logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Looking for a “New Billy Graham” in the Age of Trump

Jim Schaffer
March 7, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
“Billy Graham, Nashville,” Duncan Holmes

March 5, 2018; The Conversation

Writing for The Conversation, Andrew Dole, Professor of Religion at Amherst College, asks, “Could there be another Billy Graham?”

At this time of Billy Graham’s passing, American evangelical Christianity looks to be in steep decline, at least judging by numbers. The proportion of white Americans who identify as evangelical has fallen from 23 percent of the population in 2006 to 17 percent in 2016. Furthermore, a recent survey shows that evangelicalism is aging: Only eight percent of whites ages 18 to 29, versus 26 percent over 65, identify as evangelicals.

However, Dole asserts that evangelicalism was thought to be dead after the passing of Billy Sunday, 20 years before Graham began his ministry and discusses the conditions that led to Graham’s rise, which might be replicated today. Graham’s message countered the fundamentalism of the Scopes Monkey Trial with neo-evangelicalism. Evangelicalism, likewise, needs reviving today, and as they did in Graham’s day, today’s popular pastors and authors might endorse a new leader.

As was the case with Graham’s career, “the links between conservative Protestantism and corporate capitalism have only strengthened in recent decades.” Dole discusses the fate of recent heirs apparent who failed because they attempted to dial down evangelicalism’s fundamentalism and social and political conservatism. He adds that the “symbolic boundaries” of evangelicalism behave differently “in the age of the internet.”

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Dole ends up answering his title question with this conclusion: “Success in the business of reviving evangelicalism will require…a deep bench of supporters, whether persons or institutions, capable of withstanding criticism for more than, say, two days.”

NPQ looks at this question for a number of reasons. Religion drives much of the nation’s economy, as well as its charitable giving. NPQ takes issue with how Graham’s son has managed the Billy Graham Evangelism Association and the international humanitarian and health aid group, Samaritan’s Purse. NPQ has similarly objected (and here, here, and here) to how Jerry Falwell’s son has managed the evangelical ministry he founded.

Graham’s history and legacy are also far more nuanced than Dole’s description of his rise to success, such as the pivotal role William Randolph Hearst and others played. There is no mention of Graham’s support of the Vietnam War, the reasons why he was affectionately called “God’s Cold War machine gun,” or his (recorded) controversial conversations with Nixon. There is no attempt to reconcile Graham’s faith with being the celebrated “Pastor to the Presidents” and a celebrity with his own Hollywood Star, though as early as 1955 Alistair Cooke predicted as much. Graham’s views on women and homosexuality require no explanation, but perhaps explain some of the reasons Dole gives for the “steep decline” of American evangelical Christianity.

Rosa Parks was the third private citizen to lie in honor in the US Capitol rotunda; Graham was the fourth. Whether a humble man of faith or an evangelical entrepreneur, whether he was a witness to the truth or a sycophant who spoke agreeably to presidents in lieu of hard truths, there is no doubt that no one is likely to ever replace Billy Graham or repeat his singular trajectory. In this current age of Trump and Roy Moore, perhaps it would be better to see a new and more diverse generation of Christian leaders emerge who confound, if not ignore, political categories and abandon the evangelical label but remain committed to its original Gospel message.—Jim Schaffer

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Schaffer

The founders of Covenant House, AmeriCares, TechnoServe and the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp were my mentors who entrusted me with much. What I can offer the readers of NPQ is carried out in gratitude to them and to the many causes I’ve had the privilege to serve through the years.

More about: Nonprofit NewsReligious/Faith-Based

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Reparations, One Organization at a Time
Martin Levine
Pope Francis Says Unfettered Capitalism is Unsupportable
Ruth McCambridge
Supreme Court Ruling on Churches and COVID-19 May Be Overtaken by Events
Carole Levine
The Open-and-Shut Case of Liberty University
Marian Conway
Organizing Religious Communities to Work for a Just Peace
Chelsea Dennis
Christian Healthcare Sharing Programs Face Heightened State Scrutiny
Karen Kahn

Popular Webinars

Remaking the Economy

Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories

Register Now

Combating Disinformation and Misinformation in 21st-Century Social Movements

Register Now

Remaking the Economy

Closing the Racial Wealth Gap

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.