If there were such a job as the nation's pastor, Billy Graham would be the prime candidate.Having known more American presidents, foreign leaders, and famous people than any other American living or dead, he has been uniquely able to speak to the heart of the average person and bring peace and clarity to a nation in trying times. Graham's ministry flourished during a challenging period in the American experience, when the nation was coming to terms with its unexpected new strength in the world and grappling with the most serious racial and social upheavals since the Civil War. Now acclaimed author and former Time magazine senior correspondent David Aikman sheds new and deserved light on that influence, probing critical episodes of Graham's life that help explain his profound impact, both on the public life of America and other nations and the private lives of their cultural and political leaders. Aikman's previous books, Jesus in Beijing and A Man of Faith have been praised by Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, and First Things.
Former TIME Magazine Jerusalem bureau chief David Aikman takes a sober, balanced look at the Middle East, bringing a journalist's mind and a believer's heart to his examination of religion aflame. In this timely and informed exploration of current Mid-East issues that goes beyond headlines and sound bites, Aikman fills in the blanks for thoughtful Christians, accurately tracing recent history and fairly portraying the leaders who have made that history. Aikman challenges us to a uniquely Christian approach to the Middle East: respect, reason, and love, rather than unqualified tolerance on the one hand or religious crusading on the other.
David Aikman sheds new and deserved light on Billy Graham's life and influence, probing critical episodes of Graham's life that help explain his profound impact, both on the public life of American and other nations and the private lives of their cultural and political leaders.
In time for election fever is this favorable look at how George W. Bush's faith has influenced his life and politics. Aikman, a former senior correspondent for Time magazine and the author of several books, including Great Souls, opens with Bush's startling 1999 declaration that the philosopher he most identified with was 'Christ-because he changed my heart.' A seasoned journalist, Aikman proceeds to methodically unpack Bush's spiritual journey, documenting important touchstones along the way, much as Stephen Mansfield did in his book, The Faith of George W. Bush, but without Mansfield's colorful detail. Aikman offers some Bush family history, examines his wayward years and details Bush's transformation from churchgoer to a Christian who internalized his faith. The tone is solidly pro-Bush, with quick jabs at the likes of Maureen Dowd and generous flattery for the Texan. Some information offered for context borders on filler, including almost three pages of Methodist church history (related to the Bushes' affiliation with that denomination in 1989-1995) and the text of a sermon Bush preached in 1999. And, although he spends time summarizing Bush's positions on everything from Israel to 9/11, Aikman fails to address Bush's controversial environmental policies, something Mansfield also neglected. Still, in an election year when voters want to see if Bush's spiritual rhetoric is more than just surface chatter, there's plenty of evidence here that the man is sincere in his faith.
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