Franklin Graham, the son of the late evangelist Reverend Billy Graham, recently embarked on a two-week, 10-city tour in the state of California.
Graham initiated the tour, touted as “Decision America,” to inspire California Christians to stand up against their state’s anti-Christian beliefs and laws. During an interview, Graham compared liberal San Francisco to a “little picture of Hell.” He also referred to California as a “sinking” state. However, the Christian evangelist and missionary believes that if Christians make their voices known, they can return the state to the way it used to be.
Graham selected the dates for the tour in order to reach constituents before the June 5, 2018 primary. During the two-week event, he urged Christians to not simply vote. The Christian evangelist and missionary called for them to run for public offices. He remarked that he believes every position is vital whether it’s a senate seat or a board of education one.
On May 29, 2018, Graham sat down for a radio interview with Tod Starnes, a conservative commentator for Fox News. During the interview, the son of Billy Graham defended his “Decision America” event in California. He felt compelled to do so after reading a front page piece about himself in the New York Times published on May 27, 2018 titled “The Evangelical Fight to Win Back California.”
The missionary revealed to Starnes that he felt the New York Times article labeled his tour as a “political crusade,” which he rebuffed as not his preface. Graham disputed the piece because it said he urged Christians to resist California’s “blue wall.” In the article, the son of Billy Graham was also quoted as referring to progressives as “godless.” He went on Starnes’s program to talk about the specifics of the piece, affirm the information that was rightly presented, and correct the details that were wrongly stated.
He insisted that the “Decision America” tour was an evangelical crusade instead of a political one. To drive home his point, Graham said, “I haven’t talked to anybody in the parties. We are staying out of the politics part of it, but I do want Christians to vote and I want them to ask God before they vote, who they should vote. But, I don’t think the Christians should be silent. The Christian voice needs to be heard.”
In his defense, the missionary went on to add, “So, I am sure the New York Times thinks this is political. They can think whatever they want to think. I want people to vote. That is so important that we do that and not just vote, but encourage Christians to run for office. We need Christian legislators. We need Christian mayors. We need Christians on the city council.”
Regarding his reference to Christians, Graham stated, “When I say Christians, I mean Christians who are willing to take a stand for biblical truth for what the Bible has to say about marriage, what the Bible has to say about the sanctity of life and are willing to stand behind God’s principles and take a bullet for that.”
Not to be misunderstood, the son of Billy Graham went on to add, “What I mean by take a bullet is when they get criticized or attacked for their political views, that they just stand there smile and take it and not budge. We need Christians to take a stand and take a hit if need be.”
During an event in Turlock, California on May 29, 2018, Graham told his audience, “I don’t have hope in the Republican Party. I don’t have hope in the Democratic Party. The only hope for California is God.”
The New York Times article likened Graham to an “Evangelical Paul Revere.” When Starnes asked the Christian evangelist and missionary how he felt about this comparison, Graham said, “That is what I want to do. I want to try to wake the church up before it is too late.”
~ 1776 Christian
