I had a sharing of thoughts with my sister just tonight. It is one of those wonderful moments of "iron sharpening iron". I thanked God for how He has manifested himself more and more through her life. Praise be to Him! One of the topics we touched on was the reason for the title of this entry.
She shared about 2 very similar individuals in terms of what they had gone through together, but who eventually went very different directions in life. In fact, many people have heard of the these big names, Rev. William Franklin Graham, Jr. (better known as Billy Graham) and Charles Bradley Templeton. The following is a very brief summary of their life stories intertwined.
They were very close personal friends, both were greatly used by God as great evangelists. Billy is a personal friend, spiritual mentor and advisor to many US. presidents. He has preached in person to more people around the world than anyone who has ever lived as how wikipedia chose to put it. Charles hosted a weekly religious TV show on CBS called "Look Up and Live" during the peak of his ministry. He founded Avenue Road Church of Nazarene and served as a senior pastor. Together they co-founded Youth For Christ, the organisation that has been well known all around the world committed to youth evangelism and biblical Christianity where they often toured together to serve.
However, it was to my shocking discovery how the two actually ended up as opponents to each other's beliefs. Charles had the privilege of attending a formal theological training from the world renowned Princeton Theologically Seminary. It was then, he got himself thinking deeply, facing hard questions of the Christian faith. He had a long struggle with doubt bombarded by those questions which cannot be answered by mere human capacity and understanding. Eventually, in 1957, after that long struggle, Charles eventually gave himself over to reason beyond anything else. He finally declared himself an agnostic ("An agnostic thinks it impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity and other religions are concerned. Or, if not impossible, at least impossible at the present time." ~Bertrand Russell, an agnostic, an atheist).
Near the end of his life, Charles in his own words, said about Jesus, speaking in an hurried pace to Lee Strobel as he interviewed.
"He was the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?"
"Well, yes, he's the most important thing in my life." At this point he stuttered "I.. I.. I", and continued, "I know it may sound strange, but I have to say... I adore Him!"
"Well, yes. Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes... yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don't think of him that way, but they don't read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There's no question that He has the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people in the world, but Jesus is Jesus."
"... In my view, he is the most important human being who has ever existed."
And an unexpected words to hear from him as an evangelist who turned agnostic atheist was
"And if I may put it this way"
as his voice began to crack,
"I.... miss ..... Him!"
By the end of that sentence, tears were flowing from his eyes. The conversation ended abruptly on this topic.
The above is a summary adapted and rephrased from the book "The Case for Faith".
Charles did try to persuade Billy of his own convictions in the Christian faith after all, they are close personal friends. However, the response that Billy gave is totally significantly different from how Charles had handled his doubts. Instead of succumbing and surrendering to his own intellect, Billy was not exactly doubtful but was certainly disturbed. He knew that if he could not trust the Bible, he could not go on. He searched the Scriptures for answers. He prayed. He pondered. Finally, in a heavy-hearted walk in the moonlit San Bernardino mountains, Billy, gripping a Bible, dropped to His knees, and confessed he couldn't answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions that Charles and others were raising.
In Billy's own words, he said,
"I was trying to be on the level with God, but some things remained unspoken.
At last the Holy Spirit freed me to say it.
'Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word - by faith! I'm going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I believe this to be Your inspired Word.'"
He rose up from his knees, with tears in his eyes, he sensed the power of God which he hadn't felt it for months and he said the following which affirms us all of the Holy Spirit's work in each of the hearts of God's people.
"Not all my questions were answered, but a major bridge had been crossed.
In my heart and mind, I knew a spiritual battle in my soul had been fought and won."
Friends, brothers and sisters, remember that it is faith that takes us beyond our intellect, our human capacity to think and comprehend.
Faith takes us beyond reason. And it is the gift from God.
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