[Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster]

p210. Billy had to face the issue of the Bible as the focus of his life again just prior to the famous 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. Chuck Templeton, a close friend and able preacher in his own right, had been attending Princeton Seminary and was challenging some of Graham’s most cherished beliefs about the inspiration and authority of Scripture. Graham indicated little inclination or patience for abstract intellectualism. “Bill”, Templeton retorted, “you cannot refuse to think. To do that is to die intellectually.” The rebuke stung, and the debate in his soul intensified. Finally, the issue came to a head at Forest Home, a Christian retreat centre in the San Bernardino Mountains near Los Angeles. Struggling over the intellectual questions his friend had raised, Billy went out alone into the pine forest to think, to pray. With his Bible spread open on a tree stump he dropped to his knees. “O God!” he prayed, “There are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with it for which I have no solution… 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 is Your inspired Word.”

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