Graham: ‘True Followers of Jesus...Cannot Endorse Same-Sex Marriage'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.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/graham-true-followers-jesuscannot-endorse-same-sex-marriage
