Rev. Dr. William Barber, the head of
the North Carolina NAACP, has taken issue with anti-gay marriage ads
taken out by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The recent ads, signed by evangelist
Billy Graham, were taken out in multiple newspapers, including the
Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Each features a
black-and-white photo of Graham along with the following text: “On
Nov. 6, the day before my 94th birthday, our nation will
hold one of the most critical elections in my lifetime. We are at a
crossroads and there are profound moral issues at stake. I strongly
urge you to vote for candidates who support the biblical definition
of marriage between a man and a woman, protect the sanctity of life
and defend our religious freedoms. The Bible speaks clearly on these
crucial issues. Please join me in praying for America, that we will
turn our hearts back toward God.”
Barber and a group of pastors and
community leaders condemned the ad in a press conference.
Barber said Rev. Franklin Graham, the
head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and his father do
not speak for all evangelicals.
“We're evangelicals too,” he said.
Barber described the theology behind
the ads “hollow at best, and hypocritical and heretical at worst.”