More Doubt: More FaithExemplo

A Tale Of Two Doubters

The first doubter, Charles Templeton, would never return to his once-professed faith. In 1996 he published Farewell to God, one of the saddest book titles in human history. Five years later, Templeton would slip into a Christless eternity, dying as an apostate. Tragic. 

The year following Templeton’s release of Farewell to God, the second doubter, Billy Graham, published his autobiography, Just As I Am. In it, he unveils his battle with doubt in agonizing detail. Recalling his dark night of the soul, Graham wrote, “My faith is under siege.” His account of that night and the victory that ensued are worth reading:

"As that night wore on, my heart became heavily burdened. Could I trust the Bible?…If I could not trust the Bible, I could not go on…I would have to leave pulpit evangelism. I was only thirty years of age. It was not too late to become a dairy farmer. But that night I believed with all my heart that the God who had saved my soul would never let go of me. The exact wording of my prayer is beyond recall, but it must have echoed my thoughts: “O God. There are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions. There are some areas in it that do not seem to correlate with modern science. I can’t answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions…" I was trying to be on the level with God, but something 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 will believe this to be Your inspired Word." When I got up from my knees at Forest Home that August night, my eyes stung with tears. I sensed the presence and power of God as I had not sensed it in months. 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."

Far from committing intellectual suicide that night, Billy Graham properly understood that no matter how hard he studied, he’d never comprehend everything. He was content to live with mystery and follow Christ faithfully.

Reflections

• Doubts shrink when our faith is stretched.
• Doubt will make you restless. Faith will make you  restful.
• Charles Templeton and Billy Graham each had a decision to make regarding their doubts. How can the church do a better job helping doubters to not say “farewell to God”? 

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