Robert Pierce

As an ardent “Cold Warrior,” Pierce supported America’s global reach to contain communism in Asia. He became a field representative in the emerging International Christian Leadership (ICL) organization that networked with American politicians and international Christian leaders in efforts to strengthen both foreign relations and worldwide Christian revival.

One particular group, Youth for Christ (YFC), may best exemplify this reengagement. By 1944, as a travelling evangelist, Pierce had eagerly joined YFC and quickly became a vice president in the organization. Alongside other new voices such as Billy Graham, Pierce garnered national attention as politicians, preachers, and newspapermen promoted the rallies’ success. Throughout the 1940s, revivals of thousands of young people gathered in American cities each Saturday night. As its motto, “Geared to the times, but anchored to the rock,” claimed, YFC embraced popular culture, American civic faith, and potentially global outreach. Torrey Johnson, YFC’s first president, told Time magazine that his organization’s goal was the “spiritual revitalization of America and the complete evangelization of the world in our generation.” Youth for Christ sponsored hundreds of “world vision” rallies promoting the work of international missionaries.

In this context, it is evident that Bob Pierce was an active evangelist and focused almost solely on converting people to Christianity in Asia and idolised Billy Graham – so much so – that he came to be known as Billy Graham of India. Further, Pierce also aligned himself with US foreign policy aims during the cold war and received over 50% of its revenue from the US government since the early days of World Vision.

As the founder of both World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, Bob Pierce may rank as the leading religious philanthropist of the twentieth century. He first visited China as an evangelist in 1947. Upon his arrival, a Dutch Reformed missionary, Tena Hoelkeboer, invited him to preach to her school of four hundred Chinese girls. Pierce agreed, but, the day after his short evangelistic sermon, one of Hoelkeboer’s students, White Jade, informed her father that she had converted to Christianity. Her father’s response was to throw her out of the house. Hoelkeboer, distressed at the prospect of taking on yet another orphan, demanded of Pierce, “What are you going to do about it? Pierce gave Hoelkeboer ten dollars, all the money he had, and promised to send more each month on his return to the United States. After his return home, Pierce recounted the story to his American audiences, and it continues to be retold as the origin of both World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse. Pierce’s initial overseas encounter changed him. He had gone as a young American evangelist but returned as a missionary ambassador, bringing both the spiritual and physical needs of the world to the attention of American evangelicals. Pierce soon founded World Vision in 1950 as a small American evangelical agency with a simple mission of evangelism and child care in Asia.

The day of the white man and his missionary work is coming to a close…. If Asia is to be won for Christ, it must be won by Asians.