Th e Achievement of Billy Graham The Archbishop of Canterbury gave
his blessing to 120,000 people gathered at Wembley Stadium last Saturday. He, with the Moderator of the Free Church Council, the Lord Mayor of London and other eminent people who in the end publicly acknowledged the tremendous impact of the Greater London Crusade, was simply recognising a fact. The Crusade has been a success. What sort of success, how wide, how deep and how lasting, nobody in this world knows—but it has made its mark, it has been a force for good. The Press commentators Who have attended the Meetings at Harringay and elsewhere have not, generally speaking, been much impressed by Mr. Billy Graham, but they have all acknowledged his sincerity. That is something—the sincerity of one dedicated Christian witness made manifest to over a million people. And what of the 40,000 or more decisions for Christ ' ? Is that ? If the new faith of one tenth of those witnesses lasted only one week it would still probably be the most spectacular achievement of evangelism in our time. If prayer and discipline can do anything to nourish that faith, the organisation behind the Greater London Crusade will still play its part. But forget numbers. Forget organisation. Remember only the minimum achievement of the campaign. That was well enough expressed by Mr. John Betjeman at the very outset of the Greater London Crusade. "People are beginning to think there is something outside what they can touch and see. They are even moving towards the idea of a Creator who cares for us individually. Let the Church go on saying its offices, administering the sacraments.... In the end the Truth will triumph. And maybe Billy Graham has lessened the time of waiting.'
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