Franklin Graham has joined the chorus
of conservatives beating on CBS' Bob Schieffer for asking Family
Research President (FRC) Tony Perkins whether his group had taken
their opposition to marriage equality “too far.”
During a recent Sunday appearance on
Face the Nation, Schieffer welcomed Perkins to the show by
reminding him that his group has been branded an anti-gay hate group
by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Mr. Perkins, I'm going to say this
to you upfront. You and your group have been so strong in coming out
against this and against gay marriage that the Southern Poverty Law
Center has branded the Family Research Council an anti-gay hate
group,” Schieffer said. “We have been inundated by people who
say we should not even let you appear, because in their view 'you
don't speak for Christians.' Do you think you have taken this too
far?”
Perkins answered “no” and went on
to defend himself, saying that allowing gay couples to marry
nationwide would lead to an “open season on people of faith.”
In
a Facebook post, Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham and
head of the Billy Graham Evangelist Association, called Schieffer's
introduction an “attack.”
“Did you see where Face the
Nation's Bob Schieffer attacked Tony Perkins and Family Research
Council in what is being called an 'ambush' interview last week?”
Graham rhetorically asked. “He accused Tony and FRC of being
anti-gay. I know Tony. He's a great American and a strong
Christian.”
“Just because Christians take a stand
aligned with what the Word of God says is true, that doesn't mean we
are anti-gay. It means that we love people enough to warn them. God
tells us in His Word that lying is sin, stealing is sin, murder is
sin, adultery is sin, homosexuality is sin … and 'the wages of sin
is death.' The Bible says 'all have sinned,' and we want people to
know that God will forgive them and give them eternal life if they
turn from their sins and accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord and
Savior. In our world today, being bold enough to speak out on
important biblical and moral issues means that we are targets of the
liberal media's anti-Christian bias. But it doesn't mean that we
stop.”
Writing at Media
Matters for America, Carlos Maza praised Schieffer, saying
Perkins will “likely think twice before agreeing to appear on CBS
again.”
“Hate groups should be afraid of the
sunlight and accountability that results from appearances in major
media, which has a responsibility to reveal the agenda behind the
facade,” he said.