Evangelists: The Politicians’ Preacher

Evangelist Billy Graham has impressed politicians as well as fellow preachers with his dynamic sermonizing and his success in persuading millions to make their “decision for Christ.” Every President since Harry Truman has welcomed Billy to the White House. As a good Baptist, Graham has maintained a strict wall of separation between his religious and his political convictions, and has never endorsed any candidate for office. But his determination to be neutral has been sorely strained this election year. Billy finds it hard to conceal the fact that he has made his own decision for Richard Nixon.

This is no real surprise, since the two men have been close personal friends since they met two decades ago. Billy has often dined at the Nixon apartment and joined him for occasional rounds of golf. In 1964 Nixon told Billy’s biographer that Graham might have made an able President, and he has praised him as “a great student of history with a rare perspective and insight.” In a recent interview in Good Housekeeping, Nixon credited Graham’s advice as a determining factor in his decision to seek the presidency.

At the Republican Convention in Mi ami Beach, Graham’s official duty was to deliver the closing benediction. But Nixon also invited him to sit in with G.O.P. leaders at a top-level conference to discuss a running mate. Asked his preference, Billy at once suggested Oregon’s Senator Mark Hatfield, because of his deep religious faith (Hatfield is also a devout Baptist.) At his Pittsburgh Crusade last month, Graham introduced Nixon to the audience and praised him for his “generosity,” “tremendous constraint of temper,” and even “his integrity in counting the score” in golf.

“I feel my role is that of a spiritual counselor to men of all parties,” Graham insists, “and the moment I start getting involved in partisan politics, it would greatly diminish my ministry.” But if he ever does switch to political crusades, his views would resemble those of his friend the candidate. Like Nixon, Graham considers that the Supreme Court has “gone too far” in favoring criminals. He supports Black Power, but only if it means “a feeling of self-respect,” not violence or civil disobedience. He believes that the demonstrators at the Democratic Convention in Chicago (where he also gave an invocation) were “wonderful kids, idealists—but manipulated by a small, well-organized hard core that wanted a confrontation.” The Chicago police, he says, “overreacted,” but he adds that “I don’t know how some of the policemen restrained themselves that long.”

As for the Democrats, Billy has seldom seen Hubert Humphrey since their first unlikely meeting in 1945 when “we were both swimming nude at the Y.M.C.A. in Minneapolis.” Humphrey was running for mayor and, Graham recalls, joked that “I want you to vote for me some day.” It may not be this year. “I haven’t even told my wife,” says Billy. “I’m sure she suspects whom I’d vote for, but I haven’t told her.”