Franklin Graham, the son of late pastor Billy Graham, tweeted that his father would “be disappointed” that the magazine published a piece calling for the removal of President Donald Trump.
Billy Graham helped establish the magazine back in 1956.
Graham wrote a longer response on his Facebook page.
Graham lashed out at Christianity Today’s editor-in-chief Mark Galli, who penned the op-ed, for invoking his father’s name. He guessed Galli did that in order “to bring legitimacy to their statements.”
Galli wrote that those at the magazine “feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clear—always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love.”
He reminded everyone that his “father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump.” His father “believed that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation.”
Graham continued:
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.
The next paragraph included Trump’s accomplishments three years into his first term:
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.
Graham claimed the left has used Christianity Today “for their political agenda.” This op-ed is the latest evidence that the publication “has moved to the left and is representing the elitist wing of evangelicalism.”
Galli issued this warning for Christians who support Trump:
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?
Graham had a response for that as well:
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.
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