Subtitle: The story of Billy Graham and Charles Templeton.

Excerpt: The story of Billy Graham and Charles Templeton.

Author: Jeff Hilles

Back in 2022, I wrote an article entitled, “Does Satan Know Your Name” (article here). Within the body of that post, I mentioned in passing the broken friendship between Billy Graham and Charles Templeton. The difference between these two men is an illustration of the decision each Christian has to make as we move from head knowledge of Jesus Christ to a saving heart knowledge. 

The Story

Briefly summarizing from an article on the last debate Graham and Templeton had as young men, Templeton, who was considered the more articulate evangelist over Graham, made the choice to go to Princeton to study the Bible from an analytical point of view. He had serious questions about its authenticity and the credibility of its inspiration. After arguing back and forth with young Graham to join him, Templeton left for college and, within a few months, Billy went on his first crusade in Grand Rapids, Michigan (details here). The rest is history, with millions of people professing their faith in Jesus Christ as the result of Graham’s ministry (details here).

Templeton disappeared from the stage, disavowing his Christian roots and eventually becoming an atheist (deconstruction). While Graham, the lesser of the two evangelists from a human viewpoint, became one of the greatest soul winners the world has ever known. 

My Testimony 

On a personal note, I came to Christ in my 30s, beginning as a vocal atheist, through a series of traumatic events that forced me to consider the supernatural. As I dug deeper and deeper (as a seeker and agnostic), I became convinced that the best explanation for the resurrection was the Biblical account. From that point, my mind opened to the possibility of other parts of Scripture as truth. Over the course of 3 years, I became intellectually convinced that God was real and the Bible was the method He decided to use to communicate with humanity. 

However, if I had died at that point in my spiritual walk, I would have been lost and destined for an eternity apart from God.

Like Templeton in his pre-Princeton days, I came to believe there was a God and that the Bible had some credibility beyond a book written by man. But I had many unanswered questions and challenges, which Christian teachers and pastors could not answer. 

On August 15^th, 1989, I went to a park and sat on the grass, bowed my head and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and save my soul. On that day, I promised to serve Him from then on as my Savior and Lord. It was at that point that my acceptance of who God is, moved from head knowledge to heart knowledge. And my eternal destiny was sealed toward Heaven. It was not a decision based on a review and resolution of all the facts as presented in the Bible. It was a decision based on faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

The Rest of the Story

Below is a quote from Charles Templeton, taken from his book, Farewell to God, written shortly before his death at age 82. As a broken man throughout most of his life, you can find the full story of their friendship here and a more detailed biography of Templeton here. Reflecting on his relationship with Graham, Templeton stated…

“All our differences came to a head in a discussion which, better than anything I know, explains Billy Graham and his phenomenal success as an evangelist.

In the course of our conversation I said, ‘But, Billy, it’s simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world was not created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It’s not a matter of speculation; it’s a demonstrable fact.’

‘I don’t accept that’ Billy said. ‘And there are reputable scholars who don’t.’

‘Who are these scholars?’ I said. ‘Men in conservative Christian colleges[?]’

‘Most of them, yes,’ he said. ‘But that is not the point. I believe the Genesis account of creation because it’s in the Bible. I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.’

‘But Billy,’ I protested, ‘You cannot do that. You don’t dare stop thinking about the most important question in life. Do it and you begin to die. It’s intellectual suicide.’”

‘I don’t know about anybody else,’ he said, ‘but I’ve decided that that’s the path for me.’”

(Farewell to God, 7-8)

Faith vs. Facts

In my life, I acknowledge God used facts and trauma to draw me to Him, but it was, and is, faith that saved my soul. 

For we walk by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Like Billy Graham, each thinking Christian has to decide whether to set aside the questions and challenges that this world presents as science, logic, and evidence that contradict our beliefs. We certainly have grounds to support the resurrection, perseverance of the Bible, fulfilled prophecy, and many other “proofs” for our faith. However, for every point we make, there is a counterpoint. When we have read all the books, both promoting and condemning the Bible, God and Christ, when human science attempts to stand between us and God… we have a choice to make. That choice will affect our eternity. In the end, that choice is answered by faith over and above facts.

POSTSCRIPT: One of our readers pointed out my association with Templeton’s atheism and deconstructionism. I acknowledge that I went too far by combining the two without qualification. I am on record as stating there are times (rare times in my view) when deconstruction can lead to a stronger relationship with God once the believer reconstructs. And, even in situations where deconstruction results in little or no traditional Biblical Christian reconstruction, that is obviously not atheism. So, I stand corrected and appreciate the reader who made the observation.