Political overreach, not theology, shifted Billy Graham away from domestic politics

Evidence

Graham was burned several times, such as when he and some friends prayed on the White House lawn for a photo op after meeting with Harry Truman, making Graham persona non grata throughout the remainder of Truman’s administration. Graham’s most notable political mistake was his long and close relationship with Richard Nixon. It is no coincidence that Graham’s ministry focused more on international missions and revivals after Nixon left the presidency in disgrace. — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 238

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Billy Graham fused Christian identity with American patriotism as early as the 1950s — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 237; Nixon deliberately pursued evangelicals through Billy Graham as a political broker — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne: How White…, 104; American evangelicalism was politically reformist long before it aligned with the right — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the…, 41

Broader Connections

• American evangelicalism was politically reformist long before it aligned with the right #complicates (0.74) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 41
• Nixon deliberately pursued evangelicals through Billy Graham as a political broker #qualifies (0.72) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 104