1978 Texas Monthly Feature on Billy Graham
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on January 9, 2009
Digging into the Internet archives usually produces some interesting fodder, like this 1978 feature on Billy Graham from Texas Monthly (registration required). The headline on the magazine’s colorful cover reads, “Billy Graham: The Most Powerful Evangelist Since Jesus?” The article doesn’t spend much time comparing Billy Graham to 2,000 years worth of preachers but it does give a detailed biography and includes a number of interesting tidbits.
What is the Appeal of Billy Graham?
One section seeks to explain the broad appeal of Billy Graham and bluntly admits how pedestrian Billy Graham can be:
“What does Graham have that makes him so appealing to so many? He is attractive, forceful, and confident, to be sure, but one would hardly describe him as colorful; in fact, he seems almost dynamically bland. He seldom turns a memorable phrase, his mind seems innocent of complexity, and his observations are thoroughly predictable. All of us know several people who are intrinsically more interesting. And yet he is undeniably one of the authentic All-American Heroes.”
