{"id":1005,"date":"2012-10-25T09:30:22","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T15:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/?p=1005"},"modified":"2012-10-25T13:51:39","modified_gmt":"2012-10-25T19:51:39","slug":"whats-going-on-with-billy-graham-and-franklin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/2012\/10\/whats-going-on-with-billy-graham-and-franklin.html","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Going On With Billy Graham (And Franklin)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I\u2019ve read a lot about the political involvement of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Over the years Graham has played only a minor role in politics. He has even expressed remorse about the times he became overly involved (for instance supporting Richard Nixon before he went to jail). Graham was sort of a church elder who was available to speak to power, no matter the ideology of the power-broker. His independence gave his words power, and his power words that were trust as Christian, not political.<\/p>\n

In this election, however, BGEA has been spending a lot of money in support of Republican Candidates through thinly veiled ads. They scrubbed their website from any references to Mormonism<\/a> as a cult. It\u2019s a troubling trend, and signals a shift that seems odd this late in Graham\u2019s career. It feels like Franklin Graham is trading on his father\u2019s name and credibility to get down and dirty with politics.<\/p>\n

Here are some recent articles on the matter. What is interesting is that nobody writing wants to tear down Billy Graham. Everyone speaks of him with respect. There is deep suspicion, however, thatFranklinis making these moves without his father even knowing about it. I really hope this isn\u2019t true, but it\u2019s sort of what this feels like.<\/p>\n