{"id":1070,"date":"2013-11-14T09:12:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-14T09:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/11\/how-billy-graham-became-an-american-icon.html"},"modified":"2013-11-14T09:12:00","modified_gmt":"2013-11-14T09:12:00","slug":"how-billy-graham-became-an-american-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/11\/how-billy-graham-became-an-american-icon.html","title":{"rendered":"How Billy Graham Became an American Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Under ordinary circumstances, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch are probably not in the habit of attending the birthday parties of elderly Christian preachers in the North Carolina mountains.\u00a0<\/span>But they were both among the hundreds of well-wishers at the party on Thursday marking Billy Graham\u2019s 95th birthday.<\/span><\/div>\n
Graham spent his career leading revivals around the globe, following a long tradition of evangelists who have traveled far and wide to urge sinners to accept Christ. But his birthday guest list shows that he is no ordinary preacher. He is a cultural icon, the most famous face of traditional Protestant Christianity.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe need Billy Graham\u2019s message to be heard, I think, today more than ever,\u201d former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin told the crowd.<\/span><\/div>\n
What, exactly, is that message\u2014and what accounts for its mass appeal? Now that Billy is 95, I wonder: is there anyone who can fill his shoes?<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span>Graham rose to success in the God-fearing years of the early Cold War. In 1949, the year of Graham\u2019s first big revival in Los Angeles, President Harry Truman told Americans that \u201cthe basic source of our strength as a nation is spiritual. \u2026 Religious faith and religious work must be our reliance as we strive to fulfill our destiny in the world.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
Five years later, Congress added the words \u201cunder God\u201d to the Pledge of Allegiance. By the end of the decade, 65% of Americans belonged to a religious institution, and 90% told pollsters they believed in God and the power of prayer: they were ready to hearken to Graham\u2019s call.<\/span><\/div>\n
Read the rest here<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Under ordinary circumstances, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch are probably not in the habit of attending the birthday parties of elderly Christian preachers in the North Carolina mountains.\u00a0But they were both among the hundreds of well-wishers at the party on Thursday marking Billy Graham\u2019s 95th birthday. Graham spent his career leading revivals around the globe, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Billy Graham Became an American Icon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Under ordinary circumstances, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch are probably not in the habit of attending the birthday parties of elderly Christian\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/11\/how-billy-graham-became-an-american-icon.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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