One Soul at a Time

The Story of Billy Graham

By: Grant Wacker

Narrated by: Trevor Thompson

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

For more than five decades, Billy Graham (1918 to 2018) ranked as one of the most influential voices in the Christian world. Nearly 215 million people around the world heard him preach in person or through live electronic media, almost certainly more than any other person.

For millions, Graham was less a preacher than a Protestant saint. While remaining orthodox at the core, over time, his approach on many issues became more irenic and progressive. And his preaching continued to resonate, propelled by his powerful promise of a second chance.

Drawing on decades of research on Billy Graham and American evangelicalism, Grant Wacker has marshaled personal interviews, archival research, and never-before-published material from the Graham family and others to tell the remarkable story of one of the most celebrated Christians in American history.

Where Wacker’s previous work on Graham America’s Pastor focused on the preacher’s relation to the nation’s culture, whereas One Soul at a Time offers a sweeping, easy-to-listen narrative of the life of the man himself.

©2019 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (P)2020 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

A Balanced Look at This World Icon

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

As a Billy Graham fan, I found this book
surprisingly objective it’s it presentation of Mr. Graham’s life. The book is informative and entertaining. Take the time to look under image of Billy Graham with this book.

A balanced portrait

One Soul at a Time, The Story of Billy Graham, by Grant Wacker (audio book, 12 hours). Published 2019. NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. My interest in Billy Graham came from having a general knowledge of him during my lifetime, and also having attended one of his crusades in Denver when I was a youngster living at the U.S. Air Force Academy. My recollection of the event is rather sketchy, but I’m guessing I filled out an ‘Inquiry” (commitment) card. Alas, despite getting a followup call or two from a volunteer, he probably guessed that I’d signed up as a function of peer pressure or whim (I’m guessing the former), and quit calling. I suppose I’m doomed. Anyway, this biography is quite interesting, in large part because it portrays Graham warts and all. Billy’s admirers will probably howl with outrage, and his critics will probably consider this a whitewash. If so, it’s appropriately balanced. It’s certainly not hagiography: there’s already plenty of that. The book is mostly about his adult years, tracking his Southern Presbyterian upbringing, his switch to Southern Baptist evangelism, to his long and storied career as America’s (and the world’s) preeminent evangelical preacher before his death in 2018. His warts included occasional tone deafness to national and international sensitivities (for which he typically publicly apologized), impetuousness, admitted lack of scholarship, embracing Nixon and being pro-war (impeachment & Vietnam), private anti-Semitic remarks (also with Nixon), slow embrace of integration (though ahead of his evangelical peers), perceived duplicity in political contests by saying he was avowedly neutral while surreptitiously supporting candidates, and other dubious actions. The author contends Billy was never known as a great speaker with respect to content, but was wildly successful due to charisma, speaking style, and overall persona. Also, as a non-academic preacher, he assiduously avoided taking on anyone in debates about the fine points of the gospel. As the author noted, thousands of people were critical of, or even hated Graham for one reason or another, while millions adored him. He was accurately criticized for fuzzing his evangelical roots, embracing non-evangelical Christians (including Catholics!), reaching out to those of other religions, never professing the literal truth of the Bible (though believing it was the definitive guide to saving one’s soul), and refusing to take stands promoted by many hardliners. He was also criticized for his close ties to politicians (and being blinded by those associations), hobnobbing with the rich and famous (he did), profiting excessively from his ministry (he didn’t), and other faults. Those criticizing him have proved — shockingly — that he was human. Despite his faults and errors, he remained true to his aim of promoting the love of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible (literally hundreds of millions worldwide). He was steadfast in reaching as many people as possible with the simplest of messages: accept Christ. To his credit, he did not build a television empire, did not establish his own denomination, did not pile up riches, and did not create a megachurch like so many other popular and arguably inauthentic evangelists. He made many mistakes, misjudgments, and was otherwise human, but remained true to his calling. He also refused (most of the time, to criticize his evangelical peers. If anyone is interested in listening to this Audible recording, I was especially impressed that it was if the narrator was across the room telling me personally about the life of Billy Graham. Yes, I know it’s a book, but it’s read in an amazingly conversational way. That contrasts with quite a few other audio book narrators. It’s a balanced look at one of the most recognized names in American theology, and I highly recommend it if you’re interested in digging beyond the highly publicized face of Billy Graham.

Interesting biography

It seems to be a fair and unbiased biography of a modern times evangelist.

Trevor Thompson did a great job narrating.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good narrator

This is a biography of a real person who did his best to make everyone aware that they were the children of God. He has left an admirable legacy and has helped many people whether they accepted his teaching or not. The book is not boring nor one sided but is easy to read. I enjoyed it!
I won a giveaway from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Trevor Thompson performs the audiobook with just the right tone and presentation.

Not perfect but faithful

I grew up in an Evangelicalism which lauded Billy Graham as a premier Christian witness. My estimation of Graham has cooled somewhat, with the rise of Franklin Graham in BGEA, and the apparent drift into partisanship (again) in his later years. Plus the Nixon tapes, and Grahams private antisemitism belied a darker version of the evangelist than his carefully coifed public image, as a Christian statesman and person of integrity. Treatments of Graham in the media, either lionize him as a man of faith or dismiss him for the deep contradictions in his character, his politics, his anti-intellectualism, and his youthful war hawkishness.

Wacker's biography steers a path between hagiography and a takedown. Looking at the public record of 'Billy,' he explores 'scenes' from the evangelists life, from his early days as a fundamentalist, to his latter years. Wacker explores the impact of the man, in his crusades, in his social and political advocacy, in his genuine care and warm charisma, in founding Christianity Today and calling for the Lausanne conference, in his many trips abroad, and his magnanimous inclusive spirit.

Wacker is a friendly critic. As a fellow Evangelical, though one on the Evangelical Left, he once wrote Graham a letter (while he was a divinity student) criticizing the evangelist for his support for the Vietnam war. In these pages he gives Graham a fair assessment for his evolving (and slightly ahead of his evangelical peers') view's on race, while detailing some his political blind spots, his ecumenism, and his advocacy for nuclear disarmament (post 1978). He details places where his public words and persona differed from his practice (e.g. when he promised politicians on both sides of the aisle their support while privately campaigning for one over the other). While Graham identified as a life long democrat, Wacker places his political views right of center (with an evangelical commitment to pro-life causes and traditional marriage). He does criticize Graham for being slightly proud, seeking the limelight and celebrity acquaintances, etc., but this is balanced by Graham's disarming presence and genuine care for others.

Wacker's account of Graham reignited some of my appreciation of Graham, warts and all. There are definitely episodes that tarnish his reputation (Nixon!, Vietnam), but on the whole he remained a person of integrity, in his financial and moral dealings. Not perfect, but faithful.