Rev. Franklin Graham is bringing his “Decision America” Tour to Greensboro on October 9. Although Graham has been an outspoken supporter of President Trump and conservative causes, he's largely steered clear of overt politics in his revival-like tour.
WFDD's Paul Garber spoke by phone with Graham about the Greensboro event as well as the president's recent decision to withdraw military personnel from Syria, which has stirred controversy in the Christian community. 2019 marks Graham's 30th year doing evangelical tours. He says a lot has changed in those three decades.
Interview Highlights
On the message that he's sharing on these tours:
I want people to know how they can have hope. Hope for themselves, for their families and hope for eternity. And that's to have faith in Jesus Christ, God's son. I encourage people to pray for our leaders. The Bible tells us to do that. And I ask people to pray for the president, the vice president, for Nancy Pelosi, for Chuck Schumer. The Bible says for me to pray for those that are in authority, and so we will take time in Greensboro to do just that, to pray for our leaders.
On the pushback of President Trump's decision to withdraw military personnel from Syria:
Just my personal opinion, I think this is not the time to withdraw. The Kurds have been persecuted by the Turkish government for years. And I think to pull out and allow Turkey to invade the northern part of Syria will just further destabilize the already very toxic part of the world.
On whether Evangelicals speaking out will change the president's mind:
You know, I don't know. I would hope so. I would hope that maybe the president would listen. I'm sure there are other factors that we're not aware of that he's having to deal with, but I certainly pray that he would change that position right now.
On concerns that impeachment would divide the country:
Well, first of all, again the division that we have in our country today is deeper than it's ever been .. and I believe that going after the president over making a phone call and trying to impeach him over a phone call will divide the country even greater. And I believe, like what Jeffress says, we may not be able to come back from it.
On finding a way to come together as a country:
First of all, the Republicans nor the Democrats can fix the problems. I don't think there's any individual out there that can do this. Only God can do it. And I think God could and would do it if the parties asked for His help. I think He would help them.