Franklin Graham is one of the best-known evangelical crusaders against the LGBTQ community, so Colorado Springs residents might have been surprised to see him send chaplains to offer “emotional and spiritual support” there after a gunman murdered five people in…
Bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage now appears likely to become law
In a rare example of bipartisan cooperation, the U.S. Senate advanced the Respect for Marriage Act Nov. 16, clearing the way for likely passage of a bill that would protect same-sex marriage beyond future court challenges. By a 62-to-37 vote,…
Do Franklin Graham’s accusations against progressive Christianity hold up against truth?
Back on May 1, 2022, Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, posted an article in Decision Magazine titled, “The Eternal Peril of Progressive Christianity.” In this article, Graham expressed many poignant statements about the progressive Christian movement…
Some evangelical leaders see FBI visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as evidence of the religious persecution coming to them
The Biden administration and the FBI are responsible for “politicizing” American citizens, persecuting a former U.S. president and causing Americans to be confused about real truth, a leading conservative evangelical spokesman said Aug. 9 in response to an FBI visit…
When is a ‘church’ not really a church? Only when defined by the IRS
Not only are conservative evangelicals seeking to redefine religious liberty to their favor through court rulings, they’re also quietly using a provision of the IRS code to shield their flourishing nonprofit ministries from financial reporting obligations and to aid in…
Franklin Graham says he’s not a preacher of hate, so let’s roll the tape and see
I have a couple of questions for Franklin Graham. For years I have granted him a sort of “don’t criticize” card because of my respect for his father, Billy Graham. But as Franklin has become more and more political and…
Government by quips, tweets and slogans
Once upon a time, a politician with a quick wit conveyed confidence, intelligence and a sense of humor. Americans loved politicians who could think quickly on their feet under pressure. Now, we get packaged, pre-written statements read from a teleprompter….
Franklin Graham calls for Holy Week cease-fire in Ukraine war but still won’t name Putin as the source of the suffering
Faced with mounting evidence of horrific war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin, a leading American evangelical working in humanitarian relief efforts has yet to call out the Russian president for his brutal assault on Ukraine. Just back from a two-day…
Why it’s wrong to assume American evangelicals are siding with Russia over Ukraine
If Vladimir Putin wanted to invade a former Soviet-bloc country and get the blessings of American Christians, he might have done better than choosing Ukraine. Among all the countries that once made up the USSR, Ukraine today stands out as…
How Donald Trump became god
Few historical events have captured the attention of Americans, if not the world, more than the election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States in 2016 and the dizzying, polarizing and, to some, maddening four years of…
Why is anybody still giving money to Franklin Graham?
On the anniversary of the greatest single domestic threat to American democracy since the Civil War, what would you expect a respected religious leader to say? After the president of the United States calls out his predecessor’s perpetually expanding web…
I’ve seen this movie before
If you live long enough, you can tell when the re-runs are playing. Now eyeing 80, I find some of the re-runs are no better now than the first performance. For instance: When the Southern Baptist wars began in 1979,…