Franklin Graham
William Franklin Graham III (born July 14, 1952), is son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, is a prominent American evangelical Christian leader. He leads both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian humanitarian aid organization. He is known for his outspoken conservative Christian views and frequent engagement in evangelistic tours and political commentary. Franklin Graham committed to Christianity at age 22 in 1974 and was ordained in 1982. As an evangelist for the BGEA, he leads global Crusades or Festivals, sharing the Gospel. He became CEO of BGEA in 2000 and president in 2001. He heads Samaritan's Purse, providing aid in crisis areas. The organization is a major global relief provider. Samaritan's Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Graham is an influential evangelical figure who speaks on moral and social topics, advocating for biblical values. He has met with several U.S. presidents and world leaders. He holds conservative evangelical beliefs, including the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ. He also holds conservative views on marriage and homosexuality. In 2024, he shared the Gospel internationally and along the U.S.-Mexico border. BGEA announced in July 2025 that it will expand its legal defense fund for Christians in Europe, partly funded by Samaritan's Purse. He has been criticized for remarks about Islam, including calling it "evil and wicked" and "a religion of hatred". He has supported Donald Trump and his policies, aligning with the Republican Party's hard right. He has also supported Russia's anti-LGBTQ+ laws. according to The New Yorker. His UK tours have been canceled due to protests over his views, particularly on LGBTQ+ issues. Some legal rulings have supported BGEA's right to religious expression. He faced scrutiny in 2009 for drawing full-time salaries from both Samaritan's Purse and BGEA. Despite these controversies, Franklin Graham remains a significant figure in evangelicalism, active in evangelism and humanitarian work.
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Religious leaders react to Maduro’s capture with conflicting views The U.S. raid that nabbed Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas Jan. 3 will help protect America from drugs and violence and make the world a safer place, said evangelist and Trump promoter Franklin Graham. “Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for what you’ve done for the people of Venezuela. The president is strategically working to protect our nation and better the lives of people around the world.” As proof, Graham cited Trump’s unproved claim that the U.S. has “knocked out 97% of the drugs coming by sea,” and that most of those came from Venezuela. “He said that our country was previously losing 300,000 lives a year to illicit drugs. President Trump is trying to fix this tragedy and keep America from becoming like these countries that have been ruined by socialism, communism, corruption, crime and drugs.” (Baptist news Global; 1.5.26) READMORE>>>>> Chaplains Minister Amid Jamaica Devastation Much of the ministry was centered around the community of Black River, just east of where Melissa made landfall. With the local hospital destroyed, Samaritan’s Purse erected an Emergency Field Hospital (EFH) serving hundreds of patients. The organization has also provided survivors with water, shelter, hygiene items, solar lights and other supplies, including hundreds of Bibles. Multiple airlifts delivered more than 500,000 pounds of relief to the island. The devastation around Black River is overwhelming. “There is still so much suffering and need,” said Franklin Graham after visiting the area in early December. “People have been without power for 40 days. Every home in Black River was damaged or completely destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. Our tarps are helping keep the rain off families—one man I met was so thankful to have his roof tarped and said it was the first dry night he had spent since the hurricane! The news may not be covering it anymore, but the need is still great.” (BGEA; 1.2.26) READMORE>>>>> |
January 2, 2026: Reformed Journal reported: On December 17, 2025, the Rev. Franklin Graham preached at a Christmas service in the Pentagon. In his sermon, he told members of the military and Department of Defense employees that the Christian God is a God of love, but also a God of hate who sometimes commands us to destroy his enemies. Graham lifted up the story in I Samuel 15 in which God is depicted as commanding Saul to defeat and slaughter the Amalekites, “men, women, infant, nursing child, oxen, sheep, camel, and donkey.” Because Saul disobeys God, sparing the Amalekite king and the best of the livestock, Samuel tells Saul that God has rejected him as king of Israel. Oh, and Merry Christmas! Eight days later, on Christmas Day itself, President Trump ordered military strikes on Islamic State bases in northern Nigeria, citing alleged ISIS attacks on Nigerian Christians as a justification. As Trump wrote on Truth Social that evening, “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing …. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.” |
January 9, 2025: Mission Box reported: More than 24,000 people filled the Cần Thơ Stadium in Vietnam last month to seek Jesus during the Season of Love Festival with Franklin Graham. More than 1,200 responded to the evangelist’s invitation to follow Christ. Evangelist Franklin Graham preached the Gospel to 24,000 people who filled the Cần Thơ Stadium in Vietnam last month during the Season of Love Festival. More than 315 churches and pastors came together to plan and pray for the two-day outreach
Jan 11, 2025: Graham told Premier: “People have lost everything. A lot of people are asking ‘Why?’, and that’s a hard question to answer. We want to reassure them of God’s love – that He cares for them and that He hasn’t turned His back on them......I think we have these storms in life, and because we have TV, and because we have social media, and every iPhone now is a broadcast quality video camera, we see a lot more today than we did 20 years ago or 40 years ago. And so whether the fires are worse today than 100 years ago, I don't know, but we see it, and it's all around us....The reality is we're going to have more storms like this. It's not going to get less and the most important thing that we as Christians can do is make sure everyone understands that God loves them. And that when storms like this come, it's not God's judgement. I don't believe that for a second. We know that God loves us.
"Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so. The question is, do we know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to stand before Him? If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence?
ED NOTE: Franklin Graham, asked if God was judging Hollywood by the fire, said "Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so." Bothers me that he said he stumbly says "I don't think so." God is absolutely NOT judging cities & countries by starting them on fire. Ridiculous he seems unsure.
"Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so. The question is, do we know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to stand before Him? If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence?
ED NOTE: Franklin Graham, asked if God was judging Hollywood by the fire, said "Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so." Bothers me that he said he stumbly says "I don't think so." God is absolutely NOT judging cities & countries by starting them on fire. Ridiculous he seems unsure.
January 12, 2025: Newsmax reported: Samaritan's Purse is preparing for a major response to needy California residents in the wake of wild fires that have devastated the Los Angeles area. "Right now we just have to wait till the fires are contained and are out before we can do anything," Rev. Franklin Graham, President and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, told Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." Graham said his organization is already prepping teams of volunteers to help. The fires have been the worst ever to hit the state of California. More than 12,000 homes and properties have been destroyed as hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
January 20, 2025: Reverend Franklin Graham's prayer at the Trump inauguration: Look what God has done, we praise him and give him glory.....So Father we take this moment to stand still, to remember the great things that You have done for this Nation. Thank you for the protection, the bounty, the freedoms that we so enjoy. We remember to keep our eyes fixed on you, and may our hearts be inclined to your voice. We know that America can never be great again if we turn our backs on you. We ask for your help and we pray all of this in the name of the King of kings, the Lord of lords, your Son, my Savior, and our redeemer Jesus Christ, Amen.”
May 29, 2025: Decision reported: Evangelist Franklin Graham, CEO and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, revealed he met with and offered prayer for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On May 28, Franklin shared the news with an assembly of over 1,000 pastors and Christian leaders from over 57 countries and territories, gathered together in Berlin, Germany, for the European Congress of Evangelism. The Congress aims to equip evangelists to share the Gospel across Europe. “Today I had the privilege of meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin and to have prayer with him,” Franklin said. “I prayed for him, and I also prayed for President Vladimir Putin and President Donald J. Trump—that God would give these leaders wisdom and give them a path forward to peace. The complications in Ukraine and Russia are very difficult, and I believe only God can solve this.”
March 14, 2025: Christianity Daily reported: The Rev. Franklin Graham has advised President Donald Trump to refrain from using profanity in his speeches, warning the potential spiritual and cultural consequences of foul language. In a post on X, Graham directed his followers to an interview he conducted with Deseret News on the subject, sharing the Bible verse Matthew 12:36, which states, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” Graham noted that “President Donald J. Trump has mentioned several times publicly a letter I wrote to him about his use of ‘salty’ language,” in which he explained, “Your storytelling is great, but it could be so much better if you didn’t use foul language.”
July 18, 2025: Church Times reported: THE political campaign group Evangelicals for America, in the United States, has apologised for its suggestive use of footage of the late evangelist Billy Graham in an advertisement critical of President Trump. Formerly known as Evangelicals for Harris, the rebranded group has taken down the 2024 election campaign advert that spliced Graham’s words with quotations from Donald Trump at his political rallies. One clip juxtaposed an excerpt from a Graham sermon — “But you must realize that in the last days, the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money” — with a clip of Mr Trump telling a rally: “My whole life I’ve been greedy, greedy, greedy. I’ve grabbed all the money I could get. I’m so greedy!” (News, 18 October 2024). Graham’s son, Franklin, who is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the charity Samaritan’s Purse, issued a “cease and desist” order when the advertisement was released last year.
August 6, 2025: Christian Daily reported: Franklin Graham’s legal team has revealed details of a growing “defense fund” to support Christians facing discrimination for expressing their faith — a fund created from successful court rulings after multiple British venues attempted to cancel Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)'s “God Loves You!” evangelistic events. Speaking at the European Congress on Evangelism in May, attorney Justin Arnot, who represents Franklin Graham and the BGEA, referred to the legal victories as part of a broader spiritual and legal battle over freedom of religious expression in the public square. The so-called “Billy Graham Defense Fund”, sometimes referred to by Graham himself as a “war chest,” was formed from settlements and damages awarded in court cases where U.K. venues had withdrawn from hosting evangelistic rallies under pressure from critics of Graham’s biblical convictions.
August 25, 2025: Evangelical Focus reported: Note from Bruce Barron, blog editor: On September 27, Franklin Graham, son of famous evangelist Billy Graham, will hold a “Festival of Hope” evangelistic event in Brussels, Belgium. But Léo Lehmann, who pastored a church in Brussels for eight years and now serves as a freelance writer, editor, and translator with various ministries including a French-speaking European missiological network (REMEEF) and Christianity Today magazine, won’t be participating. In this guest post, Lehmann explains why he and his Baptist denomination didn’t want to be associated with the Festival of Hope. When Billy Graham held an evangelistic meeting in Brussels in 1975, Protestants represented 2 percent of the Belgian population. Today, it is 3 percent—a modest change in 50 years.
