More Than Fluff: Protestant Revivals in the 1950s

Abstract

32 Historically Speaking May/June 2008 More Than Fluff: Protestant Revivals in the 1950s John G. Turner Late in 1951, the UCLA football team approached its finalgame of the season against archrival USC. After stumbling early in their season by losing three of their first four games, the Bruins had recovered, winning three in a row before settling for a tie against Washington. Itwouldn't be a banneryear, buta triumph overUSCwouldgive them a winning season and local bragging rights. Donn Moomaw, UCLA's All-American linebacker, helped the Bruins best the Trojans by returning an interception for a critical touchdown in a 21 -7 victory. Moomaw attributedhis featto prayers he offered while attendinga meetingof a fledglingorganization: Campus CrusadeforChrist.Moomaw'sgirlfriendhad invited him to the meeting, where he met Bill Bright, the founder of the movement. Bright invited Moomaw to attend Hollywood's First Presbyterian Church the morning after the USC game. After church, Bright talked Moomaw through a series of Bible verses about sin and salvation, and the two men kneeledonBright's livingroomflooras the starathlete receivedJesus Christas his savior. Soon,Moomawbecame a featured speakerat Campus Crusade events at UCLAandatodierGoldenState colleges. Hereferred toJesus Christas his new "quarterback." Many other UCLA gridiron stars experienced similar conversions through Campus Crusade, and dieytalkedabouttheirfaithinsimilarterms.BobDavenport , an All-American fullback, calledJesus Christ "the greatest Coach and Quarterback ever." Most of the stars onUCLA's 1954national championship football team—nicknamed die "Eleven from Heaven"— were outspoken Christians, many of whom made "decisions for Christ" underBillBright's influence.1 Jesus as "the greatest Coach and Quarterback ever?"A Godwhoanswersprayerswithinterceptions, touchdowns, and victories? It's easy for historians to make fun of the banalities of 1950s religion, as professions of religiosity in thatdecade provide scholars withgreatmaterial.TheIdealToyCompanymarketed a doll thata child could make "kneel in aprayingposition ," and the actressJane Russell actually called God "a livin' doll." NewYork's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church introduced "Dial-A-Prayer" for a "spiritual life in a busy day," promising "one minute of inspiration ." Even as church attendance and public displays ofreligiositysoaredandCongressadded"underGod" to the Pledge of Allegiance, surveys revealed that Americans knew very little about the faiths to which they ostensibly adhered. A 1951 Gallup poll claimed that53% of Americans couldnotname even oneof the four gospels (I suspect that many did not know the meaningoftheword"gospel").ManyAmericansproclaimedavapid sortof religiouspluralism. A 1958 contestant on Twentieth Century-Fox's Sing, Boy, Sing! proclaimed: "I think all religions are the greatest." Billy Graham, April 11, 1966. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number, LCDIG -ppmsc-03261]. President Eisenhower—born to Mennonite parents butbaptized as aPresbyterian twelve days afterhis inauguration —proclaimedthat"ourgovernmentmakes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don't care what it is."2 To be sure, therewere banal elements of 1 950s religion , and these cropped up in Billy Graham's wellknown crusades as well as in the more obscure meetings of Campus Crusade. Graham often invited athletes, servicemen, and actresses to his meetings in ordertopiqueaudienceinterestandgainahearingfor his message. He used updated music and patriotic themes forthe samepurpose. "Weusedeverymodern means," Graham explained, "to catch the ear of unconverted young people and then punched them straight between the eyes with the gospel." And yet Graham's preaching always included warnings about hell and straightforward discussions about salvation. His statements about hell were not fluffy—he read Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" to his audience duringhis 1949 Los Angeles crusade. Hardly unconcerned about the subsequent fate of his converts, Graham's organization expended considerable time and money developing follow-up strategies thatincluded funnelingconverts intochurches andarrangingvisitations andBible studies . Beneath its veneerof showmanship and celebrity, the Graham campaigns were serious business. The same was true of Bill Bright's Campus Crusade for Christ. Crusaders referred toJesus Christ as their "best friend," their "quarterback," and their "Head Coach." Such frivolous statements, however, obscure the fact diat Campus Crusade called on students tomakedeepcommitments toBiblestudy,moral living,and,mostof all,personalevangelism. "I'mplaying on God's varsity now," commented Moomaw upon his decision to enter the ministry. Again, Moomaw's commentsounds hackneyed,butitalsoincluded a commitment to attend seminary and forego a professional football career for the pastorate...