Franklin Graham warns of ‘all-out socialism’ if Americans don’t vote for leaders ‘who love this country’
Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham warned of “all-out socialism” if Americans do not vote for leaders who “love this country, defend the Constitution, & support law & order.”
In a Twitter thread Monday, Graham warned about the consequences of complacency from evangelical conservatives and “every person who loves this country.”
He pointed to the “chaos erupting in cities controlled by liberal, socialist-leaning leadership” as a harbinger of things to come on a national level if “this kind of leadership wins in local, state & national elections in November.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“If this kind of leadership wins in local, state & national elections in November, we'll see more of this, which would lead to the demise of our nation as we know it,” said Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham.
In a subsequent tweet, he described the violence and unrest in Portland, Oregon, as “an example of what will take place in other cities if Americans do not take a stand in defense of the nation—through the power of the vote.”
“Socialism is dangerous, and we have a party and many politicians who are flirting with all-out socialism,” he stressed.
“I would encourage every person who loves this country to pray & to turn out by the millions to vote. Don’t just watch the news & be depressed—stand up for America! Vote for leaders who love this country, defend the Constitution, & support law & order. Most importantly, pray.”
During the previous election in 2016, Graham made a similar warning, saying that America’s new enemies are “progressives” and “godless secularism.” He also described the presidential election taking place that year as the “most critical in our lifetime.”
In an op-ed Tuesday, Dr. James Dobson, psychologist and founder of the Christian organization Focus on the Family, echoed Graham’s concerns about the perils of socialism. He listed the battle between “capitalism versus socialism” as one of several reasons why “the stakes are high this election year.”
“Socialism limits enterprise and creates undue reliance on the state,” he said. “Socialism, at its core, is a secular framework that installs government as ‘god.’ It has no use for faith, freedom, or the will of the people.”
The aforementioned Twitter thread sent out by Graham is not his first effort to motivate evangelical Christians to go to the polls this fall. The evangelist appeared in a documentary film called “Trump 2024.” The movie, which organizers hope will be shown at 1,500 theaters across the country, warns of socialism and the End Times if President Donald Trump is not re-elected this fall.
According to Pew Research Center, Trump received 81% of the white evangelical vote in the 2016 presidential election, exceeding the share received by the three previous Republican presidential nominees.
While some polls have shown the president’s support slipping with white evangelicals, a poll from Pew Research Center taken last month showed that 82% of white evangelicals planned to vote for Trump.
Graham is not the only evangelical leader working to motivate Christians to get out and vote in November. Jason Yates, the CEO of the group My Faith Votes, has launched a bipartisan initiative called Our Church Votes. Through this initiative, Yates hopes to encourage the 25 million Christians who did not vote in the 2016 presidential election to participate this time around.