September 2, 2025: Politico reported: Samaritan’s Purse CEO Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, is a Trump ally who’s attempted to reassure the group’s church-going donors that foreign-aid cuts won’t affect its work. It had received tens of millions in support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump shut down in February..
October 9, 2025: Baptist News Global reported: Franklin Graham has quit a financial accountability group his father helped found. The son of the famed evangelist has pulled both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse from membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. That group was revolutionary at its founding in 1977. The ECFA website explains: “They were revolutionary in requiring audited financial statements to be made available to the public upon request. That might not seem extraordinary now, but back in those days, virtually no nonprofits had CPA-audited financial statements. The standards were also truly revolutionary in requiring an active, responsible governing body, a majority of whom had to be independent board members.”
November 1, 2025: BGEA reported: It had been years since multiple denominations of churches in Belgium had joined together for an evangelistic effort. But more than 600 of them did for the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham on Sept. 27 in Brussels. The fruit from that unified effort included hundreds of people, including many young adults and teens, coming to faith in Jesus Christ. “It’s amazing to see this unity. And I think it’ll last in time,” Belgian Pastor Patrick de Caluwe said.
May 17, 2024: Christian Post reported: Faith leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle gathered to honor the late evangelist Billy Graham as a sculpture paying tribute to the North Carolina native was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol Thursday. Hundreds attended a private ceremony revealing the 7-foot statue, which will be part of the National Statuary Hall Collection and installed in the Crypt one level below the Rotunda, where public tours of the U.S. Capitol begin. The event featured speeches from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Graham's son, Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Evangelical humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse. Grammy-winning Christian musician Michael W. Smith performed the son "I Surrender All."
July 14, 2024: Christian Post reported: "I thank God that former President @realDonaldTrump is alive," Franklin Graham wrote above an image showing blood streaming down the right side of former President Donald Trump's face after a bullet pierced his right ear during an assassination attempt. Graham added that he was praying for the man who was murdered by the shooter at the Pennsylvania rally and those who were injured. "Our prayers are also with the others injured at the rally today and the family of the individual who was killed," he wrote.
September 19, 2024: Seattle Times reported: The Rev. Franklin Graham, a longtime Trump supporter, took issue with one of the group’s ads and its use of footage of his late father, the Rev. Billy Graham. “The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris,” he wrote on his public Facebook page, which has 10 million followers.
October 1, 2024: Politi-Zoom reported: If Franklin Graham appears to be giving the old side eye to ex-resident dotard in the photo above, it may be because drumpf loudly took credit for Graham’s charitable organization, Samaritan’s Purse, rolling truckloads of Hurricane relief supplies into town during their appearance in Valdosta, Georgia yesterday. In addition to slandering President Biden by accusing him of not doing his utmost to provide relief, Trump first stated that he brought the truckloads of supplies himself, while camera were rolling, before later in his statement credited Graham with doing so. Of course right wing news sources amplified Trump’s original claim while ignoring his later demurral:Just a few days ago, Trump started using the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to hold political events and attack his political opponents. In a press release on Sunday, the Trump campaign stated Trump would be visiting Valdosta, Georgia to “facilitate the distribution of relief supplies.”
Nov 8 2024: Franklin Graham congratulates President-elect Trump: ‘I pray you will look to God every day for His guidance and wisdom.’"There’s a spiritual element at work here," he warned. "Dark forces are working against this man. They’ve tried to imprison him, and there have been two assassination attempts. He faces daily attacks in the media, and the only hope for Donald J. Trump and our nation is God." Graham revealed that he personally encouraged President Trump to ask for God’s help each morning, saying, "If he does so, God will hear and answer his prayers." He also cited Psalm 20:7: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
April 20, 2023: Reuters reported: Prominent evangelical leaders such as Franklin Graham and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, have said they are not endorsing Trump or any other candidate at the moment as the race moves forward.
Franklin Graham
"If you're not going to preach the gospel, you don't have anything to worry about. If you're not going to talk about sin, you're not going to have anything to worry about; but if you're going to proclaim the gospel, they're going to try to shut you up.....Jesus told us the world hated [Him] first and they're going to hate you," he said. "If you stand for Christ, the world is going to hate you..........I believe there's a coming storm that we're all going to [have to] be ready for," he told the audience of about 2,000 attendees. "It's not going to be good. The world is deteriorating so quickly. It seems like every demon in hell has been turned loose."
