Review by Chris White
Billy Graham has been in the media spotlight for nearly 60
years. He has been honored by Presidents,
Governors, Kings, Humanitarians, and Academics, and is for American
evangelicals at least, something akin to a Protestant Pope. So why another book about a man who has had a
biography written about him every decade for the past 50 years? The Preacher
and the Presidents offers a different slant to the often told stories about
the relationship Billy Graham has had with the last 11
commanders-in-chief. Graham has told us
his side of the story in several books, but this time the authors, both political
writers for Time magazine, explore
the story from the extant papers and letters and perspectives of the former
presidents as well. What emerges is not
a different story, but one that is more lucid and shows Dr. Graham as having a
very political side and many of our presidents as having a very spiritual
side. Notable examples of this would be
JFK wanting to know more about the Second Coming of Christ and LBJ regularly
attending Church services three times a day during his tenure. It will probably not come as much a shock
that Richard Nixon used Graham for political gain in nearly every one of his
campaigns, but it is surprising how naïve and willingly complicit Graham was in
supporting Nixon’s candidacy. Readers
will also be surprised about ‘off-the-radar’ political strategy sessions Graham
had with Eisenhower and also how he was used by several presidents for back
channel diplomatic missions. What will
come as no surprise is how Billy Graham evolved in his relationships with our
past presidents, learning from his mistakes and missteps to be a listening,
loving ear to these men of great power and crushing responsibility and wherever
possible to help them to find hope in the gospel of Christ.
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