Billy Graham’s fame as the most prominent revivalist of the second half of the 20th century makes it easy to forget that he based his methods on those who came before him. Moody and Finney come to mind. Preachers in other countries, however, used their methods as well.
So it is that Wilhelm Busch evangelized throughout German and other countries before Graham achieved international repute. Busch speaks as if his expected listeners are either nominal but non-practicing Christians or atheists. Like Graham, he focused on Jesus as the only hope of humanity. This makes the book a challenging read in a pluralistic world.
The book collects transcripts of seventeen of Busch’s evangelistic messages. The style is that of oral presentation. One can feel how a crowd may have been swept along with Busch’s urgent appeal. Yet, reading in the silence of one’s home makes it easier to also hear one’s own critical questions whenever his argument becomes one-sided. One element of revival preaching is the premise that things have never been as bad as they are now. Yet in the case of some of the social issues Busch cites, this is demonstrably not the case.
On the positive side, Busch had plenty of street cred. He ministered in mining communities and adopted the rough tone of his parishioners. No doubt, he could provide spiritual solace to those who might not have been reached by a more polite, reasoned style.
Busch illustrates his points with numerous anecdotes. Unfortunately, many of them revolve around his own repartee, his quick, pithy answers to those who don’t want to hear about the Christian faith. There is also a bit of self-stylization in his autobiographical remarks in these talks. He frequently refers to the way his combat experience in World War One led to his conversion, glossing over the fact that he was the son and brother of pastors and had been raised in the German pietist tradition that informs his preaching.
The book is much-loved among German evangelicals — my copy is the 47th reprint edition. Not my style of preaching, but reading it offers a healthy critical reflection on whether my own messages have too little of this in-your-face conviction. I share Busch’s passion for the ultimate questions in life. How to help others share this passion is the question. ( )