Billy Graham: The real deal, preaching the Gospel

Of the literally dozens of biographies written over the years on the life and ministry of the evangelist Billy Graham — who died last week at age 99 — some of the best were written by skeptical people who eventually drew the same conclusion — that there could be absolutely no question that Rev. Graham was simply who he said he was, doing exactly what he said he was doing: a man preaching the Gospel, trying to draw people to the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The best of the biographies of Billy Graham is probably the one by the British broadcaster Sir David Frost, released in 2014. Published posthumously — Mr. Frost died of a heart attack in 2013 — the book is more of an oral history compiled by the author over the course of the six or so in-depth television interviews he conducted with Rev. Graham between 1964 and 1997.

In 1964, at the time of their first interview, Mr. Frost was a 25-year-old skeptic of the evangelist — like most people in the United Kingdom at that time. By the time of Mr. Frost’s death at age 74, he was proud to consider Rev. Graham among his closest friends.

Part of the success of Mr. Frost’s book is that over the course of the interviews between the two men, the reader can almost sense the reluctant conversion of the interviewer. From this perspective, Mr. Frost’s memoir might be as viable a work of literature as Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians.

Mr. Frost’s final question during their final interview was a request: That Rev. Graham lead him and his audience in prayer. CARL SCHULTZ

Johnstown