Christian conservative Franklin Graham
has called on presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg to repent for being
gay, warning that he faces eternal damnation for “flaunting” his
sexuality.
At a recent CNN town hall, Buttigieg
addressed critics who say being gay is inconsistent with
Christianity.
“It can be challenging to be a person
of faith who's also part of the LGBTQ community and yet, to me, the
core of faith is regard for one another,” said Buttigieg, the
openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana. “[P]art of God's love is
experienced – according to my faith tradition – in the way that
we support one another and, in particular, support the least among
us.”
(Related: Bryan
Fischer: Pete Buttigieg's sexuality disqualifies him from being
president.)
In a series of tweets, Graham, the son
of the late televangelist Billy Graham and a supporter of President
Donald Trump, called on Buttigieg, who last year married his husband
Chasten, to repent.
“Presidential candidate & South
Bend Mayor @PeteButtigieg is right – God doesn't have a political
party,” Graham messaged. “But God does have commandments, laws &
standards He gives us to live by. God doesn't change. His Word is the
same yesterday, today & forever.”
“Mayor Buttigieg says he's a gay
Christian. As a Christian I believe the Bible which defines
homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to
be flaunted, praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is
between a man & a woman – not two men, not two women.”
“The core of the Christian faith is
believing and following Jesus Christ, who God sent to be the Savior
of the world – to save us from sin, to save us from hell, to save
us from eternal damnation,” he added.
Buttigieg's popularity has rocketed in
recent weeks, placing him third among Democratic presidential
candidates behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator
Bernie Sanders.
(Related: New
poll has Pete Buttigieg closing in on Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders.)