Franklin Graham says his dad would have disagreed with magazine's call for Trump's ouster
Franklin Graham. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, said in a Facebook post that his father would disagree with the magazine he founded, Christianity Today, calling for President Trump's removal from office.
"For Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable. Christianity Today failed to acknowledge that not one single Republican voted with the Democrats to impeach the President. I know a number of Republicans in Congress, and many of them are strong Christians. If the President were guilty of what the Democrats claimed, these Republicans would have joined with the Democrats to impeach him. But the Democrats were not even unanimous—two voted against impeachment and one voted present."— Rev. Franklin Graham on Facebook
Highlights: Graham wrote that the magazine "has moved to the left and is representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism," which he explained has been "used by the left for their political agenda."
- "Yes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed."
- "I have not previously shared who my father voted for in the past election, but because of this article, I feel it is necessary to share it now. My father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump."
- "Christianity Today feels [Trump] should be removed from office because of false accusations that the President emphatically denies."
Of note: Franklin told "Axios on HBO" in November that he supports the president because he "defends the faith."
The other side: Christianity Today's editor in chief Mark Galli told CNN's John Berman on Friday that he plans to exit the publication, justifying the op-ed and saying:
"We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath."
- Galli defended the outlet after Trump characterized it as "far left," saying, "We consider ourselves and most people consider us a pretty centrist magazine in the evangelical world. ... We rarely comment on politics unless we feel it rises to the level of some national or concern that is really important."
Go deeper ... Josh Harris: Evangelical support for Trump "incredibly damaging to the Gospel"