Billy Graham and the Fundamentalist Takeover of SBC

[Stephen Fox]

http://sites.google.com/site/stevenpmillersite/

I finally got my hands on this book after itchin for 16 months or so. Miller cuts to the chase on Billy Graham. I see Graham through a new lens now.

Tony Cartledge has written how Graham at times insinuated himself into SBC politics, and Randall Balmer has written about his caginess, especially in the Nixon/Kennedy contest of 1960. Miller explores it all, from Will Campbell to Marshall Frady, George W. Bush, Moyers/LBJ and back.

For sure all leaders of Covenant Movement should master the nuances of this book, including President Carter, Jimmy Allen, Bill Self and Mercer President Underwood.

Pardon the Hubris but all should be exploring this work asap.

It would seem somewhere along the way, Mark Noll, or somebody in the Wheaton Progressive Movement coulda gotten to Graham, especially his too cute by half endorsement of Charles Stanley in 84. Graham at many places showed signs of some maturity in his political adjustments, and this work gives him credit due him, but in regard the SBC, whose takeover implications are explicitly missing in this work, Graham never got past his sophomoric limits.

Still, this is a remarkable work, and Graham shines for the Kingdom in many places; but in regard the Southern Baptist Convention he remains a major disappointment.

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/books ... ted=2&_r=1

[Stephen Fox]

[Stephen Fox]

http://jcs.oxfordjournals.org/content/51/4/717.extract

[Stephen Fox]

http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8411.html

Here we go. Now we're getting somewhere putting much needed new light on the designs of Judge Pressler and his assault on the Baptist Joint Committee; picking up where Miller leaves off as Miller gave Billy Graham a pass on his negligence on the SBC, his cagey endorsement of Charles Stanley in 85 in Criswell's backyard.
Should add nuance and larger perspective to Criswell's skunk Sermon of San Antonio; and even larger framework to question Haley Barbour as he approaches the South Carolina Primary in 2012.

Bring Miller and Crespino to the Baptist Covenant meetings for a breakout. By all means have them speak together at Mercer, Samford or Wake Forest soon.

[Stephen Fox]

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20 ... ying-price

Dad Above and Mom here:

http://www.metrochristianliving.com/sho ... ?newsid=69

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.baptiststoday.org/johndpierc ... rtant.html

See my comment there.

[Stephen Fox]

[Jim]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Stephen Fox]

his considerable scholarship does remind us how much is elided by any tale of a pilgrim’s progress.

The phrase above connects Malcolm X and Billy Graham. In time I once again will bring Graham biographer Steven Miller's great thought on Graham as an icon worthy of ongoing inflection and study.

If you had read the link I have brought to this board attention routinely for a year now, then the obvious morph would not elude you Jim.

But allusion and elision may be difficult for you and I may need to find the lowest common denominator in my struggle to enlighten you and Pettibone here at bl.com

I hope Miller and Crespino's books will get serious reads. They deserve close study and are part of the Baptist puzzle of the last 30 years some folks appear to fear exploring.

[Jim]

[Stephen Fox]

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/niebuhr-vs-s ... -cms-17815

My point with the Miller Quotes on Graham preceeding; had Billy Graham not committed the intellectual suicide his friend Chuck Templeton warned him of; had Graham benefitted from a weekend with Mark Noll and Colin Harris in the late 70's; with Jimmy Allen, John Baugh and an enlightened Howard Butt; maybe just maybe, the Francis Schaeffer spawned debacle of the SBC could have been avoided.

While Jimmy Allen is still with us on the planet, I hope he maybe could explore these matters with Graham as framed by the Miller quote above and Colin Harris insight into the faultline between Niebuhr and Schaeffer.

Please bring Miller's book and Colin Harris essay to the attention of Underwood, Allen and President Carter.

[Stephen Fox]

Reviews new book:

http://www.tnr.com/article/books/magazi ... tian-right

Search out the print issue on this one

[Stephen Fox]

http://usreligion.blogspot.com/2011/05/ ... ading.html

Also see the Noll Review of God's Own Party in Public Policy forum

[Stephen Fox]

Helped put Judge Roy Moore back on Supreme Court. Enabled Bama immigration law to have more credibility than it deserved and strengthened the Tea Party as part of the Fog Machine

[Stephen Fox]

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013- ... journalism

I hope the BGEA will study the above conversation closely.

It was the BGEA who are largely to blame for Roy Moore reascending to Supreme Court Justice in Alabama.

Billy Graham and Frank appear to be struck mute on immigration reform and their witness to the Alabama Tea Party. See Steven Miller on Graham and Nixon. See FBC Church Spartanburg, www.ginnybrant.com, and the public facebook wall of Billy Graham's fellow parishioner at FBC Sburg, Trey Gowdy. Also see public policy wall of this forum on Lottie Moon and Immigration. Particular reference to Chic Fil A and the Dream Act. Where are the Billy Graham's on the Dream Act. Will Billy Graham go to his Grave with an overemphasis on Charity when the Biblical Mandate is for Justice?

[Stephen Fox]

https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/580202171999170/

[Sandy]

[Stephen Fox]

Sandy Saunders, I take it you're not going to Billy Graham's alma mater to hear his sister Jean and bro in law Leighton talk about his legacy.

Oh well, so much for Inerrancy!

[Stephen Fox]

Coming Soon

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Steve did you attend the 1995 SBC meeting? In Atlanta ,when they directed Billy from the platform to bring us the "Inerrant word" in your message, and he went through the entire exercise (the longest sermon I ever heard him preach), W/O using either of the (I) words, sticking to his traditional, "THE BIBLE Says" ...!

From that day to this I have believed that he was as nicely as possible saying to the SBC leadership on that platform, no need for me to insult you fellows nor any of my Christian friends. That inerrancy thing isn't mine.

If any one here knows where to find the introduction Graham was given and or the sermon please let me know.

For any one who may be asking why I was there: Trudy was getting ready to enter SBTS during the 2nd J term that summer, and I thought it would be good for her to observe the Convention at work. At that time we expected to be CBF/SBC forever. Remember, Moderates much closer to the battle than I at that time still believed they could halt the takeover. But they where still presenting more than one candidate for the convention presidency and splitting the moderate and centrist conservative vote. I didn't realize until too late how lacking in political savvy many of them were, and some still are. Some never learned how to tell piranha from angel fish.

[Stephen Fox]

Ed et al. Randall Balmer's upcoming bio of Jimmy Carter is gonna add more insight on Graham as will the upcoming conference at Wheaton.

Billy played the I'm innocent card one too many times. He mighta thought he was wise as a serpent but harmless as a Dove. I've chnaged my estimation of him on several occasions. He's not as bad as James Dobson I don't think, but in the end he may have been much more mediocre a player than most good souled of his generation can concede.

If you want to know Graham, read Steven Miller. Billy Budd may in the end be all he was and if the case Marshall Frady got him right in 70

One little point about Graham and Inerrancy. He was not a stickler for inerrancy in the Lausanne Conference of circa 74 while Francis Schaeffer was.