Getting our priorities straight

A question arose among friends today and I have decided to toss it out as a possible source of discussion.

The Hogs defeated Alabama Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena. It was a great win and we were all goad to see it. So here is the question:

With 300,000 people in the dark, how is it that the Razorbacks had electricity? I would be the last one to become some sort of obstructionist, but how did that happen? Surely there were not sufficient generators available for full power to the arena and the television trucks.

Who paid for that?

Has anybody else asked about this. Maybe there is a good explanation. It’s all yours.

George Beverly Shea turns 100

Christian History blog has a story and the history of trademark hymn.

He turns 100 tomorrow and I am sure that some of you think I have gone completely around the bend for mentioning this. There is a connection through my radio career and an academic interest in Billy Graham.

Back in the day, right after the dinosaurs died, I took my first radio job at KWOE in Clinton, Oklahoma. Many of you know the story. You may not know, however, that this tiny hole of a broadcast nothing had a daily hour devoted to hymns. Gospel Song Time came on at 1. Sometimes I had to host this program and it was really strange because, growing up as a Roman Catholic in Mobile, none of the songs were familiar. Anyway, somehow we were on the RCA radio station distribution and got the full collection of George Beverley Shea. I cued him up more than once.

Since I had no familiarity with the music, many of the local Baptists became convinced that I was some sort of Methodist subversive by my music selection. It is amusing becuase I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Lately, I have taken to watching Billy Graham reruns on Wednesday evening at 6 on one of the cable channels. I think it is TBN. The old crusades are facinating. A few weeks ago they replayed an evening from McCormich Place in Chicago. Now, my faint recollection of history tells me that it burned in 1967. It’s part of the Lyrics in “American Pie.” Look it up for yourself.

The academic interest I have is that  Graham makes a rich use of academic theological and cultural sources in his messages. He is sometimes definitely speaking to academic theologians and telling them that he knows what he is talking about. His sermons are also ecumenical. He mentions the “creeds” as part of regular worship in the Chicago crusade, something many might find uncomfortable. He was talking to us liturgical background folks.

Anyway, since I have become a student of theology, I am curious about how those crusade messages were written. I would never hold it against Billy Graham for having a research staff. He has been a busy man. I just want to know how some of the theological and cultural references were put “in.”

And Happy Birthday to Bev, who has an annoyingly deep voice.