Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America's Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. [Hardcover]

Michael G. Long (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2006

This study is the first detailed analysis of Billy Graham's social thought during one of the most volatile periods of American history'the Martin Luther King, Jr. years (1955-1968).  Using previously unpublished documents, this book argues that although the popular evangelist occasionally supported King's mission to save America, he largely opposed King's vision of 'the beloved community' and his tactics of civil disobedience.  The book also offers the controversial claim that because Graham allowed his political allegiances to trump his biblical Christianity, he never dreamed of nor worked for a world marked by lasting racial reconciliation, economic justice, and peace.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A powerful, provocative book, beautifully written! Michael Long probes in both an appreciative and critical way the life and impact on America and the world of Billy Graham.  By juxtaposing Graham's ministry against that of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he has illumined the current strands of religion in American politics like no one else I have read. I commend it to political and religious leaders alike."--John Shelby Spong, author of The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts and of Hate in Search of the God of Love.
 
"A vivid portrait of how faith informs activities in the social and political arenas of society. Micheal Long's treatment of Graham's race ethics and perspective on the truly integrated society (beloved community) fills a huge gap in the scholarship of this phenomenal figure. An illuminating and essential reading for anyone interested in how we arrived at the current debate over the role of religion in the public sphere."--Lewis V. Baldwin, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Vanderbilt University

 

"A provocative book that will stimulate heated discussions for years to come." --Choice

About the Author

Michael G. Long is assistant professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (May 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403968691
• ISBN-13: 978-1403968692
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael G. Long has a doctoral degree from Emory University and is the author or editor of several books on civil rights, politics, and religion. He has a special interest in the genre of letters and is the editor, most recently, of I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters (City Lights Books); and Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall (Amistad/HarperCollins). Long's book on Jackie Robinson was selected as a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly and received critical acclaim in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Book Forum, Ebony/Jet, and other major media outlets. He is a popular speaker, with engagements from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., to the City Club of San Diego, and has appeared on C-Span and National Public Radio.