The Role of Television during the New York City Crusade
Billy Graham once said, “All of that, however, does not rule out television as an incredibly powerful vehicle for shaping character and influencing people for good or for evil. Like most technologies, television in itself is morally neutral; it is what we do with it, or fail to do with it, that makes the difference.” The nation's best known Christian evangelist William Franklin Graham Jr, otherwise known as Billy Graham, knew exactly the power and influence that technology had in partnership with advancing the Gospel (Goodstein). Born and raised on a dairy farm in North Carolina, Billy Graham found Christ when he was just sixteen years old (Grossman). From that moment onwards, Billy Graham grew more in love with the Lord and began to preach at church podiums, stadiums and crusades and became one of the first few to utilize new communication technology for religious purposes (Goodstein). During his crusade in New York City at the Madison Square Garden during 1957, the beginning of a new era was beginning to emerge that would change the lives of Americans with the advancement of technology––the television set. Billy Graham was swift in response to this changing phenomena for America and used it to his advantage to help spread the Gospel so that it may be reached to many people through television screens particularly during his New York City Crusade in 1957.
Television was a new and innovative technology that instantly changed the life of an American. This new gadget and technology first came into existence with Philo Taylor Farnsworth’s conceived idea and desire of a system that would have a picture on the screen to capture moving ideas. The television set was designed by him and first successfully demonstrated on September 7, 1927. However it wouldn’t be until the 1950s that at least half of US households would hold at least one television set in their homes. It is averaged out that twelve million had at least one television set during the year of 1951. It was now when the rise of the television sets started to spread like wildfire until finally ninety-eight percent of Americans had one television set during the 1990s (Stephens).
The rise of the television sparked a new phenomena that would change culture. Instead of the radio allowing people to not only hear stories and preaching, but the television set actually helped people to see Billy Graham preach live that impacted his ministry of evangelism. Many people could now listen to him and be convicted with their lives being transformed just by sitting in their living room. Philo Taylor Farnsworth’s invention scanned images with a beam of electrons (Stephens). Billy Graham said, “Most preachers and teachers would say, I think, that talking to a live audience stimulates the speaker. It still astonishes me, however, to realize that I can be all alone in front of a radio microphone or a television camera and still reach more people than I ever could in a lifetime of personal appearances,” (Goodstein). This evangelist did not shun the newfound technology of the television. Instead, he embraced it and saw how powerful and impactful this technology would bring into ministry. Michael Duffy, an executive editor from Time Magazine, said, “Mr. Graham viewed media platforms beyond an opportunity or his responsibility to necessity, opening doors for even greater ministry… He constantly reached out to editors and anchors. He didn’t run from critics and he engaged in the national discourse without compromising his beliefs,” (Ross). Billy Graham understood this nation wide phenomena that it would change history. Not only that it would change history but that it would open doors for greater ministry to come in the future. Billy Graham recognized that television would have a long term significance in extending ministry compared to its counterparts the radio and books (Goodstein). He was absolutely right about this. People spent an average of seven hours a day watching programs on the television. They spent more time watching television than reading, socializing or going out (Stephens). Before the opportunity would wipe out completely, Billy Graham took hold of this reality and acted upon it. So what exactly did he do to utilize the television and with what content was used to spread to the many who watched?
For the first time ever, the television was used for the first live broadcast from the New York Crusade in 1957 altering and adding another pavement of the communication of the Gospel to spread. “The broadcast also was a revolutionary movement in American evangelism religiously and socially,” (Grossman). Never before has evangelism been used through the technology advancement of the television set until Billy Graham’s crusade in the Madison Square Garden in New York. This was a huge success. It was revolutionary. Through the broadcasting on television of the crusade, it was able to reach twelve million households (Goodstein). This has not only allowed Americans to physically sit and listen to Billy Graham preach on the pulpit but ultimately led them to be able to hear the preaching of the Gospel in their own living rooms all at live. At the actual site in New York where Billy Graham evangelized and preached, nearly 2.3 million people attended.
