Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? - Job 13:7 (ESV)
Would it surprise you to hear about a CEO for two charities who pulls down over one million dollars in salary and has enriched himself to somewhere between 10-40 million dollars? Sadly, probably not in this day and age but would it surprise you to hear that this person is a "Christian" leader and that the two charities are Christian based? Would it further gob smack you to hear that several years ago, when criticized about this exorbitant compensation, that he lobbied the IRS to change the classification of these charities into a "collective of churches" in order to avoid having to disclose annually his personal enrichment. Well, introducing Franklin Graham. The son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, Franklin has carved out a niche in the Christian landscape where he has become a multi-millionaire by being an NAR dominionist extraordinaire while running Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Association. Please do not get confused. It seems the work of the people on the ground for Samaritan's Purse do plenty of fine work. I am sure they do this for spiritual reasons and meager compensation, while Franklin pockets the lion's share.
Graham's real niche, however, is in partisan politics disguised as Christianese. When Donald Trump was first running in 2015, he had a real problem with Evangelicals, whose votes he desperately needed in order to have any chance of winning. After decades of "character counts," it was a bridge too far to expect the moral majority to support the least moral man to ever seek office. Enter Graham, the man who would bridge the gap between Trump and the NAR dominionist church. After Trump donated six figures to both of Graham's charities, Franklin started the refurbishing of the role of the church in electoral politics. We started hearing about how we were not electing a pastor in chief and of course the rumors of Trump suddenly having an epiphany and coming to Jesus. The wolves emerged from the shadows to rally around him. Soon, he had a spiritual advisor in the flock fleecer rock star, Paula White and he was well on his way. He then famously stepped in it by saying he had nothing to ask God forgiveness for and the church collectively yawned. From that point forward we have been regaled with fanciful tales by Charisma News about how he was somehow prophetic. Books were written about an imaginary Trump prophetic code. He was pronounced the second coming of King Cyrus with a Deborah anointing and an Elijah mantle, or more recently, King Jehu. This Faustian bargain that Graham concocted for the church has so poisoned the cause of Christ that it has hastened the mass exodus from the church because people see the glaring hypocrisy and the twisting of what is holy to support what is clearly profane. Knowing however where their bread is now buttered, the gaggle of NAR hirelings gathered recently for the "11th Hour Faith leaders Meeting," and Graham was a noted speaker. The above linked article from Charisma is a short recap of Graham's involvement, so let us reason once again beloved to see how this unholy alliance continues to play out and everything that remains wrong with it.
"Rev. Franklin Graham exhorted attendees at the 11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting, an event for faith leaders and others, that God is central to saving the United States from its current state of disarray. Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, began his remarks in Concord, North Carolina, on Monday by asking, "Have you ever thought that our country would be in such trouble? The only hope for this country is God." "I come here tonight as a private citizen and as a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ," he said. Graham then briefly shared the gospel message of salvation through faith in Christ's death on the cross. "The only hope is if we confess our sins and turn and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," he said. Graham then shifted to talking about Trump, who was in attendance, saying that the Republican nominee holds the best political rallies in American history, with massive crowds and lots of energy. "However, rallies and positive poll numbers are not going to win this election. It's going to be God. There's a spiritual element that's at work here. There are dark forces that are arrayed against this man," the preacher asserted." - Charisma News
It is obviously fine to share the gospel, and the leaders of the apostate church certainly need to hear it, but not if it is purely carnal in nature and wrapped in an American flag. Notice the shift here. From preaching salvation to talking about Donald Trump. He holds the best rallies? How is this remotely relevant to the gospel? What makes these rallies so great for the church? Is it when his opening acts remark that Puerto Rico is a floating island of trash? Maybe it is when they accuse his opponent of being the antichrist. No wait, it must be when they make crude sexual jokes about Hispanics or watermelon jokes about African Americans. Perhaps his rallies are so good when Trump starts lying about Haitian immigrants or using remarks from Adolf Hitler to describe our fellow countrymen. Exactly when are these rallies so great to people who claim the mantle of Jesus Christ? Graham is right. There is a lot of energy. There is a lot of racist energy. There is a lot of hateful energy. There just is not a lot of Jesus energy beloved. There is certainly a spiritual element at work, but it is not the Holy Spirit. It is the spirit of this world run by the enemy who the church has made this deal with. Graham's job for his political masters is to smear the profane with a patina of piety so note the language he uses. We have an alleged preacher and Christian leader declaring that "dark forces" are arrayed against Donald Trump. Dark forces. That casts Trump as the Christian hero under some kind of demonic attack. How utterly absurd and disgusting.
'"They've tried to put him in prison," Graham continued. "They've tried to assassinate him twice. He's attacked every day in the media. And the only hope for Donald J. Trump and our nation is God." The faith leader then quoted from the Bible's Psalm 20, saying, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." With those brief remarks, Graham invited those in the room to stand and pray aloud individually for Trump, as they felt led. "Pray that God would give him wisdom, that God would protect him, that God would guide and direct his each and every step, and that God would bless this nation once again," Graham said. Trump later took to the stage as Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA."' - Charisma News
