Crusade: The Spirit Moves in the City of Angels
Ebook
A WWII veteran at Northwestern Bible College on the GI Bill is recruited by Billy Graham to be his driver during the 1949 Crusade in Los Angeles. There he witnesses firsthand the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at work in the Canvas Cathedral. The conversion of Stuart Hamblen provides the impetus for the extension of the revival from three to eight weeks. During that time, he courts a young lady who works for William Randolph Hearst, and she encourages Hearst to promote Billy Graham. The young lady's roommate becomes involved with a member of the Communist Party, USA, and the wire-tapper Jim Vaus, who also makes a decision for Christ. The amazing story of Billy Graham's rise to international prominence is told through the eyes of this young couple. In spite of their different goals--she wants to be successful in Hollywood, and he wants to enter the ministry--they realize that the Spirit has also worked in their lives to bring them together.
“The Spirit of God takes Billy Graham to Los Angeles in 1949 for an eight-week evangelistic crusade. In the latest of his Revival Series, Robert Allen demonstrates the power of prayer. Amid the historical facts, we see lives of movie actors, mafia figures, and Olympiads transformed. A storyline of real-life struggles and a believable romance will captivate you right up to the last prayer!”
—Rick Brooks, ministry representative, Word of Life International
“Robert Allen has captured in Crusade the same dynamic I experienced as an impressionable kid whose father taught at Billy Graham’s Northwestern Seminary in Minneapolis. Allen weaves historic record with storytelling fiction that does not hinder truth but draws the reader into the story. Notable people were being genuinely converted, and national news organizations were reporting those stories. Today’s culture needs the message of frank and fervent warning that emanated in 1949 from that tent on the corner of Washington and Hill in Los Angeles.”
—Gerry Carlson, former president, Pillsbury Baptist Bible College
“Robert Allen’s new book about the 1949 revival of Billy Graham in Los Angeles is challenging. The author calls it a novel, but in some places I can’t tell where the fiction ends and the non-fiction begins. Allen’s invocation of details about the 1949 context of the revival, including titles of songs, books, movies, Hollywood stars, Communists at large, etc., makes you wonder how long it took him to cook up the delightful concoction of revival and romance.”
—James Lutzweiler, former archivist, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Billy Graham’s 1949 Los Angeles Crusade propelled him to national evangelistic fame and proved that the Second Great Awakening continued to impact North America well into the twentieth century. This was less about an event and more about a story—a story which Robert Allen colorfully illustrates, engaging his readers to understand Graham in a new and exciting way.”
—Brett Williams, provost, Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis
“Crusade is a great conclusion to Robert Allen’s Revival Series. His grasp of the historical context of Billy Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade enables the reader to be engaged with the time and the culture. One is rapidly pulled into the developing revival and accompanying romantic narrative that keeps you guessing. The message of Christ and clear presentation of the gospel truth provide great evangelistic and edifying impact. Conversion accounts of those who were initially antagonistic is refreshing. I highly recommend this book.”
—Ernie Schmidt, former president, Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary
“Of the four books in Robert Allen’s Revival Series, this was my favorite. Crusade takes a historical fiction approach to evangelist Billy Graham’s beginnings in his 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. Allen takes the facts of history and adds a dramatic flair to make you feel like you were behind the scenes at the crusade. Throw in a love story and God’s working to transform lives, and you have a captivating novel I highly recommend.”
—Randy Miller, research librarian, Liberty University
- Title: Crusade: The Spirit Moves in the City of Angels
- Author: Robert Allen
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666774009, 9781666773989, 1666773980, 9781666773996, 1666773999, 1666774006
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666774009
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-04-27T22:39:13Z
Robert A. Allen is a retired pastor who teaches as an adjunct professor at Liberty University Online. He is the author of Sunday in New York (2020), Megachurch (2021), and Revival in the Rockies (2022).