The book The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House, by TIME magazine veterans Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, profiles Graham’s relationship with each president and their families. The book goes into incredible detail, digging through personal correspondence and White House records.

The result is a 50-years snapshot of presidential politics that have tried and tested the world’s greatest evangelist. Though Graham tried to stay out of politics and offer neutral prayer and counsel regardless of political party, he didn’t always live up to that. On multiple occasions he allowed his bias to sway votes, though he would often step back from the brink and regret too much political action.

It was during an unguarded moment with Richard Nixon that Billy Graham uttered words that could have unraveled his ministry, words that when they became public in 2002 the evangelist didn’t remember saying and strongly denounced. Nixon’s own downfall in the Watergate scandal blindsided Graham, forcing him to reconsider his proximity to power, but also reinforcing his long held notion that presidents need prayer.

The Preacher and the Presidents offers a behind the scenes peek at the Civil Rights movement, showing both Lyndon Johnson’s and Graham’s frustration with the radical, non-violent leader Martin Luther King Jr. We also witness Graham’s shift from the anti-communist furor of the 1950s to speaking out against the nuclear arms race and beginning to preach in the former Soviet Union.

Though a registered Democrat, it’s intriguing to watch Graham work with presidents from both parties. We see his intimate relationship with the Bush family and his much-criticized friendship with the Clintons. There are stories of skinny-dipping with Lyndon Johnson, being shutout by Harry Truman and offering grace and forgiveness to Bill Clinton.

The Preacher and the Presidents is a detailed look at presidential power and the great need for spiritual guidance in the face of overwhelming challenges.

Published in 2007, the book barely touches on the 2008 election (it mentions candidates and Graham’s thoughts of them, as well as dismissing notions that Graham endorsed Hillary Clinton based on a comment he made at his New York Crusade in 2005). We do know that John McCain met with Graham and Barack Obama has tried to. Graham has expressed a wish to pray with Obama, though his days as a presidential pastor are over (Graham was also apparently “fond” of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin). And while Graham has participated in a record-tying nine presidential inaugurations, he passed on his inaugural hat to Rick Warren in 2009 (literally).

In a book that’s understandably out-of-print, Graham tries to “rap” with the youth of America and get them to “turn on” to Jesus. Graham often borrows campy ’60s and ’70s expressions in an attempt to connect with the younger generation, and 30 years later it’s kind of funny.

As a challenging and encouraging devotional book it falls a little short. As a retro ride it’s very insightful and entertaining.

The book is very telling of the times (there’s a lot of environmental doom and gloom), and you even learn that on a few occasions Billy Graham himself visited various rock festivals, protests and love-ins in an attempt to understand the masses. Of course he attended “incognito” (meaning he donned a hat, sun glasses, and a big sweater).