Franklin Graham: Voters should elect 'Christians'

People crowd the Capitol grounds to see the Franklin Graham Decision America Tour.
People crowd the Capitol grounds to see the Franklin Graham Decision America Tour.

We will fail as a nation unless we elect "Christian" politicians who "honor God (and) are not afraid to take a stand for God and his truth," the Rev. Franklin Graham told a Tuesday prayer rally on the rain-soaked south lawn of Missouri's Capitol.

Jefferson City was the 23rd stop of a "Decision America 2016 Tour" of all 50 state capitals.

During the rally, Graham had several periods of silence, inviting the estimated 6,700 people standing in the steady rain to pray for forgiveness of their own sins, for the sins of their families, for the sins of others around the nation and for the guidance of the politicians running for office and for those already serving.

Graham said all Americans should make sure they are registered to vote and then exercise that right to "vote for candidates who stand for truth and Biblical principles - and are willing to live them."

While his message was aimed at Christians, he told reporters after the rally his message also applies to non-Christians, as well.

"I hope they vote, and I hope they vote for Christian men and women, because - for the atheists, for the Muslims, for the Jews or for anybody else - it's the Christians who built this country," he said.

"You'll have a better candidate if they have Biblical principles; the Christian candidates will be fair to (all)."

Graham is the oldest son of evangelist Billy Graham and reminded those attending the rally his father said in 1952: "If I were a pastor (of an individual church), I believe that I would explain to my people where each candidate stood morally, spiritually and in relationship to the church."

Graham, 63, said his father - now 97 - has worried for years how Christians must make their voices known to preserve America.

"Our Founding Fathers gave us the freedom so that anybody can worship, regardless of your religion. You can worship freely in this country," the younger Graham told reporters.

"You want those Christian principles to stay in place, because by those staying in place, all of us benefit. Every religion benefits, so I hope they do vote for Christian men and women in this election."

Graham said at the beginning of his 35-minute presentation to the prayer rally, "Our country's in trouble, and that's why we're here today. The moral and political walls of our nation are crumbling.

"Walls are meant for protection - to keep bad people out. Gates can be opened or closed, and when threats come, you can close the gates."

However, Americans have left the moral walls and gate open, and "any kind of wicked thought and activity comes and goes," Graham said, arguing many educators, big business, politicians and even churches are more concerned about political correctness than God's word. He pointed to abortion and same-sex marriage as two of the sins Americans have allowed to happen.

Also, Graham said, American culture worships the dollar and the power of our economy.

"Our entertainment industry is all about sex and violence," he proclaimed. "The list goes on and on and on."

He said he has "no hope" in either the Democrats or Republicans finding solutions to the nation's problems - and noted several times his tour isn't backing any specific political candidate.

"I can tell you there is no political party that is going to turn this thing around," he said. "The only hope for our country is Almighty God," he said, "and we're here today to pray for Almighty God, for his hand to come back on this nation.

"The only way we can get God's favor is through prayer."

Today, Graham's tour is in Lincoln, Nebraska. The tour began Jan. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, and is set to end Oct. 13 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"When you look at the state of our country and the mess that we are in," he told the Jefferson City crowd Tuesday, "you may have been asking, 'What can we do?'

"There's a lot that God can do, and there are things that you can do."

In addition to praying for the country and its leaders, Graham urged all in the audience to consider running for public office.

For Bill Jackson, of Black (about 40 miles from Farmington), "The challenge to run for election was a challenge I didn't expect too much. It's something I'll have to think about."

He came to the rally because, "I love my country, and I love my God most of all."

Connie Stevens, of Centerville, said: "I think Franklin Graham is right - the only way that we're going to get our country great again is through God."