Graham grew up in Toronto and attended the University of Toronto. An emerging interest in "all things spiritual" led him to Princeton Theological Seminary where he began to seriously engage theological and religious questions in the context of a community of faith. Graham then moved to Atlanta with his wife, Barbara, to pursue graduate degrees in religion at Emory University. He became a sociologist of religion and work in the area of American Religious life. He also works in leadership development, as the Director of the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions at Vanderbilt University.