Is Franklin Graham Leading an Exodus Out of the Republican Party?
Evangelist Franklin Graham is kicking off a national tour of state capitols Tuesday, calling on Christians to repent, pray and uphold Biblical values at home and at the ballot box.
The 50-state tour, called “Decision America Tour 2016,” will begin this afternoon on the steps of Des Moines, Iowa’s capitol.
On his website, Graham says he will “be urging Christians to vote, to live out their faith in every part of their lives, and to pray for our nation just as Nehemiah cried out to God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore hope to His people.”
The trip comes ahead of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses in which Graham is urging Christians who care about social issues to go to the polls and vote for “godly leaders.”
“I believe we are perilously close to the moral tipping point for the survival of the United States of America,” Graham wrote in the most recent Decision magazine article. “I refuse to be silent and watch the future of our children and grandchildren be offered up on pagan altars of personal pleasure and immorality.”
Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, is not endorsing any presidential candidate and will not allow any of them to speak at his rallies.
Late last month, Graham told followers on Facebook that he was quitting the Republican Party, partly because the GOP-controlled Congress failed to defund Planned Parenthood.
“I have no hope in the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or Tea Party to do what is best for America,” he wrote on Facebook. “Unless more godly men and women get in this process and change this wicked system, our country is in for trouble.”
So will these rallies turn political? Graham insists they won’t.
“Some fear I might be leading an exodus out of the Republican Party. That’s not my goal at all,” he wrote in a recent Facebook post. “I’m not here to hurt the Republican Party or the Democratic Party—I want to help our nation. I want to stand on capitol steps and lead this nation state by state in praying for America.”
Graham insists the Decision America Tour is about rallying Christians to pray for their nation.
“We’ll be praying for our leaders and praying that God would give us politicians who will stand for Biblical values,” Graham said. “I want to challenge Christians to get involved in the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and all others to make a difference, to get engaged at every level and to vote.”
“The Bible calls us to be salt and light in this world,” he continued. “It’s time we got off the sidelines and got involved in actively working and praying to stop the moral decline of this great nation.”
You can follow updates on the tour here.
