It appears that Franklin Graham, as he gets older, is becoming more and more like his famous dad, Billy Graham – and that is a good thing. During his ministry, Billy Graham often was outspoken on issues like racial equality. Since I grew up in the ’60s listening to him, I remember that his remarks were not always well received.
Now his son Franklin is following in the elder Graham’s footsteps. Franklin has been making some remarks about Islam that many might regard as unkind, but are true nonetheless. One thing he said is that President Obama has given Islam a free reign in this country, and he is right. Islam is now growing rapidly in the U.S. and may soon pass Christianity as the fastest-growing religion.
I don’t believe we should fear most Muslims. The ones I have met through seeing them in local hospitals and doctors’ offices are kind, not militant. The extremists are the ones who bombed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11, and not all Muslims are like that. We need to respect and not fear kindhearted Muslims. Many of them I count as friends. Many Arabs in our country are now Christian instead of Muslim, so the Muslims appear to be good people, for the most part.
Franklin Graham’s statements have gone against the popular notions in Washington. At a recent National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon, Franklin was disinvited to speak because of his statements against Islam. I count him as a hero of the faith because of this – just like his dad is.
We need to continue to support the efforts of the Billy Graham Association and others who are not fearful of speaking out for the truth, no matter what the consequences may be. That is what all of us need to do, with the grace of Jesus backing us up.
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