Graham has been criticized by some Reformed observers for embracing “revivalism” and “decisionism.” Opinions will vary on those questions, but regardless of their soteriological preferences, most evangelicals still believe that God used Graham to contribute to the salvation of thousands of sinners over his ministry. The L.A. Crusade lets us reflect on the mysterious relationship between God’s sovereignty and human instrumentation in Christian history.

Seventy-five years ago this fall, a 30-year-old evangelist named Billy Graham (1918–2018) began what was supposed to be a three-week evangelistic crusade in Los Angeles. When Graham finally left town, the campaign had been extended to 57 days and more than 350,000 people had attended the services. The L.A. Crusade had become national news, and the handsome, fiery evangelist with the Southern drawl was a celebrity.

For the next seven decades, Graham was the most famous Christian in America and likely the best-known evangelical in the world.

Before Los Angeles

Graham’s star was on the rise before the L.A. Crusade. This was the era when the terms “fundamentalism” and “evangelicalism” were often synonymous but increasingly referred to two emerging trajectories within conservative Protestantism. Graham embodied the tension. Starting in 1945, Graham served as a vice president for Youth for Christ, an outreach ministry committed to converting teenagers through community evangelistic rallies. It was part of a constellation of evangelical parachurch ministries formed in the 1940s.

Graham was also the youngest college president in America. In 1948, he was appointed president of Northwestern Theological Seminary and the Bible School (now University of Northwestern). Graham was selected for this role by William Bell Riley (1861–1947), the longtime pastor of First Baptist Church of Minneapolis and a leading fundamentalist. Riley envisioned Graham as his heir to his leadership of Midwestern fundamentalism. A condition of Graham’s presidency was that he could continue his role with Youth for Christ and preach for citywide evangelistic campaigns.

Under the Canvas Cathedral

The L.A. Crusade was organized by a group called Christ for Greater Los Angeles. The group prayed for revival for months in advance and advertised the event widely across Southern California. The crusade began on September 25 in a 6,000-seat circus tent. Graham preached against common vices, critiqued atheistic communism, and longed for national revival. But the heart of his preaching was the call for individual sinners to repent and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Graham came to prominence during the Cold War, and he continued to advocate for conservative Christian patriotism until he was chastened following the Watergate scandal because of his close association with Richard Nixon. However, a simple evangelistic appeal would remain Graham’s central message throughout his long ministry.

A few celebrities attended the L.A. Crusade. The famous L.A. radio broadcaster Stuart Hamblen, known for his entertainment career in song and film and for his notorious drinking and gambling, announced on the air that he had become a Christian at Graham’s crusade.

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