While Graham would later begin to reconsider his relationship with power, his impact on American Christianity and politics is indisputable. While Graham and others promoted a strong America, part of the audience engaged in an “Honor America Day Smoke-In,” while white nationalists protested for the white man. Graham’s sermon included checking the “stitches” (on the US flag) of racism, poverty and foreign policy. Graham led a prayer service on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Richard Nixon would use Graham in this way by having him open the “ Honor America Day” events on July 4, 1970, which Nixon envisioned as a way to bring the country together after the Kent State massacre and the toll of the Vietnam War. This was on display whenever a president needed him to provide the imprimatur of Christianity for an American activity, policy or action.

Graham’s preaching and evangelistic crusades are what many will remember him for, but Graham’s unique position as an exceptional articulator of American political power is equally a part of his legacy. Standing like a blonde icon of white male American power, his good looks and message would carry him all over the world as a representative of American power and the nation’s Christian faith. His particular brand of fiery preaching with a gentle call to Jesus might have been reminiscent of Billy Sunday, but it was every bit made for the modern era of television and visual culture. Graham could thus, at once, be the perfect Southern folk preacher from North Carolina and have access to the halls of power. Graham’s friendship with Eisenhower would be the beginning of his relationships with many presidents, and presidential candidates. This event would lead to a national day of Prayer for the nation to be established, which is now celebrated every February with a prayer breakfast, starting in the Eisenhower administration. The staircases leading up to the House and Senate wings of the Capitol were liberally dotted with people. The crowd filled about half of the paved parking space facing the center steps of the Capitol. Truman, specially invited, did not attend. Senate and House to call upon President Truman to set aside a day of prayer-as did President Abraham Lincoln on April 13, 1863-as a “day of confession of sin, humiliation, repentence, and turning to God at this hour.” Graham spoke from the place where the stand is erected for the inauguration of presidents. ‘”There is a hunger for God today.” The 33-year-old, blonde, wavy haired preacher gave two sermons during the course of an hour-long meeting carried coast-to-coast by a radio network. That service was reported in the AP newswire as follows:Įvangelist Billy Graham Reports “Hunger For God in Washington” (AP)~Evangelist Billy Graham told a crowd from the steps of the United States Capitol yesterday: “If I would run for President of the United States today, on a platform of calling the people back to God, back to Christ, back to the Bible, I’d be elected. Graham’s permission to preach from the capital at the time had to be given by three different governmental officials: Vice President Barkley, Speaker of the House Rayburn, and David Lynn, Capital Architect. Graham was allowed to lead an Evangelistic Service from The Capital Steps and Plaza on February 3 1952. It was there that he would begin what was part of his lifelong work: fusing Christianity and Americanism together to create a potent cocktail of Evangelical Christian Nationalism. It’s also responsible for a large cohort of evangelicals who are actively supporting Islamophobia, isolationism, and America first policies.īilly Graham may have been “puffed up” by William Randolph Hearst newspaper reporters in his first crusade in Los Angeles, but the more important event in Graham’s ministry was his Washington, D.C. crusade in 1952. Graham’s proximity to the office of the presidency and government since the Eisenhower administration is part of why we see scenes of eager evangelicals embracing President Trump.

With Graham’s death, it’s time to reconsider how his promotion of a nationalistic version of Americanized Christianity has influenced evangelicals today. I’m sure that Billy Graham did not like being called a white nationalist back then, and many evangelicals will bristle at this quote even now. Billy Graham is a white nationalist I’m a black nationalist….” In his speech, Message to the Grassroots, Malcolm X said: “I have watched how Billy Graham comes into a city, spreading what he calls the gospel of Christ, which is only white nationalism. It would take an outsider to deftly articulate Graham’s mission. Billy Graham’s death on the same day as the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X is an interesting postscript to the life of America’s premier evangelist of Americanism.

Anthea butler