For those looking into the history of Billy Graham’s unbiblical and un-Baptist views on LGBT rights…
One wonders how [Roger] Williams—the founder of the Baptist Church in America and the first person in the Western world to craft legislation guaranteeing separation of church and state—would respond to Billy Graham’s seeming entry into the ranks of fellow Baptists who seem hell-bent on pressing their personal religious beliefs into civil law. At the very least, such a stance seems be oblivious to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bob Jones University v. United States (461 U.S. 574), which established that religious organizations that receive the benefits of the government, such as federal funding and tax-exempt status, are also required to follow civil law. Of course, ever since this court decision came down in 1983, religious Right leaders have tried (though without success) to interject their interpretation of God’s word into civil law. What is new is Billy Graham’s sudden presence among them.
Read my entire article “Billy Graham’s Anti-Gay Legacy” over at Free Inquiry.
I believe the article contains an error—far as I know, NOM is not officially listed as a hate group. However, Chick-fil-A has contributed to the FRC, which IS listed as a hate group by the SPLC.
Thank you – I should have noted that distinction more minutely.
I never liked Graham because he’s a fundo preacher, but during most of the gay rights struggle he never seemed to jump into the fray and was mostly silent on the issue which I thought was marginally decent of him. Now it turns out he just as much a big piece of $h!t as the rest of them.
He was always a lying s**t. An anti-Semite who pretended to not be political, while he was best buddies with every president since Truman. And he no doubt was always homophobic. But these days it’s really his son Franklin Graham calling the shots and using his name.
I met him once in an elevator many years ago. Didn’t talk, though. His face was as scary then as in the picture above.
I think this latest ‘jumping into the fray’ is more about his son taking over the organization than any direction from the senior Graham.
I grew up in Fundy home and Billy Graham was a mainstay. But he was always respectful of others, though silent on this issue specifically. Think a little more ‘digging’ is needed to understand the organizations latest involvement in civil-religious positions.
Lest we also forget his anti- Jewish legacy
I think what Paul wrote above is almost certainly true. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Billy Graham is almost certainly ga-ga. No one has seen him in years. The ads and statements issued in his name are most likely the work of his hateful children. Graham was rather circumspect about avoiding most of the culture wars. This late entrance into them is uncharacteristic of him. I think he would have been too smart to do so since he was always seeking mainstream approval, whether from Richard Nixon or Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan.
Jay said, “The ads and statements issued in his name are most likely the work of his hateful children.”
But who raised those children to be who they are? And/or, in working to keep the Billy Graham brand alive, the children know that, unlike in Billy’s heyday, the vicious persecution of gay people is a litmus test for remaining relevant in today’s evangelical world.