Billy Graham enjoyed 63 years of marriage to Ruth Graham and together they raised 5 children. When she died in 2007 he called her a “spiritual giant whose unparalleled knowledge of the Bible and commitment to prayer were a challenge and inspiration to everyone who knew her.”
He also described her as his life partner. “We were called by God as a team,” he said.
But Graham didn’t gloss over the challenges in his marriage. Instead, he was willing to talk about their struggles. He called them “happily compatible” and quoted his wife as saying “if two people agree on everything one of them is unnecessary.”
In particular, Graham learned to live with his wife’s independent nature. A newspaper account describes how he tried to prevent her from driving after she wrecked the family car. When Ruth refused Billy said “I don’t recall reading in Scripture that Sarah ever talked to Abraham like that” and she responded “Well, I don’t recall reading in Scripture that Abraham ever tried to take Sarah’s camel away from her.”
One of Graham’s guiding principles may have helped to anchor their marriage while helping the ministry. His much-debated “Billy Graham Rule” came about early in his ministry and aimed to steer Graham and his associates from sexual temptations among others. As a result of following the rule, Graham never spent time alone with a woman other than Ruth.
