Billy Graham-Style Crusades May Be on Their Way Out
9th Sep 2005, 07:06 GMT
Evangelist Billy Graham has left the unique stage he built - intricately organized and costly revival meetings for hundreds of thousands of people - and now Christians are wondering whether the style of crusade that he popularized will end with him. Many evangelists, including Graham's son and successor Franklin, have successfully held similar gatherings on a smaller scale. But experts on evangelism say building relationships one-on-one or in small groups may be more effective in reaching America's non-Christians. "The bigger-is-better form of evangelism may have past," said Craig Detweiler, who teaches theology and popular culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "The emerging generation has been so advertised, media-tised and oversold that the smaller, quieter and more authentic is the growing edge of their experience."