Noble American Lives: Biographies of America's Religious Thinkers and Believers

Episode 160 of the Noble American Lives podcast (Sept. 8, 2026), hosted by William H. Benson, continues his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, with Mencken's biography. The script recounts Mencken's leadership during the 1904 Baltimore fire and his decision to stay in Baltimore despite a New York offer, then his growing career: managing editor and editor-in-chief at the Baltimore Herald, publication of his Shaw study, the Herald's collapse, and his long tenure at the Baltimore Sun, where he refined a bold editorial voice. It covers his Nietzsche book (1908) and its reception, his work for The Smart Set, his praise for Twain, Conrad, and Dreiser, multiple side projects, and his friendship with George Jean Nathan. Mencken's Evening Sun column "The Free Lance" provoked heavy backlash while promoting public health, Black housing and fair treatment, women's rights, sanitation, and education.
00:00 Podcast Series Intro
00:55 Books and Subscription Notes
01:24 Recap of Earlier Volumes
03:29 Mencken Biography Begins
04:29 Baltimore Fire Aftermath
07:19 Conventions and Career Rise
08:15 Shaw Book and Herald Collapse
10:32 Baltimore Sun New Voice
11:43 Nietzsche Book Breakthrough
16:35 Theater Critic to Bookman
19:19 Smart Set Literary Fame
21:25 Twain Conrad Dreiser
23:57 Side Projects and Work Ethic
26:36 Nathan and Evening Sun
30:24 The Free Lance Firestorm
33:28 Reforms and Social Causes
35:23 Closing Causes Summary

Host William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives podcast episode 159 (Sept. 1, 2026), beginning his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, and starting the biography of H.L. Mencken after recapping prior paired biographies in his series and giving purchase/subscription notes. The script traces Mencken's German-American family in Baltimore, his birth in 1880, childhood on Holland Street, early exposure to Black alley evangelists, and intense reading sparked by Huckleberry Finn. He excelled at the Baltimore Polytechnic despite hating it, became an agnostic influenced by Huxley, disliked sports, and loved piano. Forced into the family cigar business, he sought journalism; after his father's death in 1899 he joined The Baltimore Herald, rose quickly, endured illness, traveled to Jamaica, became drama critic and later city editor, published Ventures into Verse, formed the Saturday Night Club, and helped cover the 1904 Great Baltimore Fire as it destroyed downtown and the papers' buildings.
00:00 Show Intro and Series Overview
03:28 Launching Mencken Biography
04:21 Mencken Family Roots in Baltimore
07:12 Holland Street Childhood and Alley Life
10:49 Books School and Early Skepticism
18:07 Trapped in the Cigar Business
20:27 Father's Death and New Freedom
22:24 First Break at The Baltimore Herald
25:21 Crime Beat Hard Living and Jamaica
28:23 Critic Poet and Saturday Night Club
32:40 City Editor Ambition and Restlessness
33:45 The Great Baltimore Fire Finale

Host William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives Podcast episode 158 and his book series The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers and Believers, then continues and completes his biography of Billy Graham from Mark Twain versus Billy Graham. The script recounts BGEA's Amsterdam evangelism conferences (1983 and 1986), their global, largely Third World participation, the Amsterdam Affirmations, workshops, a Day of Witness, and Billy's reluctance to dominate. It details Graham's pastoral relationships with presidents from Eisenhower through George W. Bush, highlighting close ties to Johnson and a complex, ultimately shattering relationship with Nixon, including Vietnam-era criticism, Watergate's revelations, and later release of tapes showing anti-Jewish remarks. It covers BGEA succession to Franklin Graham, Graham's honors, books and royalty trust, major health issues for Billy and Ruth, Ruth's 2007 death, and assessments of Billy's character.
00:00 Show Intro and Episode Setup
00:56 Series Overview and Books
03:27 Copyright and Transition
04:09 Amsterdam Evangelism Conferences
09:19 Presidents and Pastoral Access
09:43 Eisenhower and Kennedy Encounters
11:23 LBJ Friendship and Funeral
14:23 Nixon Alliance Before Watergate
18:52 Vietnam Protests and Billy Graham Day
23:28 Watergate Fallout and Regret
31:35 BGEA Succession and Later Crusades
32:58 Honors Awards and Publications
36:32 Health Struggles and Aging
37:48 Ruth Graham Injuries and Passing
40:40 Legacy and Character Reflections

Host William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives podcast episode 157 (Aug. 18, 2026) and his book series pairing American religious "thinkers" and "believers," then continues his biography of Billy Graham from Mark Twain versus Billy Graham. The script recounts the Kohima "Miracle" crusade's impact in Nagaland, then details planning and execution of Graham's 1973 South Korea crusade at Yeouido Plaza, including Billy Kim as interpreter and reported attendance up to 1,120,000 with 12,000 inquirer cards. It traces Graham's later openings in communist Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, enabled by physician Alexander Haraszti, leading to preaching tours in Hungary (1977), Poland (1978), Moscow (1982), and a larger USSR trip in 1984. It concludes with BGEA-sponsored evangelism congresses in Berlin (1966) and Lausanne (1974), producing the Handbook of Unreached Peoples and the Lausanne Covenant, which Ruth Graham declined to sign over wording on "simple lifestyle."
00:00 Show Intro and Series
01:26 Previous Books Recap
03:11 Today Billy Graham Bio
04:04 Nagaland Kohima Miracle
04:52 Korea Crusade Planning
09:05 Yeouido Logistics Setup
11:24 Billy Kim Interpreter
13:45 Seoul Crusade Record Crowd
18:40 Into the Iron Curtain
20:04 Hungary Invitation Story
25:51 Moscow and Soviet Tours
28:11 Berlin Evangelism Congress
31:06 Lausanne and Covenant Debate

Episode 155 of the Noble American Lives podcast (Aug. 2, 2026), hosted by William H. Benson, continues his biography of Billy Graham from The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers and Believers: Mark Twain versus Billy Graham. The script recounts Graham's 1956 Far East tour (including India, where some Hindus tried to venerate him as a god; a tense meeting with Prime Minister Nehru; and stops across Southeast and East Asia) and the controversy from George Burnham's critical book, prompting Graham's apology. It describes the Grahams' growing family, loss of privacy, and Ruth's creation of the secluded Montreat home "Little Piney Cove," plus Graham's security practices and longtime aide T.W. Wilson. It covers the 1956 launch of Christianity Today and tensions with liberals and fundamentalists, leading into the heavily promoted 1957 New York City crusade at Madison Square Garden, where the opening night drew 18,000 and over 700 responded to the invitation.
(00:00) Show Intro and Series
(00:54) Books and Subscriptions
(01:25) Recap of Earlier Volumes
(04:06) Billy Graham Far East Tour
(06:12) Tour Controversies and Apology
(07:27) Family Life in Montreat
(09:09) Little Piney Cove Retreat
(11:25) Rules Travel and T W Wilson
(13:15) Caretakers and Home Support
(15:10) Launching Christianity Today
(19:50) Preparing for New York Crusade
(23:59) Critics Left and Right
(28:17) Arrival and Media Blitz
(31:21) Opening Night at the Garden
(32:26) Isaiah Sermon and Invitation