; “Billy Graham Draws Biggest Stadium Crowd,” New York Herald Tribune, July 21, 1957; “100,000 Fill Yankee Stadium to Hear Graham,” the New York Times, July 21, 1957, p. 1.

  238.BG commends Martin Luther King, Jr. Stanley Rowland, Jr., “As Billy Graham Sees His Role,” the New York Times Magazine, April 21, 1957, pp. 17, 25.

  239.Racial hatred breaks several commandments. “Cohen, Bodyguards Hear Graham,” New York World-Telegram and Sun, May 22, 1957, p. 14.

  239.Black ministers invite BG to North Carolina. “North Carolina Negroes Ask Graham to Lead Anti-bias Campaign,” New York Post, May 21, 1957, p. 16.

  239.Antidiscrimination legislation needed. “Speak Up Against Racial Bias: Graham,” New York Mirror, July 15, 1957.

  239.Black attendance improves. “Does a Religious Crusade Do Any Good,” U.S. News & World Report, September 27, 1957.

  239.Angry letters and calls. Interview, Howard Jones, May 3, 1988.

  239.Kasper’s comments. New York Herald Tribune, July 2, 1957.

  239.Segregationists to be disillusioned with heaven. “No Color Line in Heaven,” Ebony, September 1957, pp. 99–100.

  240.BG and King hold sensitizing meetings. Graham interview, February 27, 1987.

  240.Prayer and the Holy Spirit. Jones, interview.

  240.BG’s introduction and King’s prayer. Tape recording of service, in Billy Graham Collection at James E. Boyer Centennial Library, Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, quoted in Edward Lee Moore, Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr.: An Inquiry into White and Black Revivalistic Traditions, (Ph.D. diss., Vanderbilt University, 1979), p. 455.

  240.King approves BG’s strategy. Jones and BG, interviews. This particular quote is from Jones.

  240.Angry response to BG’s endorsement of King. Jones, interview; “Billy Lost South When He Jumped to Politics,” Life, October 19, 1957.

  240.Bob Jones on BG’s stand. “BJU Founder Feels Billy Graham Won’t Hold Local Crusade,” Greenville, South Carolina, Piedmont, September 10, 1957.

  241.BG fails to recognize Ruth. George Burnham and Lee Fisher, Billy Graham and the New York Crusade (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1957), p. 143.

  241.Beavan’s ideas for a wind-up rally. Letter, Beavan to Graham, July 24, 1957, CN 17 (BGEA Vice-President, 1954–1977), Box 1, Folder 4 (New York crusade miscellany), BGCA.

  241.Crowd estimates for Times Square rally. Police estimated the crowd at 75,000. United Press reporters pegged it at perhaps as high as 200,000. Uncharacteristically, BG at first accepted the UP figures, then later acknowledged they were probably too high. Beavan felt 160,000 was a fair figure; other BG team members were willing to settle for 125,000. The New York Times, September 2, 1957; Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 179.

  241.BG’s Times Square sermon. Quoted in Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 180.

  242.Christian Arts Fellowship. Lane Adams, interview; oral history, May 9, 1978, CN 141, Box 2, Folder 4, BGCA.

  242.Celebrities at the crusade. “Crusade Windup,” Time, September 9, 1957; Charlotte Observer, June 4, 1957; Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 64.

  242.Perle Mesta. Charlotte Observer, June 4, 1957.

  242.Gloria Swanson. Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 43.

  242.Mickey Cohen. In a book filled with hip shots and dubious allegations, Chuck Ashman alleges that Cohen boasted of his ability to get loans and cash payoffs from members of the Graham organization and claims that he believed Graham himself was behind these efforts as
part of a plan to lure him into becoming a headline-making convert. Ashman claimed to have documentary evidence to support Cohen’s claims, but when challenged to produce them, failed to do so. Jim Vaus, who stayed in touch with Cohen until his death, acknowledges that Cohen took advantage of him financially but describes this as simply part of a “conning” pattern Cohen was quite willing to use on anyone. In particular, he is known to have pretended to have had financial problems as part of an effort to convince the Internal Revenue Service that he was not cheating on his income tax. The IRS did not believe him and successfully brought charges that resulted in his imprisonment in federal prison. BG visited him at least twice during his first stay in jail, which began not long after the Los Angeles crusade, and maintained some contact with him in later years, mostly through associates and Dr. and Mrs. Nelson Bell, but Cohen soured on the relationship in later years. “If anybody should win this year’s Academy Award,” he wrote to Charlie Riggs, “It should be him.” Michael Mickey Cohen, Mickey Cohen, in My Own Words: The Underworld Autobiography of Michael Mickey Cohen, as told to John Peer Nugent (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1975), p. 227. BG may well have believed and hoped Cohen might convert to Christianity, and may or may not have known that friends were helping him financially, but Cohen’s word on any subject was quite unreliable. For further information, see Chuck Ashman, The Gospel According to Billy, (Secaucus, N.J.: Lyle Stuart, 1977), pp. 17–20; “Mickey Cohen and Billy Graham Pray and Read Bible Together,” New York Herald Tribune, April 2, 1957; Mitchell, God in the Garden, p. 27; “Cohen, Bodyguards Hear Graham,” New York World-Telegram and Sun, May 22, 1957, p. 14; “New Graham Book: It’s Cheeky but Is It True?” Charlotte Observer, September 11, 1977; Louis Hofferbert, “The Billy Graham Story,” Chapter 8, Houston Press, May 15,1952; Pollock, A Foreign Devil in China: The Story of Dr. L. Nelson Bell, an American Surgeon in China (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971; Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1988), p. 311; Jim Vaus, interview.