Church History · 1949

Billy Graham's Los Angeles Crusade

In the fall of 1949, a 30 year old preacher named Billy Graham held tent meetings in downtown Los Angeles. Planned for three weeks, they ran eight, drew about 350,000 people and made him a household name.

Read it in the Bible: John 3:16 Romans 10:14 to 17 Matthew 28:19 to 20

In the fall of 1949, a young evangelist named Billy Graham set up a big circus tent at the corner of Washington and Hill streets in downtown Los Angeles. The meetings started on September 25 and were supposed to last three weeks. They ran for eight. By the end, about 350,000 people had come, and Billy Graham had gone from a regional preacher to a national name. Over the next 60 years he would preach the gospel in person to more than 210 million people.

Who Was Billy Graham?

William Franklin Graham Jr. was born on November 7, 1918, on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. He gave his life to Christ at 16, in 1934, at a revival led by an evangelist named Mordecai Ham. He later studied at Florida Bible Institute near Tampa and at Wheaton College in Illinois.

By 1949 he was 30 years old, tall, fast talking and very sincere. He was known in youth ministry circles, but most Americans had never heard of him. That was about to change.

What Happened at the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade?

A group of local Christians called Christ for Greater Los Angeles invited Graham to preach. They put up what people nicknamed the Canvas Cathedral. It first held about 6,000 people. It was later stretched to hold 9,000, and it still was not big enough.

Graham preached a simple message night after night. God loves you. You are a sinner. Jesus died and rose again for you. You need to decide. His favorite phrase was “The Bible says,” and he said it a lot. Then he gave an invitation for people to come forward and receive Christ. About 3,000 people did over the eight weeks.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Who Got Saved at the Billy Graham Crusade in 1949?

A few famous conversions turned the meetings into national news.

Stuart Hamblen was a popular cowboy singer and radio host. He came to Christ and told his radio audience about it. He later wrote the gospel song “It Is No Secret What God Can Do.”
Louis Zamperini was an Olympic runner who survived a plane crash and Japanese prison camps in World War II. He came home angry, drinking and haunted by nightmares. His wife dragged him to the tent. He gave his life to Christ, quit drinking and later went back to Japan to forgive the guards who had beaten him. His story is told in the book and movie Unbroken.
Jim Vaus was a wiretapper who worked for the gangster Mickey Cohen. After he got saved, he left the mob life and spent years working with gang kids in New York City.

A cowboy singer, an Olympic war hero and a mobster's wiretap guy all walking the same sawdust aisle. You could not write that script and get it past a Hollywood producer.

Why Did the Newspapers Cover Billy Graham?

The story goes that newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst sent a short message to his editors: “Puff Graham.” In other words, give this guy big coverage. Within days, Graham was on front pages around the country.

Historians think Hearst liked Graham's strong stand against communism and his appeal to young people. Graham and Hearst never actually met. Graham himself always said the crusade grew because people were praying. Both things can be true. God has used newspapers before, and He has used printing presses, radios and phones too.

What Happened After Los Angeles?

Los Angeles opened every door. In 1950 Graham started the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a radio show called Hour of Decision. His crusades filled stadiums in London, New York, Seoul and dozens of other cities. The 1957 New York crusade at Madison Square Garden ran for 16 weeks.

His team made a few simple promises early on. They would be honest with money. Graham would never be alone with a woman other than his wife, Ruth. They would work with local churches, and they would not exaggerate crowd numbers. Those rules are a big reason no scandal ever stuck to him.

By his own ministry's count, Graham preached in person to more than 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. It is often said that no one in history has preached the gospel live to more people. He counseled presidents from Truman to Obama. He died at home in Montreat, North Carolina, on February 21, 2018, at 99.

Was Billy Graham Ever Criticized?

Yes, from both sides. Some strict fundamentalists did not like that he worked with mainline churches and even Catholics. Others felt he was too close to presidents. Graham later admitted he had gotten too involved in politics at times and said he regretted it. In the early 1950s he also stopped holding segregated meetings, and he invited Martin Luther King Jr. to pray at his 1957 New York crusade.

Why Does the 1949 Crusade Matter Today?

Billy Graham never had a fancy gimmick. He had a Bible, a microphone and a simple message. He believed that the gospel itself has power, so he kept it plain.

How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? Romans 10:14

That is the whole lesson of Los Angeles. People need to hear. God used a farm kid from North Carolina, a circus tent and a newspaper headline to reach a cowboy, an Olympian and a gangster. He can still use ordinary people and whatever tools are in front of them. Today that might be a phone, a podcast or a free Bible website.

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Questions People Ask

When was Billy Graham's Los Angeles crusade?

It began on September 25, 1949, and ran for eight weeks, ending in late November. It was planned for three weeks but was extended because the crowds kept growing.

How many people came to the 1949 crusade?

About 350,000 people attended over the eight weeks, and about 3,000 came forward to receive Christ. The tent held about 6,000 at first and was enlarged to hold 9,000.

Did Louis Zamperini get saved at a Billy Graham crusade?

Yes. The Olympic runner and World War II prisoner of war came to Christ at the 1949 Los Angeles crusade. He later forgave his former guards and told his story for the rest of his life.

What does Puff Graham mean?

It was a short message newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst is said to have sent to his editors. It meant to give Billy Graham big, positive coverage, which helped make him famous across America.

How many people did Billy Graham preach to?

His ministry says he preached in person to more than 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. Counting radio, TV and film, the number reaches into the billions.

Sources

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