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Franklin Graham Rebukes Christianity Today: My Father “Would Be Very Disappointed”


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Franklin Graham is not happy with Christianity Today, a Christian magazine founded by his late father, Billy Graham.

Following the House Democrat vote on impeachment, the magazine published an op-ed titled “Trump Should Be Removed from Office” that called TrumpĀ “a human being who is morally lost and confused.”

The article invoked the name of Billy Graham at its start in its argument for removing President Trump from office, claiming, “we do feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clear ā€” always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love.”

But, Franklin Graham didn’t see eye to eye and doesn’t think his father would approve – at all!

In a lengthy Facebook response to the article, Graham pointed out all the good things President Trump has done for Christians and all Americans and called them out,

“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. Ā 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 unanimousā€”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? Ā They want readers to believe the Democrat leadership rather than believe the President of the United States.”

Read Franklin Graham’s full Facebook post response to the controversial Christianity Today piece here:

President Trump himself shares Franklin Graham's sentiment.

Read what President Trump had to say in response to Christianity Today on Twitter:

President Trump also thanked Franklin Graham for standing up for him against Christianity Today:

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For reference, here's an excerpt of theChristianity Todayarticle that earned Franklin Graham and President Trump's criticism:

In our founding documents, Billy Graham explains that Christianity Today will help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith. The impeachment of Donald Trump is a significant event in the story of our republic. It requires comment.

The typical CT approach is to stay above the fray and allow Christians with different political convictions to make their arguments in the public square, to encourage all to pursue justice according to their convictions and treat their political opposition as charitably as possible. We want CT to be a place that welcomes Christians from across the political spectrum, and reminds everyone that politics is not the end and purpose of our being. We take pride in the fact, for instance, that politics does not dominate our homepage.

That said, we do feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clearā€”always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love. We love and pray for our president, as we love and pray for leaders (as well as ordinary citizens) on both sides of the political aisle.

Letā€™s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.

But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the presidentā€™s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.

The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed aloneā€”with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slandersā€”is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.

Breitbart has more to say about Franklin Graham's response to Christianity Today:

Celebrated evangelical pastor Franklin Graham revealed Friday his father, Billy Graham, voted for Donald J. Trump in 2016 because he believed he was the best man for the job.

ā€œMy father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump,ā€ Graham wrote on Facebook early Friday. ā€œHe believed that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation.ā€

Rev. Franklin Graham was responding to an article that appeared Thursday in Christianity Today ā€” a magazine founded by ā€œAmericaā€™s pastorā€ Billy Graham ā€” declaring that President Trump should be removed from office.

Since ā€œthey invoked my fatherā€™s name (I suppose to try to bring legitimacy to their statements),ā€ Rev. Graham wrote, ā€œI feel it is important for me to respond.ā€

ā€œYes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed,ā€ Graham said, noting that the misappropriation of his fatherā€™s name is what moved him to reveal whom his father voted for in 2016.

Rev. Graham then proceeded to offer his own searing indictment of the behavior of House Democrats in their ā€œpolitically motivated, 100% partisanā€ impeachment of the president.

ā€œFor Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable,ā€ Graham wrote. ā€œChristianity Today failed to acknowledge that not one single Republican voted with the Democrats to impeach the President.ā€

ā€œI know a number of Republicans in Congress, and many of them are strong Christians,ā€ he declared. ā€œIf 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 unanimousā€”two voted against impeachment and one voted present.ā€

ā€œThis 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?ā€ Graham asked. ā€œThey want readers to believe the Democrat leadership rather than believe the President of the United States.ā€

Newsmax also commented:

Franklin Graham said Friday that his father ā€œwould be very disappointedā€ in Christianity Today Magazine after it called for President Donald Trumpā€™s removal from the White House.

Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday that his father "would not agree" with their editorial that claimed Trump ā€œattempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the presidentā€™s political opponentsā€¦ a violation of the Constitutionā€ that ā€œis profoundly immoral.ā€

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The editors also wrote that they drew inspiration from Billy Graham, who helped found the magazine, and said in its founding documents that it "will help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith,"Ā and that it will comment on Trumpā€™s impeachment "as Graham encouraged usā€¦ with both conviction and love."

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"Yes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece," Graham wrote on Facebook. "In fact, he would be very disappointed."

What's your response to Christianity Today? Are you going to cancel your subscription?

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