Why I Still Talk to Jesus -- In Spite of Everything
I don’t care what you believe, or don’t let alone who you vote for. Vote for an atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Evangelical or Mormon for all I care. There should be no “faith test” for political office.
That said if you care about religion isn’t lying about religion for political ends bad for religion? But Billy (perhaps manipulated) and Franklin Graham have sold evangelicals down the river by declaring that Mormonism is not a cult and (by implication) is just another garden variety “Christian” denomination.
Franklin Graham is a Republican Party insider and operative masquerading as an evangelist. I first met Franklin when we were both 9 years old and he and his dad Billy Graham, visited my parents’ evangelical retreat center L’Abri Fellowship. My father was a religious right leader and close personal friend of Billy’s.
Because Franklin is trying to help Mormon Mitt win (at any cost) he’s got to lie about Mormonism because he knows that many evangelicals — rightly — think Mormonism is anything but Christian. And he’s taken his father’s good name with him.
Watch the video below and you tell me: Is there any Evangelical, Charismatic, Reformed, Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox church — anywhere in the world — that looks like this?
Why are the Grahams lying about the most basic theological and church history facts? Is political victory really more important than clarity on what the gospel is or isn’t? I mean aren’t the Grahams supposed to be Christian evangelists?
Isn’t labeling Mitt just another Christian falsehood in advertising?
“Evangelicals say that the Bible and theological orthodoxy are the most important things for a Christian to abide by. And yet, time and time again, evangelicals will forsake these tenets for political expediency.
“I’ve been quite candid on this blog: I do not think that the LDS church is a Christian church. I do not think that the Mormon faith is Christian. I think it’s a sect — or call it another religion — that drew inspiration from Christianity at its birth. (I think it’s too big and diverse to call it a cult.) But it’s not Christian.
It seems that Graham, like many other evangelical leaders, is supporting Romney. That’s totally fine. But to sweep under the rug their long-standing teaching that the LDS Church is a cult is not only disingenuous, it’s downright deceptive.”
So I have a question for Billy and Franklin Graham:
Watch this video and tell me, is this what you’ll be doing at the next presidential prayer breakfast?
Franklin: When people convert at a Billy Graham rally and come forward and your dad tells the new convert to find a “good Bible-believing church” and go next Sunday, is this what Billy has in mind?
Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back.
To book Frank to speak at your college, church or group please contact Frank HERE
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