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Franklin Graham, Phil Robertson Ask Americans To Pray For A Christian President

By Noelle Nicholas
Published on: 10:36 PST, Apr 19, 2016

Christian speaker Franklin Graham, son of world-renowned pastor Billy Graham, is urging the masses to join him in prayer that Jesus would appoint a Christian believer to the White House. While this seems absolutely appropriate and desperately needed to other Christians, those of different faiths have thrown a temper tantrum resulting in the demand to ban the opening prayer from the NASCAR races.

What does one have to do with the other? Last week, Duck Commander patriarch Phil Robertson of the hit reality show Duck Dynasty was asked to lead the prayer.

While the majority of Phil Robertson’s prayer praised the Lord and asked for the help of Jesus to love God and people more, one small part of the prayer has found great disfavor with non-believers. “I pray Father that we put a Jesus man in the White House,” said Phil, according to the Gospel Herald.

Franklin Graham has come up alongside the Duck Dynasty star, not only defending his approach but asking others to pray for the same thing.

Prayer Rally
Franklin Graham, President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, holds a prayer rally. Franklin Graham is on a mission to encourage voters to choose a presidential candidate with Christian values. [Jeff Amy/Associated Press]
The “Jesus man” prayer led to an outcry for NASCAR to ban the opening prayer. While some may have fallen under this type of pressure, Texas Motor Speedway president, Eddie Gossage, adamantly refused to comply with this demand. The Star-Telegram reports that Gossage has stood firm in his defense of the right of speech for everyone.

“[Robertson] said what he felt and believed and there are a lot of people that agree with him and a lot that disagree with him. Nowadays, you cannot say what you think because of political correctness. So I guess everyone has a right to free speech or nobody does.”

Mr. Gossage likened the prayer to the recent canceled Bruce Springsteen concert in North Carolina in protest of the state’s alleged anti-LGBT “bathroom bill.” “I defend Bruce Springsteen’s rights to take his position and, if you do that, then you’ve got to defend everybody else’s too.”

President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Center, Franklin Graham has a passion for calling believers of Jesus to come together and make a difference. Franklin Graham also heads the international ministry, Samaritan’s Purse, and holds Franklin Graham Festivals all around the world.

Taking to his Facebook page, Franklin Graham supported Phil’s actions. Western Journalism notes that Franklin Graham believes the backlash has not been brought about by the words Robertson prayed, but by the power of the name of Jesus.

“The Name of Jesus has been controversial for 2,000 years. He was falsely accused; He was unjustly tried; He was turned over to a mob to be executed. And the mention of His Name 2,000 years later shakes the world to its very core.”

Franklin Graham believes this is exactly what our country needs right now. Franklin Graham implored others to join him in praying for the future of America.

“Pray with me that this nation will turn back to Almighty God! A reminder to every reader — One day ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Philippians 2:10-11)”

Do you agree with Reverend Franklin Graham?

[Image credit: Jim Cole/Associated Press]

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