October 10th there will be a movie about Billy Graham. It is titled “Billy: The Early Years.” Click here to find out more.
There is an interesting element that will be explored in the movie. It has to do with Charles Templeton. Mr. Templeton’s understudy was Billy Graham (!). Mr. Templeton proclaimed the Gospel to stadiums filled with people. He was viewed as the greatest preacher/evangelist of his day. He and Billy Graham were very good friends. Then something happened…
Mr. Templeton went to seminary (Princeton University). There he encountered teaching that challenged what he believed about God, Jesus, and Scripture. He struggled desperately to resolve the issues that were in his spirit. He talked with his friend Billy about his doubts. It is at this point two critical decisions were made…
Charles Templeton became an agnostic and abandoned the Christian faith. Billy Graham began to deal with questions in his own heart as a result of talking to Charles. The difference between the two men was that Billy decided to give his life completely and totally to the cause of Christ rather than allow humanistic questions to extinguish his faith. This will be a major theme in the movie.
Note: Virtually every Christian at some point will have what is called a “Crisis of Faith.” They will be tempted as to whether or not they really believe God… whether or not the Christian faith is valid. How we deal with that crisis will set the course for the rest of our life. My crisis of faith came in my first class in college. It was a religion class at The University of Southern Mississippi. And as a result I came within a couple of hours of letting go of everything I believed and had been taught. But by God’s grace and mercy I made it through it… and my faith was strengthened.
I strongly encourage you to go see “Billy: The Early Years.” I’m sure it will be a blessing.