Social conservative Franklin Graham has
criticized comments former President Jimmy Carter made three years
ago about Jesus accepting marriage equality.
During a 2015 appearance on HuffPost
Live to promote his memoir A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety,
Carter said that he believes “Jesus would approve of gay marriage.”
“I think Jesus would encourage any
love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to
anyone else and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else,”
Carter, 93, said.
Graham, son of the late televangelist
Billy Graham and a supporter of President Donald Trump, responded in
a Facebook post.
“I have to respectfully disagree with
former President Jimmy Carter on this one,” Graham wrote. “He is
absolutely wrong when he said Jesus would approve of gay marriage.
Jesus didn’t come to promote sin, He came to save us from sin. The
Bible is very clear. God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
because of homosexuality. God defines sin in His Word – it’s not
up to our opinion, the latest poll, or a popular vote. What is very
troubling is that some people may read what President Carter has said
and believe it, whether it was this week or from a video 3 years ago
that is now recirculating. God loves us and gives us the truth in His
Word. He warns us of the serious consequences of sin.”
It should be noted that theologians
disagree on why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Many explain that
Sodom's sin was not homosexuality but neglect of needy travelers.
(Related: Pat
Robertson: Sin of Sodom was pride, not homosexuality.)
Several outlets, including The
Hill, Breitbart,
and the
Independent,
reported this week on Carter's comments, stating that he had made
the comments on Sunday and offering a YouTube video of Carter's
appearance dated July 8, 2015.