--Franklin Graham; keynote speech in Orlando, Florida; May 2023
--Franklin Graham; keynote speech in Orlando, Florida; May 2023
June 22, 2023: Christian Post reported: The Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the charitable organization Samaritan’s Purse, took to Facebook to opine that “Our country is at a crossroads.” Graham added, “What we saw today has never happened before, and I think for the majority of Americans, it raises questions about whether our legal system can be trusted. Pray for our nation, for God’s guiding hands that this republic will be one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”
Franklin Graham
Now more than ever in my lifetime, people are obsessed with their identity. Race, gender and sexuality have become the throne to which our culture bends the knee. Humanity worships the created instead of the Creator. But God’s grace and forgiveness offers more than freedom from slavery to sin. His life-transforming power enables those who love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength to be in the world but not conformed to it. That’s why the Apostle Paul encouraged God’s people in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” There is nowhere on the face of the Earth where freedom is experienced any greater than in the center of God’s will. Moses obeyed God even while under Pharaoh’s rule in Egypt. Noah worshipped on an ark tossed about in a global flood. Daniel worshipped in a lion’s den. Joseph served God while a slave to Potiphar. David praised God before a towering giant named Goliath. Paul freely worshipped God while in prison, shipwrecked, and while being beaten nearly to death. Freedom in Christ is what empowered Jesus’ disciples, following His ascension to Heaven, to evangelize much of Asia, Africa and Europe. In the face of ruthless governments and hostile religious leaders, Christ’s ambassadors persevered for God’s glory even unto death. --Franklin Graham; 9.1.23
Franklin Graham
“Congratulations to Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana who was just elected as Speaker of the House! He had unanimous Republican support. Last night after he was elected, he asked the entire GOP to stop and bow their heads and pray with him. That is so great to see.....Johnson is “God’s man for this job,” calling on people “to stop right now and pray for him—that God would protect him and his family and God would use him to help lead our nation through these troubled times.”
--Franklin Graham 10/25/23
--Franklin Graham 10/25/23
December 23, 2023: Prospect reported: It was Franklin Graham who told millions of America’s evangelicals in 2016 that they could vote for Trump with a clean conscience, since Trump was comparable to the ancient Persian ruler Cyrus from the Old Testament. Cyrus the Great was an all-conquering Persian king. Around 550BC he overthrew the tyrannical Babylonians who had persecuted the Jews, driving them into captivity and stripping them of their freedoms and customs.
Martyn Percy
It was Franklin Graham who told millions of America’s evangelicals in 2016 that they could vote for Trump with a clean conscience, since Trump was comparable to the ancient Persian ruler Cyrus from the Old Testament. Cyrus the Great was an all-conquering Persian king. Around 550BC he overthrew the tyrannical Babylonians who had persecuted the Jews, driving them into captivity and stripping them of their freedoms and customs. Having conquered the Babylonians, Cyrus released all their captives. Moreover, he respected the traditions and religions of the lands he captured. His regime offered liberation and devolved government to former captives of Babylon. Cyrus also ruled with a lean, decentralised administration. For American evangelicals and fundamentalists, the government of Cyrus, 2,500 years ago, was one that worked to the advantage of all its subjects—and especially God’s chosen people. Cyrus is the only foreign ruler referred to as “Messiah” (literally “His anointed one”) in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 45:1), and is the only non-Jewish figure in the Bible to be given this accolade. In claiming Trump is Cyrus, Franklin Graham was saying that Evangelicals and fundamentalists could now rid themselves of a once dominant, centralising liberal hegemony and reclaim their religious freedoms. They could do this by voting for someone who doesn’t share their evangelical faith and values. Trump is presented as simultaneously pagan and the messiah-ruler. Washington DC is often portrayed in evangelical press and social media as a simulacra of a centralising Babylon. And you don’t need to be a genius to work out that Trump is the Cyrus who delivers all God-fearing Americans from that awful prospect of the Whore of Babylon (Book of Revelation, chapters 17 and 18) living in the White House. “Drain the swamp” and “lock her up” were implicit religious rallying calls, not just injudicious hate-speech. These were the chants of the self-proclaimed righteous—chants that swung across the bandwidth of rage, hate and exuberant joy.
--Martyn Percy; Prospect: The Roots of Trumps Religion; 12/23/23
--Martyn Percy; Prospect: The Roots of Trumps Religion; 12/23/23
Mark Wingfield
There are dozens of other ways to help children around the world that will do more real good than Samaritan’s Purse and that will not give a platform to a high-profile minister in whom the spirit of truth does not reside. Franklin Graham has made himself as big a liar as Donald Trump by spouting this nonsense. One big difference is that Trump doesn’t claim to speak for God.
-Mark Wingfield-Baptist News Global-Jan 10, 2022
There are dozens of other ways to help children around the world that will do more real good than Samaritan’s Purse and that will not give a platform to a high-profile minister in whom the spirit of truth does not reside. Franklin Graham has made himself as big a liar as Donald Trump by spouting this nonsense. One big difference is that Trump doesn’t claim to speak for God.
-Mark Wingfield-Baptist News Global-Jan 10, 2022
January 10, 2022: Baptist News Global reported: Probably not what Franklin Graham said in a Jan. 8 tweet. “This wk in his address to the nation, @POTUS Biden talked w/disdain about former President Trump spreading a ‘web of lies.’ Well, millions do not believe that President Trump spread a web of lies — but they do feel there’s a lot of dishonesty going on by politicians in Washington. With all respect, @POTUS Biden needs to be careful how he denounces those who disagree with him. Hillary Clinton tried that once by calling supporters of President Trump ‘deplorables,’ & it didn’t go too well for her. It was an insult to about half the country. President @JoeBiden’s bashing of former President Trump doesn’t unite the country, but just further divides it. Pray for wisdom for our elected leaders and God’s mercy on our nation.”
February 22, 2022: Charisma wrote: As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to boil to a potential tipping point, evangelist Franklin Graham is encouraging his followers to pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin—and he's facing rebuke as a result.
Franklin Graham
Can you imagine what a difference it would make if Christians ran for every office at all levels across our country – city council, school board, Mayor? We need to get involved and take a stand for biblical values and morals before it’s too late. If you agree share this.” -Franklin Graham 2022
February 25, 2022: Christian Post reported: “At Samaritan’s Purse we have many friends not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia as well,” Graham wrote on Facebook. “There is so much fear and uncertainty. Many Ukrainians are fleeing their homes toward the west. These families need our prayers.”
Franklin Graham
February 28, 2022 on Twitter: "Pray for President Putin today. This may sound like a strange request, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost. May God give wisdom to the leaders involved in these talks & negotiations, as well as those advising them."
March 21, 2022: Religion News reported: Four days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Franklin Graham tweeted, “Pray for President (Vladimir) Putin today. This may sound like a strange request, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost.”
May 10, 2022: Politico reported: On the face of it, Samuel Alito’s draft decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, published by POLITICO last week, represents a vindication for the Religious Right, the culmination of nearly five decades of working to outlaw abortion. “I don’t know if this report is true,” said evangelist Franklin Graham of the draft opinion overturning abortion rights, “but if it is, it is an answer to many years of prayer.” The history of that movement, however, is more complicated. White evangelicals in the 1970s did not mobilize against Roe v. Wade, which they considered a Catholic issue. They organized instead to defend racial segregation in evangelical institutions, including Bob Jones University.
August 24, 2022: Wartburg Watch reported: I have long followed Naghmeh’s story. In 2021, wrote #IStandwithNaghmeh Franklin Graham Didn’t and Added More Pain to Naghmeh Panahi’s Abuse by Saeed Abedini #ChurchToo In this post, I wrote the story of Saeed Abedini, imprisoned in Iran, and his then wife, Naghmeh, who led a campaign to free her husband. However, she was hiding much pain in her life. Saeed abused her for many years.
August 31, 2022: Christianity Today reported: The focus on persuasion may be the result of necessity. The NAE has spoken out on environmental issues before (the new report functions as an update of a similar document published in 2011), but while mainline Protestant Christian groups and Pope Francis have repeatedly signaled the urgency of addressing climate change, many prominent evangelical leaders have suggested the opposite: Last year, Franklin Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, dismissed climate change as “nothing new” in a Facebook post and compared it to biblical instances of extreme weather—such as the flood in Genesis or the years of famine and drought in Egypt—that are depicted as acts of God. The result has often been a religious community resistant to acknowledging the source of the issue, much less acting to prevent it. In a Pew Research survey conducted in January, white evangelicals were the religious group least likely to agree that human activity contributes to climate change, with only 54 percent saying humanity contributed a great deal or some to the trend. By comparison, 72 percent of white nonevangelicals, 73 percent of white Catholics, 81 percent of Black Protestants, and 86 percent of Hispanic Catholics said so. (
October 3, 2022: Duluth News Tribune reported: As hundreds of people filed into Soldiers Field Park Sunday, Oct. 2, for an evangelical revival hosted by Rev. Franklin Graham, some Rochester pastors wanted to make sure visitors received a warm welcome. Even if it was contrary to Graham’s message.
Representatives from almost a dozen different congregations lined the north entrance to the park at the memorial. They held signs proclaiming God loves everyone — including LGBTQ people.
Representatives from almost a dozen different congregations lined the north entrance to the park at the memorial. They held signs proclaiming God loves everyone — including LGBTQ people.
October 4, 2022: Only Sky reported: Remember that Walker has other demons in his closet, too. One of his ex-wives said Walker put a gun to her head and said to her, “I’m going to blow your f’ing brains out.” He also separately threatened to kill her and her new boyfriend. He lied about his success in the business world, making far far less than he bragged about publicly. He only registered to vote in Georgia a year ago. He barely votes, period. His current wife allegedly committed voting fraud by voting in a state she didn’t live in. He also happens to be one of the dumbest people in public life who admitted weeks ago, “I’m not that smart.”
And yet Walker has full support from Christian nationalists like evangelist Franklin Graham, who said of him last year even after we knew about many of these demons, “He’s an outspoken Christian, he stands up for conservative values, and he’s got a lot of common sense.”
And yet Walker has full support from Christian nationalists like evangelist Franklin Graham, who said of him last year even after we knew about many of these demons, “He’s an outspoken Christian, he stands up for conservative values, and he’s got a lot of common sense.”
Zorek Richards
October 25, 2022: The Christian Nationalist top 20 offenders, according to Faithful America, are: Greg
Abbott, governor of Texas / Steve Bannon, political strategist, Catholic activist and former aide to Donald Trump / David Barton, pseudo-historian, activist and founder of WallBuilders / Lauren Boebert, U.S. representative from Colorado/ Ted Budd, U.S. representative from North Carolina / Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida / Sean Feucht, activist and worship leader / Mayra Flores, U.S. representative from Texas / Michael Flynn, retired general, conspiracy theorist and megachurch speaker / Franklin Graham, evangelist and president of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse / Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from Georgia, Josh Hawley, U.S. senator from Missouri / Kristina Karamo, Secretary of state candidate in Michigan / Kari Lake, gubernatorial candidate in Arizona / Blake Masters, U.S. senate candidate in Arizona / Doug Mastriano, gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania / Mary Miller, U.S. representative from Illinois / Tony Perkins, pastor and president of Family Research Council / Joseph Strickland, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas / J.D. Vance, author and U.S. senate candidate from Ohio
Abbott, governor of Texas / Steve Bannon, political strategist, Catholic activist and former aide to Donald Trump / David Barton, pseudo-historian, activist and founder of WallBuilders / Lauren Boebert, U.S. representative from Colorado/ Ted Budd, U.S. representative from North Carolina / Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida / Sean Feucht, activist and worship leader / Mayra Flores, U.S. representative from Texas / Michael Flynn, retired general, conspiracy theorist and megachurch speaker / Franklin Graham, evangelist and president of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse / Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from Georgia, Josh Hawley, U.S. senator from Missouri / Kristina Karamo, Secretary of state candidate in Michigan / Kari Lake, gubernatorial candidate in Arizona / Blake Masters, U.S. senate candidate in Arizona / Doug Mastriano, gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania / Mary Miller, U.S. representative from Illinois / Tony Perkins, pastor and president of Family Research Council / Joseph Strickland, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas / J.D. Vance, author and U.S. senate candidate from Ohio
Jan 5, 2021: In a FaceBook post, Graham says: President Trump isn’t a perfect person. I don’t support or agree with some of the things the President said and did the last couple of weeks. January 6 was a low point in his presidency. We knew he had flaws when he ran for office in 2016. But I, and millions of others, voted for him because of the platform and policies he promised. I still support those. The Democrats have been trying to get rid of the President since the day he took office. What they did yesterday only further divides our nation. I hope President-elect Biden will keep his word and work for unity as he has said.
January 7, 2021: Charlotte Observer reported: Rev. Franklin Graham — an ardent ally of President Donald Trump — asked Christians to pray for the incoming administration after Trump supporters besieged the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Jan 15, 2021: Charlotte Observer reported: Evangelist Franklin Graham compared Republicans who voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s second impeachment to Judas, who betrayed Jesus Christ in the Bible.
July 6, 2021: Edge Media Reported: How about a little hate to end Pride Month? That is the way homophobic evangelist Franklin Graham chose to end June with a Facebook post commenting on a BBC story of how "Pride has gone mainstream."
Aug 12, 2021: Christianity Daily reported: Louisiana Gov Calls For Prayer And Fasting To Combat COVID-19 In State. Evangelist Franklin Graham praised John Edwards on Facebook for his "leadership" and for knowing "the importance of calling on God for help" on Wednesday. Graham quoted the governor's belief on the power of prayer taken from the official statement that was mentioned in the report he shared with his post. Graham urged others to heed the governor's call not only in Louisiana but throughout the country.
Aug 18, 2021: Christianity Today reported: Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham blasted President Joe Biden's Administration for the "tragic" Afghanistan failure and pointed out that "our enemies are laughing at us."
September 8. 2021: Avery Journal Times reported: “Louisiana was pummeled by Hurricane Ida, and thousands of families are in need of both physical assistance and hope,” Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said. “We are coming alongside these hurting communities to help them start to get back on their feet and remind them of the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”
Zorek Richards
September 15, 2021: Franklin Graham accused Democrats of going against the principles of Christianity and wants Christians to move away from the Democratic Party. Franklin is a poster boy for Christian Nationalism. He learned it from his dad, Billy Graham, who wrote as early as 1954 that "Communism is a religion that is inspired, directed and motivated by the Devil himself who has declared war against Almighty God." Franklin sees Democrats & Soviet Communists as the same thing and preaches accordingly.
October 15. 2021: Religion News Service reported: Millions wanted to ‘Save Saeed.’ Few wanted to help his abused ex-wife. The chief advocate of that approach in the room that day in 2016 was Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Association and Samaritan’s Purse.
April 1, 2020: Religion News Service reported: It was a culture clash waiting to happen. Almost as soon as Samaritan’s Purse assembled a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park’s famed East Meadow, New Yorkers sounded the alarm about the evangelical humanitarian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. Pointing to the conservative Christian organization’s statement of faith, which all its health care specialists are expected to sign, they wondered if LGBTQ patients would be treated equally.
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July 13, 2020: Baptist News Global reported: Recognizing California’s large evangelical population and the potential to wield that identity for politic change, Franklin Graham held 10 large, campaign-style rallies in California leading up to the 2018 midterm elections. The caravan bus tour sought to energize evangelical voters in order to break California’s “Blue Wall.” The campaign also likely functioned to loosen the pocketbooks of evangelicals in the state who make up the second largest donor pool for Samaritan’s Purse, Franklin Graham’s international nonprofit known best for Operation Christmas Child. California evangelicals hold power in the larger evangelical community.
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August 27, 2020
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September 6, 2020: Henderson Lightning reported: Madison Cawthorn, Moe Davis swap charges on character, white nationalism, military service Davis responded: “Well, I spent 25-years in uniform defending your right to say what you want and to practice your religion the way that you want. To me it is not very Christian to attack another Christian’s faith. I am not a fan of Franklin Graham. … I was a big believer in Billy Graham, I’ve got his books at home at my house and I have read them and I respect him greatly. … Franklin Graham has made himself one of the richest 1%, taking $1 million a year off the top from money people have given to do the lord’s work. That’s not the bible I grew up with. So, no, I am no fan of Franklin Graham, but I am a firm believer in religious conviction and religious faith and I defend the right of everyone to practice the way that they believe.”
November 4, 2020: The Christian Century reported: German Protestant theologian Paul Althaus was a strong advocate for the existence of a “unique spiritual vitality” among the German people. As a young military chaplain during World War I, Althaus had become convinced of the special calling of the German Volk (people/nation). He saw the Treaty of Versailles as a deep national humiliation, and he had nothing but scorn for the Weimar Republic, the first democracy in Germany. “Our Volk have had to endure the deepest questions of humanity more painfully and more profoundly than any other people,” Althaus wrote in 1927. “Our people have testified to God throughout history, in which God has entrusted it with something unique.” Althaus was construing Germans as an ethnically distinct group endowed with a divine mission. It is no surprise that he would soon embrace Hitler’s rise to power.
March 26, 2019: Franklin Tweets: I’ve been in Moscow this week & had the privilege of meeting w/Patriarch Kirill of Moscow & All Russia. It was also a blessing to meet w/evangelical leaders & other officials while there. Pray for them & for more opportunities to share the truth, hope, & life found only in Jesus.
May 2, 2019: Uprise Rhode Island reported: Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, is coming to East Providence on May 26 to preach his message of anti-LGBTQ, anti-Islam, pro-theocracy intolerance. The last time Graham came to Rhode Island was ahead of the 2016 election. He stood on the south steps of the Rhode Island State House and basically stumped for then candidate Donald Trump. Franklin Graham’s hate and fear not wanted in Rhode Island
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January 23, 2018: Graham tells Don Lemon on CNN: “I believe Donald Trump is a good man. He did everything wrong as a candidate and he won, and I don’t understand it. Other than I think God put him there.”
Jan 24, 2018: CNN reported: Evangelical leader Franklin Graham says Trump is a ‘changed person’. President Donald Trump is a “changed person” amid recent reports of an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, said the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
“These alleged affairs, they’re alleged with Trump, didn’t happen while he was in office,” Franklin Graham told CNN’s Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight”. Feb 21, 2018: NBC News reported: Franklin Graham followed in his father Billy's footsteps, but took a right-leaning path: The Rev. Billy Graham became known as "America’s pastor" by refusing to pick a political side while reaching out to other religious leaders and invoking “the Lord” rather than Jesus. But his son, the Rev. Franklin Graham, isn’t practicing what his father preached.
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May 26, 2018: Graham spoke to a capacity crowd of about 3,800 people at Bold Point Park in East Providence, Rhode Island as part of his Decision America tour
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May 27, 2018: New York Times reported: Franklin Graham stood in a packed locker room at the Rose Bowl, surrounded by fellow evangelists, pastors, and his top Los Angeles donors. It was two weeks before the California primary, and Mr. Graham was urging them to take a stand against their state’s “blue wall.” The blue wall of California, Mr. Graham told the gathering, represents secular values that have taken root on the country’s west coast.
September 4, 2018: New Yorker reported: Like his father, Billy Graham, before him, the Reverend Franklin Graham is one of the nation’s most prominent preachers, influential in the evangelical world and in the highest echelons of Washington. But, where Billy Graham came to regret that he had “sometimes crossed a line” into politics, Franklin Graham has no such qualms about giving his full-throated support to the President. An early advocate of Trump’s candidacy, he has remained stalwart even as scandals have piled up. Graham tells the New Yorker staff writer Eliza Griswold that Trump’s critics have forgotten that “he’s our President. If he succeeds, you’re going to benefit.” Of Trump’s many personal scandals, Graham says only, “I hope we all learn from mistakes and get better. . . . As human beings, we’re all flawed, including Franklin Graham.”
Jan 14, 2017: WND reported: The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim-rights group designated by the Justice Department as a terrorist co-conspirator, is calling on Donald Trump to drop Rev. Franklin Graham as one of six clergy who will offer prayers at the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony.
Zorek Richards
Aug 4, 2016: The pastors (names irrelevant) said “Given that the express goal of this event is evangelism, with the commitment of new believers to Christ, we do not believe that Rev. (Franklin) Graham, with his expressed broader belief system, should be the exemplar that impresses itself upon these new believers.” In other words....if you are going to evangelize....water down the message and make it more acceptable. <<--a comment that should always be followed by a hearty #DOH
Franklin Graham
"Our country is hurting. We’re in trouble racially, economically, politically, and spiritually—and day after day the news across our nation reminds us of that. Dallas, Texas, recently endured the deadliest day for law enforcement officers in America since 9/11—a sniper ambushed and shot 12 police officers. Five of them died. Days later, three police officers were shot to death in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The killings came soon after two widely publicized shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Protests—sometimes violent—erupted across the country. These are just examples of how broken our nation and society have become. Government cannot fix this. Elections will not solve this. Our only hope is God, who changes hearts and nations. Pray for America."
-Franklin Graham; Billy Graham evangelistic Association; 8.4.16
-Franklin Graham; Billy Graham evangelistic Association; 8.4.16
September 2, 2016: Baptist News Global reported: Two Canadian Baptist pastors have announced publicly they won’t be taking part in a citywide crusade next March in Vancouver, British Columbia, featuring U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham. Tim Kuepfer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vancouver, and Tim Dickau, pastor of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, joined three other local religious leaders in publicly declining a request by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that they endorse the Festival of Hope gathering scheduled March 3-5, 2017, at the 18,000-seat Rogers Arena. The pastors said they “unreservedly oppose” the invitation to Franklin Graham, citing public comments by the evangelist they say are a poor witness for the gospel message. “Given that the express goal of this event is evangelism, with the commitment of new believers to Christ, we do not believe that Rev. Graham, with his expressed broader belief system, should be the exemplar that impresses itself upon these new believers.”
December 19, 2016: In his last stop on his “Thank You” tour, President-elect Donald Trump said that evangelist Franklin Graham was “so instrumental” in bringing out the evangelical vote in his favor.
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Jan 21, 2015: Graham tells The Oklahoman: hey need to take a stand. I don’t care what denomination you are. Pastors need to take a stand today. We live in a world where, with political correctness, pastors are sometimes afraid to speak out because somebody’s going to denounce them or tell them you’re wrong or you’re not loving. So a lot of times pastors feel we need to talk about the love of Christ, and we do, but we have to understand that God is a god of judgment and God is going to judge sin, and we need to warn people. If something is good, it’s worth fighting for, but if something is bad, it’s worth fighting against it, and so we need to stand for righteousness and we need to fight the evil that’s in our communities. Pastors are a great source, and they can take a stand in their communities regarding elections. I’m not talking about Democrats or Republicans. I have no hope that any one of those groups can turn this country around. And the Tea Party group, I don’t even know who they are or have any hope that they can do anything either. The only hope that we have is if there is true repentance in this country and revival takes place. The only way that’s going to happen is if the churches and pastors start taking a stand.
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Jan 26, 2015: Graham speaks at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s annual state evangelism conference
Franklin Graham
July 17, 2015: Franklin Graham, In the wake of four members of the United States Marine Corps were killed in cold blood—and three others wounded—in an act of domestic terrorism in Chattanooga:
"We are under attack by Muslims at home and abroad. We should stop all immigration of Muslims to the U.S. until this threat with Islam has been settled. Every Muslim who comes into this country has the potential to be radicalized—and they do their killing to honor their religion and Muhammad. During World War II, we didn't allow Japanese to immigrate to America, nor did we allow Germans. Why are we allowing Muslims now? Do you agree? Let your Congressman know that we've got to put a stop to this and close the floodgates. Pray for the men and women who serve this nation in uniform, that God would protect them."
"We are under attack by Muslims at home and abroad. We should stop all immigration of Muslims to the U.S. until this threat with Islam has been settled. Every Muslim who comes into this country has the potential to be radicalized—and they do their killing to honor their religion and Muhammad. During World War II, we didn't allow Japanese to immigrate to America, nor did we allow Germans. Why are we allowing Muslims now? Do you agree? Let your Congressman know that we've got to put a stop to this and close the floodgates. Pray for the men and women who serve this nation in uniform, that God would protect them."
Aug 18, 2015: Since then the story has been picked up both in Christian media and gay rights advocacy
websites. Evangelist Franklin Graham weighed in on Facebook, calling it “disappointing and discouraging” news. “According to God’s Word, what they are embracing is sin,” Graham said. “The Bible says, 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.’
websites. Evangelist Franklin Graham weighed in on Facebook, calling it “disappointing and discouraging” news. “According to God’s Word, what they are embracing is sin,” Graham said. “The Bible says, 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.’
May 31, 2007: Franklin Graham attends the Billy Graham Library Dedication Service with his father, Billy