Billy Graham
His Life and Influence
by David Aikman
Nelson, 352 pp., $24.99

Never mix religion with politics. But for Billy Graham, using religion to shape domestic and international affairs has been his forte, and in Billy Graham: His Life and Influence, David Aikman sheds much new light on Graham, the man, and his impact on America.

As Aikman shows, Billy Graham had a unique gift for captivating millions of Americans--as well as befriending presidents. In his time, Graham preached to more people around the world than anyone else, and his simple message of repentance had an "electric" effect: More than three million people who attended his crusades are said to have become Christians, and it is estimated that Graham reached a total of more than two billion people with his television and radio appearances.

Aikman outlines Graham's transformation from North Carolina farm boy to high-profile evangelist. At the age of 16 he made a "personal commitment to follow Christ" after attending revival meetings in Charlotte led by Mordecai Ham. He later majored in anthropology and entered the seminary at Illinois's Wheaton College. In 1939 Graham began his career as a Southern Baptist minister. In Florida he cofounded Youth for Christ, with evangelist Charles Templeton, and by 1949 had risen to national prominence after leading a series of crusades in Los Angeles. During the Cold War he was the first evangelist to preach to large audiences throughout Eastern Europe and in the Soviet Union, and held revivals in North and South Korea, China, and Africa.

George Bush the elder once called Graham "America's pastor," and in the course of five decades, Graham became spiritual counselor to successive presidents, offering advice on key policy issues as well. He urged Harry Truman to fight communism in Korea; he encouraged Dwight Eisenhower to send in federal troops to Little Rock; he was a stalwart supporter of Ronald Reagan's Cold War strategy. During the Vietnam war he developed a close friendship with Lyndon Johnson that lasted until LBJ's death. Graham's frequent pastoral visits with the Bush family are said to have played a pivotal role in bringing George Bush the younger to his faith.

Graham's role as pastor to presidents came at a price, however, damaging his credibility as a faithful minister devoted to the Gospel. His closeness to Richard Nixon backfired on him during Watergate, and his reputation was tarnished when declassified tapes, released in 2002, revealed Graham humoring Nixon on the subject of Jewish influence in the media.

In his long ministry, Graham was no stranger to controversy: He was slow to publicly oppose segregation and refused, early in his career, to preach to Jews. He has often been criticized for watering down the Christian faith. Some believe this springs from what Aikman calls a "strong desire throughout his life to be liked." In 1991, when asked in a television interview to explain the Christian position on abortion, Graham replied that he was "not prepared to say what it is." On homosexuality, Graham chose to remain evasive whenever asked about it, claiming that "God loves all people."