Not only was it just the television set that allowed for the spread of the Gospel and acceptance of Christ to occur but it was through the programs producing the content as well as Billy Graham giving the word that allowed for such a transformation in the life and heart of someone to happen. The three major networks during the time of the 1960s and 1970s included CBS, NBC and ABC. All three were designed to mass communicate through the television screens. They offered soap operas, quiz shoes, realistic situation comedies and on hour dramas focusing on all different types of people with different types of careers and backgrounds (Stephens). But these were not the programs that Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association decided to share the Gospel through the television during the New York City crusade. ABC helped them to televise the crusade through their own program curated for the sharing of the Good News preached by Billy Graham. This program was called “Gospel in Gotham” (Vejnoska). It was the platform for Billy Graham to be filmed and televised for the whole nation to see and hear.
The program wasn’t the only factor that helped distribute the Gospel to be sent through the use of technology, but it was also through Billy Graham. He was a phenomenal preacher and evangelist that the nation looked up to. Presidents looked up to him and sought him for guidance in their spiritual walk and journey (Goodstein). His preaching and messages that he prepared were particularly for the masses and the calling for people for decision. Some of the things he talked about were very evangelistic in that he often spoke of life, death, heaven, hell, repentance, the love of God and the Cross of Christ. The appearance of the delivery of his preaching was very unique compared to other preachers highlighting the difference that set him apart from others. Billy Graham had a voice that drew people in as it contained masculine strength, authority and a huge amount of passion (Larson). These were just a few of the factors that led to Billy Graham being such a staple often associated with American evangelism. He didn’t need the television to help improve his abilities to preach and evangelize for those things he already possessed before the invention of television. People would gather from all over to hear this evangelist preach in real life, so the addition of the television attracted the people who could not make it out to see him in real life. The content that Billy Graham spoke upon and relied on was the Holy Scriptures alone about salvation. Therefore when this was broadcasted, the use of the technology of television was that medium that allowed for more exposure of truth to be revealed to the nation of America.
The New York City Crusade hosted in Madison Square Garden during 1957 was the first time ever for the broadcasting live across the United States on national television that contained the message of the Gospel through Billy Graham’s preaching and messages (BGEA). They have led many to come to the faith, and it wasn’t just those that were physically present at the crusades. Now that the invention of the television has helped accelerate the spread of information to reach many people over the country, people could now obtain the same content of information––the Gospel–– while sitting in the heart of their own living room. “This is not mass evangelism, but personal evangelism on a mass scale,” Billy Graham said (Vejnoska). This was exactly what the crusade in New York City was through the screens of the television. It simply was Billy Graham communicating the sin of people and good news of Christ being communicated on a mass scale. Culture was beginning to change rapidly with many coming to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior through the rich content Billy Graham spoke with the help of the television.
Works Cited
Goodstein, Laurie. “Billy Graham, 99, Dies; Pastor Filled Stadiums and Counseled Presidents.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/obituaries/billy-graham-dead.html. Accessed 18 February 2020.
Grossman, Cathy Lynn. “Billy Graham Reached Millions Through His Crusades. Here’s how He Did It.” USA Today, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC, 21 Feb. 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/21/billy-graham-crusades-how-evangelists-reached-millions/858165001/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.
Larson, Craig Brian. “Why Graham’s Preaching Worked.” Christianity Today, Christianity Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/billy-graham/why-grahams-preaching-worked.html. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.
Ross, Larry. “Why Billy Graham was a Media Pioneer as Much as He was an Evangelist.” Fox News, Fox News Network, LLC, 1 Mar. 2018, https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-billy-graham-was-a-media-pioneer-as-much-as-he-was-an-evangelist. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.
Stephens, Mitchell. “History of Television.” Grolier Encyclopedia, http://www.nyu.edu/classes/stephens/History%20of%20Television%20page.htm. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.
Vejnoska, Jill. “Billy Graham used TV to Reach Millions. Here’s how to Still Watch Him on TV and Online.” Atlanta. News. Now., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 21 Feb. 2018, https://www.ajc.com/news/billy-graham-used-reach-millions-how-where-still-see-him-preach/eL9Y7YeeVQApjM6aJJjPgO/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.
“BGEA History.” Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, billygraham.org/news/media-resources/electronic-press-kit/bgea-history/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.
