Franklin Graham: False Prophet
Chip Somodevilla / AFP / Getty
Donald Trump was inaugurated as 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025. In a sobering testament to irony, Mr Trump took the oath on Martin Luther Ling Day- a national holiday honouring the civil rights leader. My appreciation of the term “ironic” has grown over the past 8 years and I trust it will mature even further over the next 48 months. The inauguration was moved to the Capital Rotunda because of cold weather conditions outside. Another irony- it was our first good look at the interior of the Capital since Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the edifice on January 6, 2021. All conveniently forgotten now since President Trump, in his first order of business, pardoned the 1600 individuals who had been convicted for their role in the assault. A sad attempt to whitewash history. The move inside also deprived us of the opportunity to witness the guaranteed record number of attendees who would have attended this Presidential inauguration. HAH!! The new setting was intimate which presented the possibility of a more regal and classic ceremony. No need to micro-analyse it here but the program miserably squandered that opportunity. Instead, I will keep it simple and share a couple of immediate, real time observations and reactions.
The “prayer” benediction offered by Franklin Graham was ghastly and offensive. Pastor Graham is the son of the late Billy Graham and has inherited his ministry. Reverend Graham is the leader of two evangelical organisations, Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. These are multi- million dollar organisations dependent on donations made by their members and followers. Research reveal that Franklin Graham is well compensated for his pastoral endeavors- earning in excess of 1 million dollars annually. Obviously, the vow of poverty has not taken hold in the modern evangelical movement. Graham is extraordinary political and partisan. The concept of separation between church and state doesn’t hold much traction in his circles. He previously challenged the legitimacy of President Obama’s Christian faith because Mr Obama’s father was Muslim and he had a Muslim middle name. He would periodically apologise to the President, but would then resurrect and repeat his statement at a later time. He has been an outspoken and aggressive supporter of Donald Trump’s political ambitions since 2015. He has ignored Mr Trump’s rather patchy history when it comes to moral behaviour and asserts that he is confident that Mr Trump has been “redeemed.” His political support earned him a spot on the inaugural dais in 2017 and he was honoured with a speaking invitation again this year.
Graham basically told the audience that the election of Donald Trump was an Act of God! Elon Musk must have been thinking- God is fine but how about my 250 million dollar contribution. He thanked God for blessing Mr Trump with the wisdom and knowledge of a King. He thanked God for his conscious decision to anoint Mr Trump as President. He then cited Mr Trump’s enemies for attempting to bring him down and thanked god for saving Mr Trump’s life and giving him the strength and power necessary. He said the last four years were “dark”, but “look at what God has done” and “praise him and give him glory.” I gather Jesus has selected Donald Trump as his representative on Earth. Jesus!! Graham then explicitly echoed Trump’s apocalyptic view of America and compared Trump to Moses and JD Vance as Aaron leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Well, God had very little to do with Trump’s election with 49.9 percent of popular vote and 312 electoral college votes. Frankly, the bond between God and Trump has never manifested itself in Trump’s behaviour or lifestyle. Remind me, does Trump even attend church services? Perhaps he has a personal gold chapel at Mar A Lago. Graham showed no “class", “grace”, or “empathy.” He made no acknowledgement of President Biden or Vice President Harris and didn’t even bother to shake Biden’s hand at the conclusion of his remarks. It was a blatant political exercise and despite my respect for traditions, norms and ceremony, I would have been tempted to walk out on him if I was in President Biden’s shoes.
There is a broader phenomenon represented by Graham and other “Christian” evangelical leaders. They are not particularly Christian in their rhetoric or their preaching. They are a massive departure from Jesus of the Beatitudes and The Sermon on the Mount. Where has “Love you Neighbour as Yourself" gone? How about “Love is Patient, Love is Kind, Does Not Envy, Is Not Boastful, Is Not Arrogant, Is Not Self Seeking, Is Not irritable and Doesn’t Not Keep A Record Of Wrongs.” Instead, modern Christianity is an angry bunch of dudes, forever initiating fights with its fellow citizens. It is punitive and sees political or ideological opponents as “devils” or “demons” who must be swept away or stamped out EG; the LGBTQ and TRANS communities. All of this puzzles me since Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He preached joy, gentleness, respect, kindness, decency, fairness, tolerance and love. Mr Graham may be able to quote from scripture, but he has missed the underlying message of the gospels. Fear, threats, intimidation isolation, violence have no place in the heart of a true Christian and Mr Graham and his buddies should be focusing on that narrative with their congregations.
Pastor Graham is a false prophet and his kinship with Mr Trump is evidence of that reality. The decline of Christianity and the disappearance of a generosity of spirit is depressing. The other religious invocations were harmless, Cardinal Dolan of New York was boring and uninspiring and I mourn the loss of the great Catholic orators and preachers. The Jewish Rabbi prayed for the Israeli hostages and the black Baptist minister was MLK lite. The Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist speakers either got stuck in traffic or didn’t get the memo that the inaugural had been moved inside. The entire spectacle was a missed opportunity for moral clarity. Disappointing, but not surprising!
