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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Our national history is being rewritten just as the Bible is being rewritten. There are so many denominational Bibles which is why my university professor teaches that the Bible is unreliable. But just because people make such a claim doesn’t make it so, right? – B.U.

A: A well-known quote by a Yale educator William Lyon Phelps, once called the most beloved professor in America, stated, “I thoroughly believe in a university education for both men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.” The world has a multitude of people who agree with the famed professor.

The first requirement placed upon the critic is that he or she read every page of the Bible. The critic should also know something of the Bible’s history and the miracle of its writing. Biblical history is fascinating and makes us appreciate the Book which has been preserved for us to this day.

Critics claim the Bible’s full of forgery, fiction, and unfulfilled prophecy; but among many other factors, archaeology has corroborated rather than denied the Biblical data. The Bible’s message is straightforward. No writer changed the message to put himself or his friends in a better light. The sins of mankind are frankly admitted, and life is presented as it actually is.

More important is this: The Christian faith is not dependent upon human knowledge and scientific advancement. The inability to comprehend fully the mysteries of God doesn’t in any way curtail the Christian faith, but enhances it. The Bible is the greatest document given to the human race and remains a bulwark of national, personal, and spiritual freedom. Its greatest evidence is in changed lives.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2026 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2026 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.