Billy Graham's life, its impact and the legacy he'll leave are examined in a new biography, The Evangelist, by Samford University divinity professor Lewis A. Drummond.

The man who has preached to more than two billion people has been called "the most spiritually productive servant of God in our time," Drummond notes in the concluding chapter of his 352-page book.

He adds, "the most profound effect" of Graham's ministry is "the change in the countless thousands of individuals" who have heard him preach. "Those believers, in turn, have influenced and changed their families, workplaces, churches, communities, and nations as they became new people in Christ," Drummond writes. "This result is impossible to measure . . .."

Published by Word Publishing of Nashville, Tenn., Drummond's work places Graham in the company of such important religious figures as Jonathon Edwards and St. Francis of Assisi because of his far-reaching influence for Christianity.

"Billy Graham is considered a father figure to all evangelists," Drummond writes. "He has set the standard of leadership. The church is broader, stronger, and bolder because of him. And light has been shed around the world by his clear presentation of Christ and the lives changed by commitment to Him."

Drummond, who has taught evangelism at the seminary level for many years, holds the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Church Growth at Samford's Beeson Divinity School. The author of 21 books, he is former president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Evangelist retails for $22.99. Each book contains a CD of audio and video clips of Graham, including sermons from each decade since the 1950s and rare crusade footage.