Was Benjamin Franklin a Christian?

In 1790, just one month before his death at age 84, Benjamin Franklin penned a letter to Ezra Stiles in which he said that he had some doubts about the deity of Christ.  Is this an anomaly and did "The First American" get saved after his flirtation with deism?

The Eagles won their first Super Bowl this year!  Just nine years ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was coaching high school.  After the win he proclaimed, “I can only give the praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity."  While coaching high school kids, did he ever get frustrated and say some choice words or has he ever been tempted to road rage?  I don't know.  But would we deny his testimony because of one unkind remark?   Consider the analogy with Franklin - let's consider the bulk of the evidence.

According to his autobiography, he decided to become a deist at the age of 15 around the year 1721.  Despite what many textbooks say, Franklin did not remain a deist.  He even suggested prayer during the constitutional convention!

Voltaire (d. 1778) is often considered a typical deist.  He was very much anti-Christian and ridiculed the Bible.  In his later years, Franklin was no deist and referenced the Bible regularly.  Deism compares God to a cosmic watchmaker who builds the world and then forgets about it with no interaction.  Deists deny the afterlife and divine revelation.

Ralph Frasca wrote Benjamin Franklin's Printing Network and claimed that Franklin was indeed converted (University of Missouri Press, 2009):

Despite being raised a Puritan of the Congregationalist stripe by his parents, who  "Brought me through my Childhood piously in the Dissenting Way," Franklin recalled, he abandoned that denomination, briefly embraced deism, and finally  became a non-denominational Protestant Christian.

In 1735, Franklin wrote A Defense of Mr. Hemphill’s Observations (Hemphill was a local preacher) and said:

... Christ by his Death and Sufferings has purchased for us those easy Terms and Conditions of our Acceptance with God, proposed in the Gospel, to wit, Faith and Repentance ... That the ultimate End and Design of Christ’s Death, of our Redemption by his Blood ... was to lead us to the Practice of all Holiness, Piety and Virtue ...

We are not saved by good works.  Franklin defended this thought in a letter to his  sister in 1743:  "You express yourself as if you thought I was against Worshipping of God, and believed Good Works would merit Heaven; which are both Fancies of your own, I think, without Foundation."  Ben repeated this theme when he wrote to George Whitefield in 1753:  "You will see in this my notion of good works, that I am far from expecting to merit heaven by them."

In Franklin's autobiography (1791), he proposed thirteen virtues with the last two being:

Chastity - Rarely use venery [intimate relations] but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
Humility - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Franklin also referenced Jonathan Edwards' book Some Thoughts concerning the present Revival of Religion in New England in a positive light.  Franklin published George Whitefield's sermons and considered him a friend.

Ben Franklin signed Pennsylvania's first constitution (Sep. 28, 1776).  Members of the Pennsylvania's House of Representatives had to make this pledge:

I do believe in one God, the creator and governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked.  And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration.

At the Constitutional Convention Franklin urged that "We should remember the character which the Scripture requires in rulers."  I agree with Bill Fortenberry's  conclusion: "The evidence for Franklin's conversion is far too solid and secure to be shaken by the single admission of a particular doubt in his old age."   Notwithstanding, some scholars do not accept the idea of Franklin's conversion.

Amazingly, Ben Franklin was a creationist and held to a young earth.  Be sure to get your copy of YES - Young Earth Science today.  It declares independence from Old Earth Fallacies (OEF) and contends for a youthful world from history, philosophy and science - what a revolutionary concept!

What do you think?  Did Franklin become a real Christian?