You've seen this ad, I'm sure:
Consider what has happened since this ad premiered. Second generation evangelist Franklin Graham, son of living legend Billy Graham, decided to withdraw the funds of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association due to the pro-LGBT theme of the above ad. Consider, too, the context of the ad. The two women are learning how to communicate with their adopted daughter, who is deaf. This is lost amidst all the furor.
Unsurprisingly, the American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Mississippi, has decided to follow Graham's lead. While our society is becoming more and more socially inclusive, it doesn't ring out in the Bible Belt states, such as Mississippi and North Carolina, where Graham is based. The AFA and the Graham Evangelical Association acknowledge it's ok to make friends with gays, but public advocacy is a different matter altogether.
This is the first time I'm seeing the commercial
ReplyDeleteFranklin Graham has every right to do what he believes is right. Neither he nor his father approves of gay marriage and they do not wish to support it by patronizing an institution that flies in the face of their beliefs.
He's also not alone in those beliefs. That should be respected as well.
The sad irony of it all, though, is that no matter which bank Graham decided to move his accounts to, most of them have supported same-sex relationships. It's just a case of our society being more inclusive as time passes.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of an old Archies song, "One Big Family". God wants us to love everyone as if they were our brothers and sisters. While God frowns on homosexuality, he wants us to respect and love our fellow man, regardless of gender, race, or preferences.