Franklin Graham Calls on Pastors to Speak Out on Abortion, Homosexuality; Says 'God Hates Cowards'

WASHINGTON ”“ The Rev. Franklin Graham told a large gathering of pastors on Thursday to address controversial issues from the pulpit, declaring that "God hates cowards."

Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, based his remarks on Revelation 21:8, wherein God lists eight groups of people who will be "in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Of groups like murderers, idolaters, unbelievers, and others, the first group of persons listed were the cowardly. It was this first group that Graham focused on for his speech, titled "Standing Strong on the Controversial Issues," at the Thursday evening session for the 2014 Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing.

"The definition of a coward: a coward will not confront an issue that needs to be confronted due to fear. That is a coward," said Graham.

"God hates cowards. And the cowards that the Lord is referring to are the men and women who know the truth but refuse to speak it."

In his remarks at the dinner session, Graham spoke about the need for churches to speak out against abortion and homosexuality, declaring that "you're not going to shut me up."

"We have a responsibility to speak on the moral issues. Abortion, homosexuality, these are moral issues. This is a free country, you can do what you want to do but I want you to know it's a sin against God. This is a sin," said Graham.

Graham mentioned how he has "friends who are pastors" who say they want to preach the Gospel and not "become targets."

"Well don't you think the Lord Jesus Christ was a target?" asked Graham. "Could we get our heads chopped off? We could, maybe one day. So what? Chop it off!"

from: http://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-calls-on-pastors-to-speak-out-on-abortion-homosexuality-says-god-hates-cowards-120265/

Short 1 minute clip:
RWW News: Graham Says Pastors Must Be Willing To 'Get Our Heads Chopped Off'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgkPOFATvN0

Short 1 minute clip:
Anne Graham Lotz: The End Times Are Coming And God's Judgment Has Already Begun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjWwFfhoQkA

Franklin Graham at Watchmen on the Wall 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZj9NjDt34

In all due respects Franklin Graham is missing it. We as believers are called to speak out one thing. And that one thing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The grievous sins of this nation and the church stem from a corrupt and uwicked heart. The answer to a wicked heart is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross.

Franklin Graham does a grievous injustice to pastors who are faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by calling them cowards. One would wonder if he had his own father on.mind because this was what Billy Graham.did. Preached a relationship with Jesus Christ. Billy Graham preached the cross of Christ to save sinners. If anything Billy Graham was criticised because he did not speak out against the social evils of his day such as racism and the Vietnam war. And these were evil sins. But his focus was on a personal relationship with Christ what could change a sinners heart.

I.notice that there is an ugly spirit prevailing among evangelicals who excoriate those who do not agree with their agenda. If you do not get on their bandwagon of speaking out against th he sins of the nation such as homosexuality or abortion then you do not believe in repentance. Such people generally have no.love for the sinner and miss the truth of Jesus Christ. His truth that can set the sinner free.

If they are going to cut our heads off then let it be we are speaking forth the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this is what we are called to. To proclaim and if necessary die for Jesus Christ and His gospel. Not for our stand for or against moral issues.

My thoughts.

Blaine Scigin

brother, you wrote:

Franklin Graham does a grievous injustice to pastors who are faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by calling them cowards. One would wonder if he had his own father on.mind because this was what Billy Graham.did. Preached a relationship with Jesus Christ. Billy Graham preached the cross of Christ to save sinners. If anything Billy Graham was criticised because he did not speak out against the social evils of his day such as racism and the Vietnam war. And these were evil sins. But his focus was on a personal relationship with Christ what could change a sinners heart.

I.notice that there is an ugly spirit prevailing among evangelicals who excoriate those who do not agree with their agenda. If you do not get on their bandwagon of speaking out against th he sins of the nation such as homosexuality or abortion then you do not believe in repentance. Such people generally have no.love for the sinner and miss the truth of Jesus Christ. His truth that can set the sinner free.

If they are going to cut our heads off then let it be we are speaking forth the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this is what we are called to. To proclaim and if necessary die for Jesus Christ and His gospel. Not for our stand for or against moral issues.

AMEN! and amen.

and if anybody thinks that preaching against ALL SIN, including whoremongering, warmongering, money worship, hating on your brother and sister, coz of their skin color....ALL SIN...if anybody thinks that makes one a "compromiser"...its time to give active consideration to the Gospel within Isaiah 40-66.

I am of the firm conviction you can draw IN CHRIST JESUS...a straight line from the MANY Messianic Passages (the Four suffering Servants Song, where BOTH Father and Son, Jesus, testify to His Earthly and Kingdom Ministries) in Isaiah 40-66 right to one of the Mountain Tops of New Covenant Reality, which is the High Priestly Prayer of John 17.

STRAIGHT LINE!!

I hear a lot of TALK about "taking this nation back for Christ"....which means "rebuilding" and "repairing" and "restoring"......a Holy Template is GIVEN to us in Isaiah 58:

"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in."

