At The Intersection

Billy Graham (second from right) kneels with other members of
his crusade staff on the lawn of the White House, July 1950

This now-famous photograph of Billy Graham, and his associates, was taken shortly after the young (and, as Graham himself would later admit, "naive") met for the first time with President Harry Truman. Asked by a reporter what had taken place in the Oval Office, Graham shared with the press that he and his associates had prayed with the President. The reporter is said to have asked for Graham to re-create the pose -- and so Graham, Jerry Beaver, Cliff Barrows, and Grady Wilson obliged -- and the above photo is the result. Truman was reportedly angered by what he judged to be an exploitation of the visit for personal gain by the evangelistic team, and, it is worth noting, Graham later apologized for his error.

But this photo lives on, perhaps because it marked the beginning of a new era in the intersection of faith and public culture. In their insightful book, "The Preacher and the Presidents", Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy describe in detail the relationship between Billy Graham, Harry Truman, and each successive president. Billy Graham of course came to represent modern American Evangelicalism, and his influence has been widely felt across mainstream culture.

Graham's public ministry asked and answered for a new generation an age-old question: How do Christians publicly engage the broader culture? How ought they bring to bear their faith in the arena of politics? Of public policy? Of social concerns (such as marriage, divorce, care for the poor, and the like)?  Graham's public ministry arguably paved the way for such subsequent institutions as "The Moral Majority" and (perhaps) Focus on the Family, and other conservative-leaning Christian organizations.

Whether or not this influence has been positive or negative is a matter of debate, and like many such questions, the truth is probably somewhere in between. There is no denying Graham's power as an evangelist, and many no doubt trace their spiritual beginnings back to a message preached by Billy Graham at a crusade or on the radio, or on television. And, there is no doubt that Graham is a beloved Christian figure, admired and respected by both those within, and outside of the Christian faith.

At the same time, it can be argued that Graham's approach to engaging culture had more to do with supplanting mainstream culture with a Christian culture. Early on, for example, Graham publically endorsed candidates for president -- including throwing his support behind Richard Nixon (another mistake he later admitted, and learned from, as his support for later presidential candidates was considerably less).

Many in Christian circles today adopt this approach today, however. Some see relationship between Christian and culture primarily as a mandate to enshrine Judeo-Christian morality in public policy and in the law of the land.  Go back far enough, for example, and you'll find in some states, "Blue Laws" which spelled out what was (and more often) was not acceptable activity on Sunday. Today, this method is often represented by those who vote for politicians primarily because they profess a Christian faith, or by those calling for a return to prayer in the schools, the Ten Commandments to be hung in the Courthouses, and an insistence on making "a Christian nation again."

There is something to be said of this approach. Proponents of this method of engaging culture with one's faith can be said to hold a high view of the morality spelled out in scripture, and it can be said that they are, most likely, motivated by a desire to see the culture rescued from the damaging effects of sin in the world. And, of course, there is an honest discussion to be had about the role and extent that the Christian faith has had and should have in public institutions.

But there are drawbacks as well. Christians who engage culture by trying to institutionalize Christian morality must ask themselves how far they wish to go in patterning the culture on Christian morality. Should the above-mentioned Blue Laws be restored in order to protect the sanctity of the Sabbath? Should adultery be criminalized? Profanity?

As well, Christians must recognize that such an approach may be incompatible with the overarching message of the bible. Already in the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah revealed to the people of Israel that a day would come when God would have to write His law on the hearts of their people because it was not possible for them to live an obedient life simply by adhering to an outward code of Law. The ability to practice Christian morality requires a change of heart -- known in Christian parlance as conversion.

As well, this approach to engaging the culture with one's faith tends to be more narrowly focused on influencing public morality. Engaging the culture meant spelling out the ethics expected of the culture as a whole -- but had very little to say about the place of science, art, technology, and commerce (other than to insist that these things be done in conformity to biblical morality). In fact, taken a step further, adherents of this worldview typically set about re-creating Christian versions of each of these realms (more on that in another post). Hollywood was denounced as portraying nothing but the evils of society, without weighing whether or not the movies offered anything of value. Science was viewed with suspicion, as it was seen as little more than a vehicle for advancing the theory of evolution. Thus, in each of these realms, well-meaning Christians offered a replacement: Christian production companies produced dozens (hundreds?) of "Christian" movies. A whole new genre of Christian fiction literature cropped up in "Christian" bookstores. Christian board games, Christian jewelry, Christian candy... well, you get the idea.

Unfortunately, by creating a Christian sub-culture, the Christians largely disengaged from the real needs, hurts, hopes, and aspirations of the mainstream culture. Something better was needed.  What is that "something better"? How can Christians practice a posture of influence in the culture at large, while holding true to their convictions? I only raise this question here. Subsequent blog posts will answer that question by examining just what it is that Christians are called to do, and how that calling aligns with God's bigger purposes in this world.