Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America's Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Overview

This study is the first detailed analysis of Billy Graham's social thought during one of the most volatile periods of American history'the Martin Luther King, Jr. years (1955-1968).  Using previously unpublished documents, this book argues that although the popular evangelist occasionally supported King's mission to save America, he largely opposed King's vision of 'the beloved community' and his tactics of civil disobedience.  The book also offers the controversial claim that because Graham allowed his political allegiances to trump his biblical Christianity, he never dreamed of nor worked for a world marked by lasting racial reconciliation, economic justice, and peace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403968692
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	08/20/2006
Edition description:	2006
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.04(d)

About the Author

Michael G. Long is assistant professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction: "Bowed in Prayer": Resurrecting the Assassinated King * "The Bible Says": Heart Problems and the Divine Cure * "Preaching Nothing but the Bible": Against a Political Church * "True Christian Loyalty in Our Hearts": A Christian Defense of American Patriotism * "He Belonged to All the Races": The Evolution of Grahams Race Ethics * "This Is Freedom out of Control!": Graham's Dissent from the Civil Rights Movement * "The Tramp, Tramp, Tramp of the Little Man": Graham's Conversion to the War on Poverty * "I'm Not a Pacifist": On Militarists, Pacifists, and Vietnam Conclusion * "We Are Now in a Violent Society": A Question of Legacy * Appendix * Endnotes

Editorial Reviews

"A powerful, provocative book, beautifully written! Michael Long probes in both an appreciative and critical way the life and impact on America and the world of Billy Graham. By juxtaposing Graham's ministry against that of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he has illumined the current strands of religion in American politics like no one else I have read. I commend it to political and religious leaders alike."—John Shelby Spong, author of The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts and of Hate in Search of the God of Love.

"A vivid portrait of how faith informs activities in the social and political arenas of society. Micheal Long's treatment of Graham's race ethics and perspective on the truly integrated society (beloved community) fills a huge gap in the scholarship of this phenomenal figure. An illuminating and essential reading for anyone interested in how we arrived at the current debate over the role of religion in the public sphere."—Lewis V. Baldwin, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Vanderbilt University

"A provocative book that will stimulate heated discussions for years to come." —Choice

From the Publisher