For more than five decades Billy Graham (1918-2018) ranked as one of the most influential voices in the Christian world. His achievements piled up like snowdrifts. Most notably, nearly 215 million people around the world heard him preach in person or through live electronic media, probably more than any other person. For millions, Graham was less a preacher than a Protestant saint.
Graham preached his gospel message to every corner of the world, and he mad his mark in other ways, too. He led evangelicals out of the cultural closet and taught them how to function in the public square. Over time his approach changed, from militant anti-communism to a more irenic, progressive posture. Throughout his career, Graham's preaching resonated, propelled by his powerful promise of a second chance.
In the newest addition to Eerdmans' Library of Religious Biography, author Grant Wacker shows how Billy Graham, more than any other individual, helped create and shape the powerful post-World War II evangelical movement, i