“My father never sought to be famous. He never wanted to be well-known. Even today if someone were to ask him about his notoriety, he would just kind of say it wasn`t me, it was God that did it,” says Franklin Graham.
And today, Franklin Graham is using that divine guidance to run Samaritan`s Purse, the massive humanitarian organization based in Boone, North Carolina and whose walls are covered with illustrations of how it’s helping impoverished people around the world.
But like his father, Graham is still very much 'in touch' with what`s happening back home.
He was asked about the criticism he faces about being outspoken on certain issues and if his father has ever talked to him about it. He had a surprising response.
“No never. My father was also critical. He was critical of communism. He was critical of sex and violence in Hollywood,” says Graham.
'In recent years, he certainly came out in support of Amendment One in North Carolina which is the state’s voter-approved gay marriage ban. It’s the same one federal judges struck down recently.
“Marriage is defined between a man and a woman. And it`s never been defined between two women or two men,” says Graham. “God is the one who instituted marriage and for our politicians and our judges to say something contrary to God`s law and teaching is a sad day.”
He was also asked if he believes that homosexuality is a choice.
“As a man, I`m attracted to women. But I have made a commitment to my wife. Now just because I`m attracted to a woman does not mean I have a license to go ahead and do whatever I want because that`s the way I feel and that`s my attraction. I have to say no,” says Graham.
“And I understand where someone may have come from a gay background and they are attracted to someone of the same sex. But you have to say no. And you have to take those feelings and suppress them and ask for God`s help in doing that,” he continued.
But suppressing feelings isn`t something Graham does regarding the aftermath of the highly-publicized deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City.
“And both of these young men are dead because they refused to obey the police. And that`s sad but we are becoming so lawless in many of our communities. What happened to both of `em is a shame. It shouldn`t have never happened,” says Graham.
“How would you describe the country`s moral fabric right now?'
'I believe that the moral foundation of this nation is eroding and has serious cracks in our moral foundation. And I`m not sure if we`ll ever get it back. I`m not sure that this country can ever turn around and be saved. I have no faith in the Democratic Party. I don`t have any faith in the Republican Party. I don`t believe that there`s a candidate out there that can change this. Because both parties, and I don`t even know who the Tea Party is. I just don`t have faith the politicians of this nation can take a stand for the moral issues we face and turn it around,” says Graham.
