From Publishers Weekly
Fifty-six friends and associates offer brief odes to octogenarian evangelist Billy Graham. Many of the contributors are political luminaries: Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee describes how hearing Graham preach in 1972 changed his life, and former President Ford recalls Graham's praying for him. Not all of the contributors know Graham personally; writer Zig Ziglar describes how influential Graham has been in his own work, even though Ziglar has only seen him on television. If any 20th-century Protestant deserves a Festschrift, it is Graham. Unfortunately, because many of the entries are generic witness Senator Robert Byrd's two-paragraph statement that Graham's "faith is strong" the book quickly becomes tedious. Rather than the personal, intimate portrait of Graham that readers might hope for, they instead find reminder upon reminder that Graham hobnobbed with powerful people and shared the gospel with folks from all walks of life. A few entries particularly those by the collection's eight female authors deviate from the boilerplate, offering touching, specific memories of Graham's profound influence. Kay Arthur reflects on how many opportunities Graham's ministry has provided her to teach and write, while Millie Dienert offers a vivid account of how Graham's attitude toward finances shaped her own life, and tells a humorous story abut Billy's wife, Ruth. Elisabeth Elliot Gren recalls a trip to Jamaica with the Grahams and Johnny Cash. Despite such welcome contributions, this volume is a drab tribute to America's evangelist. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Regarded as the most influential Protestant leader of the past century, Billy Graham has touched over 210 million lives in more than 185 countries and territories. He has been a counselor to presidents, an example for pastors, and a shepherd to parishoners. Now, as this pinnacle of the Christian church enters the twilight of his public life at 82 years of age, his legacy is celebrated in a collection of poignant tributes and memories as leaders from the worlds of government, business, sports, entertainment, and religion share their personal stories and remembrances of this remarkable man. Contributors to this volume include former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford; and John Ashcroft, James Dobson, Jerry B. Jenkins, James Kennedy, Steve Largent, Zig Ziglar, and many more whose lives have been impacted by the work and life of Reverend Billy Graham.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Reverend Billy Graham is perhaps the most influential religious leader in American history. The North Carolina-born evangelist has touched hundreds of millions of people with his preaching. The contributors' list of this collection of tributes gives one a sense of how momentous Graham's life has been. It includes three presidents (Ford, Carter, and Clinton) and fellow citizens such as John Ashcroft, Jerry B. Jenkins, James Dobson, Zig Ziglar, Dale Evans Rogers, and Ruth S. Peale.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Counselor to kings and presidents, comforter of prisoners, a preacher in cathedrals or on dusty African plains, Billy Graham stands as the most influential and beloved Protestant leader of our time. This image of Billy Graham, as a public figure and a great man, is known to us all. But in this exceptional tribute, we see him as never before: off the podium, at the dinner table, as a worried father, or taking a long walk with a friend. Here is a young Billy Graham in 1946 on Boston's North Shore, laughing and tossing a six-year-old John Huffman into the air at the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Former U.S. President Gerald Ford remembers a determined Billy Graham bucking opposition in the 1970s to take his crusades behind the Iron Curtain, where he planted the seeds of faith that helped topple the Berlin Wall. Still another president, George H. W. Bush, remembers an astonishing act of kindness by Billy Graham at his presidential inauguration. And Billy Graham's enthusiastic invitation to "Come take a look at my TV truck" changes everything for Dr. Robert Schuller, whose own television ministries later reach millions.

Wherever he is -- on the golf course with James Robison, in an English hotel exercising his arthritic hands as he talks with singer Cliff Richard, or at a Hollywood movie studio giving advice on a film about Jesus to legendary director George Stevens -- Billy Graham makes an indelible impression on those around him. In total, over fifty poignant tributes and rare photographs from leaders in government, business, sports, entertainment, and religion portray a complex, immensely likeable Billy Graham as he inspires, comforts, and guides each of them...or creates a miracle in their lives. In story after intimate story, the Billy Graham who comes to life on these pages shines as a beacon of faith and integrity for the world. And Billy Greham: A Tribute From Friends is a delightful gift, lifting the hearts of us all with true-life remembrances of a man who is an American national treasure.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly