Franklin Graham has written a nice summary of the court evangelical position, the view of evangelicals and Trump that I address critically, as an evangelical Christian myself, in Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump.
Here is Graham on his Facebook page:
My Response to Christianity Today:
Christianity Today released an editorial stating that President Trump should be removed from office—and they invoked my father’s name (I suppose to try to bring legitimacy to their statements), so I feel it is important for me to respond. Yes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed. I have not previously shared who my father voted for in the past election, but because of this article, I feel it is necessary to share it now. My father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump. He believed that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation.
For Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable. Christianity Today failed to acknowledge that not one single Republican voted with the Democrats to impeach the President. I know a number of Republicans in Congress, and many of them are strong Christians. If the President were guilty of what the Democrats claimed, these Republicans would have joined with the Democrats to impeach him. But the Democrats were not even unanimous—two voted against impeachment and one voted present. This impeachment was politically motivated, 100% partisan. Why would Christianity Today choose to take the side of the Democrat left whose only goal is to discredit and smear the name of a sitting president? They want readers to believe the Democrat leadership rather than believe the President of the United States.
Look at all the President has accomplished in a very short time. The economy of our nation is the strongest it has been in 50 years, ISIS & the caliphate have been defeated, and the President has renegotiated trade deals to benefit all Americans. The list of accomplishments is long, but for me as a Christian, the fact that he is the most pro-life president in modern history is extremely important—and Christianity Today wants us to ignore that, to say it doesn’t count? The President has been a staunch defender of religious freedom at home and around the world—and Christianity Today wants us to ignore that? Also the President has appointed conservative judges in record number—and Christianity today wants us to ignore that? Christianity Today feels he should be removed from office because of false accusations that the President emphatically denies.
Christianity Today said it’s time to call a spade a spade. The spade is this—Christianity Today has been used by the left for their political agenda. It’s obvious that Christianity Today has moved to the left and is representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism.
Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us are, including myself. Therefore, let’s pray for the President as he continues to lead the affairs of our nation.
Christianity Today can defend itself, but here are my thoughts on this:
- Christianity Today did not just invoke Billy Graham to “bring legitimacy to their statements.” They invoked Graham because he founded the magazine. Like many important people, Billy Graham’s legacy is now a deeply contested one. There are multiple evangelical institutions that are connected to his work.
- I am sorry to hear that the 98-year-old Billy Graham voted for Donald Trump and thought that, in Franklin’s words, he “was the man for this hour in the history for our nation.” This does not sound like the post-1974 Billy Graham. After the Nixon debacle, he realized that these kinds of political endorsements hurt the witness of the Gospel and he stopped making them.
- Christianity Today is not a political outlet, but Franklin Graham is incapable of understanding Mark Galli’s editorial apart from politics. GOP politics and evangelical Christianity are so welded in his mind that he cannot “fathom” the fact that good Christians might, on some issues, be closer to Democrats than Republicans.
- Franklin Graham does not believe that the POTUS is a liar. When Trump speaks to him, he believes every word he says. This sounds SO MUCH like his father during the Nixon impeachment.
- I am guessing that Trump’s tweet this morning was informed by this statement.
