2 of 2

This new, younger breed of ministers broke out of the self-consciously conservative, even throwback evangelistic style of a fundamentalism that identified itself as "old-time religion" and spread its messages through such outreaches as radio's Old Fashioned Gospel Hour. Such 1930s evangelical leaders as ex–ad exec Lloyd Bryant pioneered pace-setting activities like rallies and radio programs that became the formula for youth-ministry success.

It was not until the 1940s, however, that consumer marketers created "youth" as a separate demographic category. These were the early days of the cult of the teenager. With fathers off to war and mothers working long hours on the home front, teens also entered the labor force and picked up pocket cash. Madison Avenue noticed, and began promoting youth music, youth clothes, and youth crazes. Jukeboxes blared the latest tunes, and teens jitterbugged their Saturday nights away. Boys donned their broad-shouldered zoot suits and girls their baggy sweaters and bobby sox. At the end of the decade, television entered the scene, further accelerating youth culture.

Youth leaders who had begun to emerge in the 1930s, like Philadelphia's Percy Crawford and New York's Jack Wyrtzen, picked up on these trends. Clothes became brighter, music more energetic and sophisticated, and the pacing of evangelistic meetings more split-second. And youth ministries reaped the rewards, their rallies soon outgrowing all but the largest halls and stadiums.

The biggest and most influential network of such ministries in the 1940s and beyond was Youth For Christ (YFC), whose motto was (and still is) "Geared to the Times, Anchored to the Rock." YFC's first full-time employee and most energetic promoter was the young Billy Graham. Wearing loud ties and bright suits, backed by girl trios and swing-band instrumentals, Graham joined other evangelists of the day in galvanizing teen-packed rallies with crackling talks delivered in the clipped, staccato manner of such radio personalities as Walter Winchell. 

Thousands poured into rallies, Bible clubs, boat tours, and other innovative events. William Randolph Hearst and President Truman praised these efforts as effective tools against the day's newest social problem—juvenile delinquency. Soon even such venues as Madison Square Garden couldn't hold all the young people who came. The Memorial Day 1945 youth rally at Soldier Field in Chicago drew some 70,000.

As YFC's field representative, Graham in 1945 visited 47 states with youth campaigns. In the winter of 1946-47, Graham toured England, speaking at 360 separate Youth for Christ meetings—often packed, despite some British observers' considerable amusement at these brash, loud Americans.

Daring to wed, as Carpenter has put it, "born-again religion to the style as well as the media of the entertainment industry," the leaders of these new youth rallies were "borrowing from the very dens of the devil—Hollywood and Radio City—to accomplish the Lord's purposes." And Billy Graham was in the midst of it.

This was not the last time Graham would provide a significant spark to contemporary-styled Christian youth work. In next week's newsletter we will look at the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, during which Graham, struggling at home with his own rebellious, "liberated" teenager, joined the Jesus People in urging that generation to "tune in, turn on to God."

* On the recent Anglican youth initiative, click here.

* For more on Graham's role in the early Christian youth movement, see such biographies as John Pollock's Billy Graham: The Authorised Biography.

* Also covering the rise of these ministries are Joel Carpenter in his Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism and, in capsule form, Steve Rabey and Monte Unger, Milestones: 50 Events of the 20th Century that Shaped Evangelicals in America (chapter 9: "Beyond Kid Stuff: Youth for Christ and the Youth Ministry Revolution).

Chris Armstrong is managing editor of Christian History magazine.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

FREE E-Newsletter Sign up for the ChristianHistory.net e-mail newsletter. Discover more about your Christian heritage with this weekly e-newsletter that features key people, topics, and events from the history of Christianity.      RSS Feed   RSS Help