There is a move afoot again to stop Franklin Graham from holding a series of evangelistic meetings in the UK.
The preacher is the son of the well-known Billy Graham and is the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Graham was scheduled to hold crusades in eight cities, but now all the venues have cancelled. The organisers claim concern over the division his visits would cause!
And this is because “a number of LGBT groups have petitioned to encourage venues to cancel.” (Article by Marcus Jones, Premier Christian News, February 7, 2020 www.premierchristian.news).
Added to these, a number of bishops, church groups and others who usually supported his visits to the UK – such as the Evangelical Alliance and the Archbishop of Canterbury – have withdrawn their public support of Graham. They are all taking a stance against Graham and previous comments he made about homosexuality.
However, Graham says he shares the same views as most Christians. He “believes the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. That’s the Church of England’s position. I think Her Majesty the Queen, that’s her position, and it’s the position of the Church, pretty much worldwide. This is what the Bible teaches, and that’s what I believe.” (www.premierchristian.news)
Truly, this is what the Bible – God’s love letter to us – teaches. And we who are Christian, followers of Christ, must follow His Word. But some people question the term “love letter.” Why do Christians refer to the Bible as a love letter to mankind when it opposes and makes offensive statements against certain people of the human family?
First, let us be clear about one thing. The Bible is not against any human being. God’s love is for each of us. He demonstrated this by sending His Son to die for your sins and for mine.
What the Bible speaks against is the unhealthy actions of man. Actions that lead him away from God’s purpose for his life. God’s love for man is no less than that of a parent for a child – in fact, it is far greater! The parent loves the child immensely, to be sure, but will always prohibit the child from harmful behaviour and actions.
God has given us instructions for godly living in the Bible. He has told us about sin and its effects on our lives, and how to avoid it. He uses preachers like Graham to speak His truth – the Word of love and life, and the forgiveness of sins across the globe.
Graham sees the present opposition to his series of events in the UK not only as an attack on him but also as a threat to freedom of speech in the country. “This is a religious freedom issue… There are churches that meet in public arenas for Sunday services; schools and so forth. If a small group of people can force a cancellation of an event where thousands of Christians are participating, I think there is no question about the danger in the future to others,” (www.premierchristian.news).
Therefore, he is considering bringing legal action against the venues which have cancelled, since they had entered into a contract with him. At any rate, he says that other venues have come on board. In fact, some of them are even larger than the previous venues.
So, the series of evangelistic meetings are definitely on. We pray that they will be well attended and that God will use Franklin Graham and others to inspire thousands in the UK to be followers of Christ!
