Americas Pastor

During a career spanning sixty years, the Reverend Billy Graham s resonant voice and chiseled profile entered the living rooms of millions of Americans with a message that called for personal transformation through God s grace How did a lanky farm kid from North Carolina become an evangelist hailed by the media as America s pastor Why did listeners young and old pour out their grief and loneliness in letters to a man they knew only through televised Crusades in faraway places like Madison Square Garden More than a conventional biography, Grant Wacker s interpretive study deepens our understanding of why Billy Graham has mattered so much to so many.Beginning with tent revivals in the 1940s, Graham transformed his born again theology into a moral vocabulary capturing the fears and aspirations of average Americans He possessed an uncanny ability to appropriate trends in the wider culture and engaged boldly with the most significant developments of his time, from communism and nuclear threat to poverty and civil rights The enduring meaning of his career, in Wacker s analysis, lies at the intersection of Graham s own creative agency and the forces shaping modern America.Wacker paints a richly textured portrait a self deprecating servant of God and self promoting media mogul, a simple family man and confidant of presidents, a plainspoken preacher and the Protestant pope America s Pastor reveals how this Southern fundamentalist grew, fitfully, into a capacious figure at the center of spiritual life for millions of Christians around the world. Best Read [ Americas Pastor ] By [ Grant Wacker ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr This is exactly the kind of book I wanted to read about Billy Graham Rather than an exhaustive chronological retelling of Graham s life, America s Pastor examines Graham and his place in American Evangelicalism from multiple angles in chapters titled Preacher, Icon, Southerner, Entrepreneur, Architect, Pilgrim, Pastor, and Patriarch Wacker is sympathetic toward Graham but certainly not a fanboy He recognizes that Graham s character is unimpeachable and yet he is not afraid to call attention t This is exactly the kind of book I wanted to read about Billy Graham Rather than an exhaustive chronological retelling of Graham s life, America s Pastor examines Graham and his place in American Evangelicalism from multiple angles in chapters titled Preacher, Icon, Southerner, Entrepreneur, Architect, Pilgrim, Pastor, and Patriarch Wacker is sympathetic toward Graham but certainly not a fanboy He recognizes that Graham s character is unimpeachable and yet he is not afraid to call attention to Graham s missteps The whole book is engagingly written with a winsome style, but of particular interest to me were sections on Graham s relationship with U.S presidents, his stances on various social issues, his method of preaching, and his theology he wasmoderate than I thought Graham was a mammoth figure who occupied center stage of the evangelical movement in America for decades But he was a man A man who grew and changed and learned along the way Wacker helps us see that and i...I am a Lutheran Pastor based in regional Western Australia, and I had the privilege of working with BGEA and with Billy s grandson Will when together with the Churches in our community we put on a Celebration with Will Graham event This was not long after Billy Graham went to be with our Lord I state this up front, so that though I have serious theological issues with Decision Theology, I do have good experience with BGEA and Will Graham Whilst I have been well aware who Billy Graham was for I am a Lutheran Pastor based in regional Western Australia, and I had the privilege of working with BGEA and with Billy s grandson Will when together with the Churches in our community we put on a Celebration with Will Graham event This was not long after Billy Graham went to be with our Lord I state this up front, so that though I have serious theological issues with Decision Theology, I do have good experience with BGEA and Will Graham Whilst I have been well aware who Billy Graham was for many decades, I did want to readand that is what lead me to this book.The Author points out that this is not intended to be a traditional biography filled with facts and figures though ...While Billy Graham was a household name for many it was not so in my home As a child of the 80 s raised in a non evangelical denomination I knew very little about Graham prior to listening to this audiobook Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation by Grant Wacker was both academic and inspiring Wacker s approach was neither flattering nor terse it walked the fine line of being both honoring and honest.Readers, or in this case audiobook listeners, gain a better understanding of Billy Graham While Billy Graham was a household name for many it was not so in my home As a child of the 80 s raised in a non evangelical denomination I knew very little about Graham prior to listening to this audiobook Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation by Grant Wacker was both academic and inspiring Wacker s approach was neither flattering nor terse it walked the fine line of being both honoring and honest.Readers, or in this case audiobook listeners, gain a better understanding of Billy Graham as a man, a leader, a servant of God, and an impact maker on American culture From his humble beginnings as a dairy farmer Graham built and empire of influence through the Billy Graham Evangelical Association BGEA Wacker attributes his success to his natural charisma, careful image management, connections to people in power, and perhaps most importantly his passion for taking the gospel to the lost Although the author doesn t forthrightly state that...I didn t particularly enjoy this, though I didn t know much about Billy Graham The book was composedof essays on various subjects e.g., Billy Graham and Missions, Billy Graham and Presidents, Billy Graham and Racism and there was a good bit of overlapping material And though Graham s theology might be difficult to pin down, I wasn t sure the author was particularly qualified or very good at analyzing it.That