Billy Graham stands among the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century. Perhaps no single doctrine, practice, political position, or preacher has united the sprawling and diverse world of evangelicalism like Billy Graham. Throughout his six-decade career, Graham mainstreamed evangelicalism and through that tradition brought about major changes to American Christianity, global Christianity, church and state, the Cold War, race relations, American manhood, intellectual life, and religious media and music. His life and career provide a many-paned window through which to view the history and character of our present and recent past.Billy Graham: American Pilgrim offers groundbreaking accounts of Graham's role in shaping these phenomena. Graham stayed true to evangelical precepts yet journeyed to positions in religion, politics, and culture that stretched his tradition to its limits. This book's distinguished contributors capture Graham's evolution and complexity. Like most people, he grew in fits and starts. But Graham's growth occurred on an international stage, influencing the world around him in ways large and small. This book delves into this influence, going beyond conventional subjects and taking a fresh and nuanced look at the complex life and legacy of one of the most important figures of the last century.

Introduction "He Brought the Storm Down" Grant WackerPart One: Religion1. Professor Graham: Billy Graham's Missions to Colleges and Universities - Andrew Finstuen2. From Desire to Decision: The Evangelistic Preaching of Billy Graham - Michael Hamilton3. Singing to Save: Music in the Billy Graham Crusades - Edith Blumhofer4. God's Ambassador to the World - William MartinPart Two: Politics5. Preaching Good News to the Poor: Billy Graham and Evangelical Humanitarianism - David P. King6. A Politics of Conversion: Billy Graham's Political and Social Vision - Curtis Evans7. Heavenly Houston: Billy Graham and Corporate Civil Rights in Sunbelt Evangelicalism's "Golden Buckle" - Darren DochukPart 3: Culture8. You Cannot Fool the Electronic Eye: Billy Graham and the Media - Elesha Coffman9. Billy Graham's New Evangelical Manhood - Seth Dowland10. An Odd Kind of Cross to Bear: The Work of Mrs. Billy Graham from "Pretty Wife" to "End of Construction" - Anne Blue Wills11. Complicated Innocence: A Case Study of the Billy Graham Image - Steven MillerAfterword Billy Graham's Legacy - Margaret BendrothEpilogue What Now? - Ken Garfield