Posted on 05/19/2014 3:58:40 PM PDT by xzins
Franklin Graham: ‘At Every Turn, the Gay and Lesbian Agenda is Being Pushed by This Administration’ Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. (AP)
(CNSNews.com) – Rev. Franklin Graham, son of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, said that “true followers” of Jesus “cannot endorse same-sex marriage” regardless of what President Barack Obama, the Congress, the Supreme Court, or the media say about the issue, adding that marriage was “settled by God Himself” and cannot be modified by man.
“True followers of Jesus Christ, whose salvation is based entirely upon God’s Word, cannot endorse same-sex marriage, regardless of what our President, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the media or the latest Gallup poll says about the matter,” said Rev. Graham in his May 2014 column for Decision magazine.
“This moral issue has been settled by God Himself and is not subject to man-made revisions or modifications,” he said. “In the end, I would rather be on the wrong side of public opinion than on the wrong side of Almighty God who established the standard of living for the world He created. Marriage is a biblically moral issue, not a political or theological one.”
Rev. Graham made those remarks after first discussing how “pressure from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community” on the A&E cable channel had tried to force Duck Dynasty off the air last year because its patriarch, Phil Robertson, had expressed his “biblically based convictions.”
Graham also noted how the restaurant and country store chain Cracker Barrel had initially given in to LGBT pressure and pulled all its Duck Dynasty products from its shelves, only to reverse itself after an uproar by millions of Americans who support the show.
“In both cases, the LGBT lost,” said Rev. Graham. “While many in the liberal and progressive media have deceived the public into thinking that this group makes up a large portion of our nation’s population, surveys support the fact that this small but boisterous movement consists of less than 2 percent of society.”
Rev. Graham went on to discuss how the international Christian aid group, World Vision, had also apparently given in to pressure in March, announcing that it would hire people in same-sex marriages. That decision also caused an uproar from donors and other evangelical groups, and World Vision subsequently reversed its decision within two days.
At the time, Rev. Graham, who is head of the international Christian aid group Samaritan’s Purse, said, “In our country today, there is tremendous pressure on Christians, churches, and Christian organizations to lower our moral standards. God is clear in His Word, and His standards never change. I’m thankful that Christians across the country urged World Vision to reverse their decision, and prayed fervently that they would do so. Three cheers.”
Rev. Graham: ‘True Followers of Jesus … Cannot Endorse Same-Sex Marriage’ Regardless What the President, Media, Supreme Court Say
After commenting on Duck Dynasty and the World Vision scandal, Rev. Graham said he was grateful about how things concluded but hoped the fundamental issue would “cause a depth of soul-searching” because, as he understands it, there is no compromise on marriage.
“This debate is ultimately about something much more important than the question of same-sex marriage,” said Rev. Graham. “It is about the great compromise, calling into question the authority of Scripture. If Christians do not agree concerning the authority of Scripture, we will eventually disagree about all sorts of things.”
He continued, “The church is on dangerous ground when it departs from the teaching of Christ and attempts to redefine His commands and compromise His truth. There are many things in Scripture that Christians disagree on, but the Bible is crystal clear about the sanctity of life and marriage. It is also clear that homosexuality is spelled out as sin—there are no ifs, ands or buts.”
Rev. Graham ended his commentary by telling those in “the LGBT community” that God “loves you and will forgive you,” and that God “is eager to forgive all sinners,” including Graham himself.
Franklin Graham, 61, is married, has five children, and lives in Boone, N.C. He is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Samaritan’s Purse.
i do not know of any... not who come across the way Franklin Graham does... he is faithful, and God has gifted him not just with words and wisdom but with a certain essence...
I couldn’t agree more, it’s a perfect way to explain it.
May God richly bless the Graham family!
Our God is the only God. He is the True God. He is Holy and Just. He is timeless and All-Powerful. He is Merciful and He will judge righteously.
He is Love.
He loves sinners and He has a plan for every person. It is through His Son. Jesus Christ that we who believe are justified in God’s eyes. There is no other way to be saved from eternal damnation.
I love My God - but He first loved me.
When I was lost, He sought me. Jesus paid my ransom and I am free from the penalty of my sin.
God is good.
All the time.
I would also describe for them in bald detail exactly what it is homosexuals do.
It’s not easy to discuss something so filthy, but IMO a person is less likely to think of ingesting feces as just another normal way to have sex.
Too many Christians have fallen into the ‘fairness’ trap regarding homosexuality in general and homosexual marriage in particular. They’ve bought into the notion that since Jesus didn’t explicitly forbid either , they must be OK, especially since the activists have been pushing the idea for the past 10 years. That coupled with the idea that Christians aren’t supposed to be ‘judgmental’, makes many squishy Christians particularly vulnerable to the non-stop push from homosexual activists, and the MSM.
This is one of the ONLY that would permit you to post such an article as this for discussion.
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Agreed. I'm unable to post comments on my local news website, here in thoroughly red central Virginia. They banned me for calling Terry McAuliffe corrupt.
It's ridiculous how long the Freepathons are taking to complete. How many people are coming here every day without contributing? If this is you, consider how much you would miss FR, and pony up.
Very few other websites even ALLOW you to post articles for discussion.
This is one of the ONLY that would permit you to post such an article as this for discussion.
I sincerely believe that Free Republic is worthy of our support. A dollar, a five, a ten, a hundred, a thousand....whatever....It ENCOURAGES Christian participation.
Donate here: https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate
The end. Sorry, queers.
But his choice of words is incorrect.
We do not follow Jesus...we invite Him to fill our hearts, bodies, and souls with His and His Father's Spirit.
We do not follow Him...we become One with Him.
Good point, because that is exactly what gays do not want us to do. They want us to say, "Oh, that gay guy on TV is so funny and cute and lovable. He only wants to love who he wants! Who would be so mean as to deny gays the right to marry?" We're supposed to think about how nice and "normal" gays are, and NOT what they actually do. That's the real reason Phil Robertson got in trouble. He alluded to what gay men actually DO. Gays know that repulses straight people.
It's that the promiscuous acting upon the gay urge that is wrong...an abomination.
Nothing wrong with being effeminate unless it tempts one and others to participate in a sinful act.
The Laws of God are quite clear upon examination.
Men and women who are tempted to act upon love of the same sex, but do not give into such urge out of their love of God, are not sinners.
Temptation is not sin...acting on temptation is sin.
Biblical Christians see it differently
- Matthew 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
- Matthew 8:22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
- Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
- Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
- Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
- Matthew 19:27 Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
- Mark 1:17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
- Mark 2:14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
To expand...not just acting on temptation, but the mere thinking of acting on such temptation (i.e. lust of the heart) is a sin.
God leaves no stone unturned because he wants to leave none of us behind and in sin.
He defines sin ever so clearly so that we may turn to Him in our careful and finely detailed abandonment of sin.
Franklin Graham has my respect.
You know this.
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