Isaiah 58:6-12

So who now wants to call the Word of God..."social gospel"?

So you preach it, Blaine! how many innocent Vietnamese got murdered FOR NOTHING? How many US boys were thrown into the cauldron, for sin soaked war mongers, and LIARS?!?

Fast forward to 2003, how many of those "church leaders" I saw listed on that Watchman's 'speakers" list, that gave spiritual covering to all the lies that preceded the invasion of Iraq?

"church leaders"...when the persecution comes, its coming from THEM....Schma!

In all due respects Franklin Graham is missing it. We as believers are called to speak out one thing. And that one thing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The grievous sins of this nation and the church stem from a corrupt and uwicked heart. The answer to a wicked heart is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross.

Brethren,

I do disagree in that all true godly revival preaching had preaching against the social sins of the day, whether it was John Welsey, Whitefield, Finney, Sunday or other godly men.

Should there be preaching against sins in our day like homosexuality, pornography, over-eating, neglect of the poor, sure! The dearth of it makes a man like Franklin graham have to rise up and be a prophetic voice.

Where are the preachers who preach on hell and do it with tears? The older brethren did. Though I agree we should not harp on any one sin but to say preachers should not preach against social sins of drinking or any other sins is wrong my brothers. People will never need or want Jesus Christ unless they realize they have sinned greatly offending a holy God. The law and sin bring about this need.

Brethren I ask what has speaking out against national sins got us. There were well meaning, God fearing men who spoke out against the evil sin of slavery in the 19th century. The result was a 4 year bloody war that resulted in the death of a half million Americans on both sides. We still have the evil of racism.

There were those God fearing people that spoke against the evils of alcoholism in the 19th and early 20th century. So the sale of alcohol was banned at the Federal level via a Constutional amendment. Giving rise to what? The gangsters and illegal sale of booxe. The effort failed. The Costutional amendment failed. And you still have the problem of alcoholism.

You can cry out against national sins all you want. It is easy to say homosexuality and abortion are sin. Even an abomination to God. For this is what Westboro Baptist Church is doing. Even the church in Wells TX.

It takes far more courage to preach a gospel that saves sinners. And definitely far more courage to love these sinners as God loves them.

Again the issue is the evil depraved heart of man. The answer to this evil heart is the glorious transforming work of the gospel of Jesus Christ on such a heart.

Blaine Scogin

It takes far more courage to preach a gospel that saves sinners. And definitely far more courage to love these sinners as God loves them.

Again the issue is the evil depraved heart of man. The answer to this evil heart is the glorious transforming work of the gospel of Jesus Christ on such a heart.

Brother, I am not sure if you listened to the entire 24 minute sermon, he preached Jesus Christ and His blood through over 18 minutes of it. It was a very Jesus Christ and God glorifying message.

I cannot imagine if Finney or any other godly repentance preacher was alive how could we endure 10 days of preaching of sin with no hope given and then 1 day at the end the hope of Jesus Christ given. We do not estimate how evil sin is in the life of Christians in the Church or in the world.

I wonder what the specific sins of the ancient nations of Rome and Israel and Greece and Turkey were? I know that the sin of idol worship, especially Diana, was one of the most prevalent of sins in many of the regions where the Gospel was being spread by Paul and others. Do we have evidence that Paul spoke out fearlessly against this specific worship which most were taken up with? ...........bro Frank

And are we sure that by speaking out against national sins we are not fighting the cultural war.

Brethren we are called to one war and one war alone. It is a spiritual war against the evil one that can only be won by the cross of Christ. This spiritual war can only be won by getting sinners to be transferred out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light.

No where in the apostolic record do we find Paul speaking out against the national depravity of Rome. And Rome had plenty of depravity. He did call sinners to repent and turn from their sins and turn to God. He called sinners to have faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the crux of the argument. Are we as believers called to speak out against the national sins of the culture we live in? Or are we called to tell people to flee from their sins by repentance and turn to faith in Christ? I believe it is the latter.

One can go to an abortion clinic and hold up a sign that decries the evil of abortion. But if that mother who might be convinced to give her baby up for adoption and not be told of the danger of her immortal soul going to hell and how she can be saved through relationship with Jesus what has been gained?

An abortion doctor may be persuaded on some philosophical moral argument that he should not perform abortions. But if no one speaks to him about his need for Christ what have you gained.

The danger in crying out against national sins us you lose sight of the cross. Evangelicals who become so consumed with crying out against abortion and homosexuality are willing to link arms with the RCC and Mormons because they stand against these issues. Even Moslems stand against these issues.

Even in the last Presidential election there were those believers who were willing to vote for a cultist because he supposedly was against abortion and homosexuality.

Brethren we are not called to speak out against national sins of the culture we live in. Our call is to preach a redemptive message of the cross of Jesus Christ that can save men from their sins. This is our message and should be our only message. Our message is the cross of Jesus Christ.

Blaine Scogin