A progressive political group that used footage from the late Billy Graham’s sermons to critique his son Franklin’s embrace of candidate Donald Trump and promote the Christian faith of candidate Kamala Harris has apologized and pledged not to do so again.
Last summer amid the 2024 election season, a group called Evangelicals for Harris created ads that used footage of Graham to show the world-famous evangelist espoused values opposite of those held by Trump, who was enthusiastically endorsed by Franklin Graham.
For example, Billy Graham’s biblically based condemnation of greed was juxtaposed with Trump publicly proclaiming: “My whole life I’ve been greedy, greedy, greedy. I’ve grabbed all the money I could get.”
Likewise, Graham’s plea that people seek God’s forgiveness was paired with Trump’s admission he never had done so.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association asked Evangelicals for Harris to “cease and desist” from using the copyrighted video footage and threatened to sue. Last week, BGEA alerted Baptist News Global that the conflict had been resolved and the Harris group had posted its apology and pledge on X and elsewhere, which stated, in part:
We … appreciate the spirit in which BGEA has approached this matter, inspired by Romans 12:18, and we affirm its intellectual property rights, including copyright in these videos, and its missional interest in protecting Rev. Graham’s legacy. …
Our hope is that these actions and our commitment not to use Rev. Billy Graham within a partisan electoral context will clarify confusion over the message in our original ads; affirm the value and importance of Christian dialogue about the way we engage in politics and prioritize Christians remaining in communion despite differences.
Screencap from “Keep Clear” ad
Evangelicals for Harris, which is now called Evangelicals for America, did not respond to a request for comment. A BGEA spokesperson said, “Their apology speaks for itself as does the original response from Franklin Graham. We are grateful for the outcome.”
Franklin Graham spoke out against the ad last August, claiming his father approved of Trump’s first administration and also would have approved of a second Trump term.
“The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris,” he said. “They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President @realDonaldTrump in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”
As BNG reported, Evangelicals for Harris responded by saying Franklin Graham was trying to silence the group based on its political views: “Franklin is scared of our ads because we do not tell people what to do or think. We merely hold Trump’s own words up to the light of Scripture, the necessity of repentance, and biblical warnings against leaders exactly like Trump.”
BGEA, which has annual revenue of $225 million, also objected, saying of Billy Graham, “He never criticized presidents publicly and would undoubtedly refuse to let his sermons be used to do so, regardless of who is involved.”
Franklin Graham’s endorsement of Trump was a significant break with the longstanding tradition of his father, who although he personally favored GOP leaders was publicly nonpartisan and did not endorse candidates.
Evangelicals for America describes itself as “a community of evangelicals upholding our values” and says: “Our devotion and loyalty belong to Jesus alone. As American believers, our hearts are drawn to a path that reflects his teachings, care for our neighbors and strengthen our democratic and civic institutions in support of the common good. We’re choosing the peace that comes from joy, the strength found in loving our neighbors, and the grace in showing compassion. Our actions are a reflection of our faith.”
BGEA has major evangelism events planned for Brussels, Belgium, in September with Franklin Graham and Tallin, Estonia in October with Billy Graham’s grandson William Franklin Graham IV, known as Will Graham.
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