Graham was influential can t be doubted, but I don t know if I came away reall I didn t particularly enjoy this, though I didn t know much about Billy Graham The book was composedof essays on various subjects e.g., Billy Graham and Missions, Billy Graham and Presidents, Billy Graham and Racism and there was a good bit of overlapping material And though Graham s theology might be difficult to pin down, I wasn t sure the author was particularly qualified or very good at analyzing it.T...Wacker s America s Pastor is a fascinating book about a fascinating figure I knew I didn t agree with Graham on everything, and this book only gave mereasons to question parts of his theology and approach to ministry This isn t to say I don t admire all the good he did There is no one doubting Graham s massive influence, what Wacker s book made me consider is Graham s negative influence on the evangelical church Would God approve of lowest common denominator theology and the diluting e Wacker s America s Pastor is a fascinating book about a fascinating figure I knew I didn t agree with Graham on everything, and this book only gave mereasons to question parts of his theology and approach to ministry This isn t to say I don t admire all the good he did There is no one doubting Graham s massive influence, what Wacker s book made me consider is Graham s negative influence on the evangelical church Would God approve of lowest common denominator theology and the diluting effect it had on American Christianity What about being wishy washy with theological differences of groups like Jews, Mormons, liberals, and Catholics I realize it s easy for a guy like me to throw stones ...No matter what you may think about Billy Graham, most people would agree he was a good man who promoted peace, fellowship, redemption, and belief in Jesus He would be the first to admit that he was far from perfect and had made misteps during his life and the author points many of them out He also catalogs many of his successes We have visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC, and walked through the displays describing his life and mission to help people all over the world find redem No matter what you may think about Billy Graham, most people would agree he was a good man who promoted peace, fellowship, redemption, and belief in Jesus He would be the first to admit that he was far from perfect and had made misteps during his life and the author points many of them out He also catalogs many of his successes We hav...A rich, colorful portait of a warm, humble man an insighful look at the lasting impact of Billy Graham.An entire generation of Christians has grown up largely unfamiliar with Billy Graham and his remarkable ministry The occasion of his death in February 2018 offers many of us a good reason to remind ourselves of Graham s significance and lasting impact on American Evangelicalism.I want to recommend America s Pastor by Grant Wacker as a helpful introduction to those who may not be fully awar A rich, colorful portait of a warm, humble man an insighful look at the lasting impact of Billy Graham.An entire generation of Christians has grown up largely unfamiliar with Billy Graham and his remarkable ministry The occasion of his death in February 2018 offers many of us a good reason to remind ourselves of Graham s significance and lasting impact on American Evangelicalism.I want to recommend America s Pastor by Grant Wacker as a helpful introduction to those who may not be fully aware of the impact Billy Graham has had on our nation Wacker s book is not exactly a biography, and Wacker himself is a self proclaimed evangelical who sides with Graham on a number of his positions The book inste...9 10 excellent Not a typical biography, America s Pastor looks at the relationship between Billy Graham and the United States It s well written, seems to be fair, and it s both comprehensive within its aims and well researched What struck me most about Graham s success was the vital importance of character, particularly humility his ability and desire to bring the gospel not just to anyone but to everyone and, of course, God s timing in raising up the right man at just the right time W 9 10 excellent Not a typical biography, America s Pastor looks at the relationship between Billy Graham and the United States It s well written, seems to be fair, and it s both comprehensive within its aims and well researched What struck me most about Graham s success was the vital importance of character, particularly humility his ability and desire...Great, interesting analysis of the place of Billy Graham in US History, not just straight biography I entered with no real opinion or interest on Graham but came away greatly respecting the man and wondering about his legacy and the current state of US evangelicalism.More a monograph than a biography, America s Pastor explores the impact that Billy Graham has had on American religious history and evangelical life A tremendous work of scholarship of an eminently fascinating person.A few of my favorite passages from the book Probably Graham himself could not say precisely where he fell Perhaps the real truth is that he remained loyal to traditional formulations, as William Martin put it, but he also possessed the heart of a pastor His theological training told him one thing but his encounters with real problems of real people in real situations pulled him in another direction We might call it emotional intelligence the posture of a man who had talked to too many A few of my favorite passages from the book Probably Graham himself could not say precisely where he fell Perhaps the real truth is that he remained loyal to traditional formulations, as William Martin put it, but he also possessed the heart of a pastor His theological training told him one thing but his encounters with real problems of real people in real situations pulled him in another direction We might call it emotional intelligence the posture of a man who had talked to too many people of difference life experiences to be willing to to judge them Only God could to that pg...

• English
• 26 October 2018
Grant Wacker
• Hardcover
• 413 pages
• 0674052188
• Grant Wacker
• Americas Pastor