day of prayer

Thanks for your response. I was just in your gorgeous state last week and enjoyed visiting Adventure Church in Rocklin, CA.

I am  wondering who would be an acceptable speaker for the Day of Prayer?

Would Beth Moore be acceptable? She is an incredible unifying Christian leader.

Would Rick Warren be acceptable?

Would Michael Feinstein be acceptable?

What about the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City, Jim Cymbala?

What about African American Christian speaker Priscilla Shirer?

Of course any speaker will have some views that I don’t agree with or you don’t agree with.

But it seems to me that if we examine everyone’s opinions in such detail, any speaker will be disqualified. In that case, there will be no Day of Prayer.
(name withheld)

Elizabeth Sholes wrote:

Dear (name withheld)

Mikey Weinstein asked me to write to you, as a Christian, to explain our concerns about Dr. Graham.

Dr. Graham is considerably different from his father in several respects.  The most important difference is that Franklin Graham is deeply outspoken in his loathing of Islam, one of our Abrahamic faiths along with Judaism and Christianity.  His interpretations of Islam are simply wrong, based on very shallow understanding of this global religion, and his vitriol has created a wedge between Christianity and Islam that simply cannot be accepted.  In a world already fraught with divisions between religions over issues of territory, his mere presence at a military event is dangerous to human understanding, world peace, and every effort this nation is making to bring peace among us all.

Dr. Graham made a free and conscious choice to interpret Islam so erroneously.  We have worked long and hard to build bridges of understanding with our Muslim brothers and sisters, and he puts this work in jeopardy.  Our nation’s military cannot any longer be perceived as engaging in a “Crusade” against Islam which is a misconception that Dr. Graham perpetuates each time he speaks on this issue.

Moreover, he does not speak universally for Christians.  His views are narrow and intolerant, and his focus on the End Times – very much resisted by his father, by the way – is not ours in the Protestant world which has a long and nobel history within Christianity.  He has been equally intolerant of us, of Catholics, and others within his own tradition, and we find his assertions of moral and theological superiority offensive as well.

His presence as an authorized speaker at a Pentagon event would put our men and women in the Mid East in greater peril since the entire military would be perceived to be in accord with Dr. Graham’s views.  His intolerance is counter to the work our military is trying to do to secure peace among nations now at odds with one another and with our own.  Consequently, we in the Christian mainstream do support and thank MRFF and Mr. Weinstein for having the courage to speak out for all of us who have loved ones overseas, whose faith traditions would be renounced by Mr. Graham, and who believe our military has one job – upholding the Constitution, not promulgating religious views.

Of course we can all join in a day of prayer in humility and grace.  We simply believe that Dr. Graham is inimical to that goal, and that we can better work together if he is not held up as the embodiment of faith when he has been so hateful toward some of our most beloved friends.

Sincerely,

Mr. Weinstein,

I am an advocate for Jewish people and I am a Christian. I believe we both worship the God of the Bible and I have many Jewish friends, including my favorite designer, Lia Kes.

I hope that you will reconsider your opposition to Franklin Graham speaking at the prayer breakfast. I respect him very much and appreciate his commitment, as well as his father’s.

Above all, I hope we can all join in a day of prayer, and in humility (and I pray for that for me) seek God’s face.

We will never know or understand His mind, but something deep within me — and I know many others — craves a relationship with him.

(name and location withheld)

Elizabeth Sholes

Director of Public Policy

California Council of Churches/California Church IMPACT