Aug 25, 2020:

Jerushah Duford, the grandaughter of the late evangelical Christian leader Billy Graham, wrote an Op-Ed entitled "I'm Billy Graham's granddaughter. Evangelical support of Donald Trump spits on his legacy." which was published today on the USA Today website.

Here are some key quotes from the article:

I have spent my entire life in the church, with every big decision guided by my faith. But now, I feel homeless. Like so many others, I feel disoriented as I watch the church I have always served turn their eyes away from everything it teaches. I hear from Christian women on a daily basis who all describe the same thing: a tug at their spirit.

I feel it every time our president talks about government housing having no place in America's suburbs. Jesus said repeatedly to defend the poor and show kindness and compassion to those in need. Our president continues to perpetuate an us-versus-them narrative, yet almost all of our church leaders say nothing.

I feel this tug every time our president or his followers speak about the wall, designed to keep out the very people scripture tells us to welcome.

Trump went so far as to brag about his plans, accomplishments and unholy actions towards the marginalized communities I saw my grandfather love and serve. I now see, through the silence of church leaders, that these communities are no longer valued by individuals claiming to uphold the values my grandfather taught.

The gentle tug became an aggressive yank, for me, earlier this year, when our country experienced division in the form of riots, incited in great part by this president's divisive rhetoric. I watched our president walk through Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., after the tear gassing of peaceful protesters for a photo op.

He held a Bible, something so sacred to all of us, yet he treated that Bible with a callousness that would offend anyone intimately familiar with the words inside it. He believed that action would honor him and only him. However, the church, designed to honor God, said nothing.

It seems that the only evangelical leaders to speak up praised the president, with no mention of his behavior that is antithetical to the Jesus we serve. The entire world has watched the term "evangelical" become synonymous with hypocrisy and disingenuousness. My faith and my church have become a laughing stock, and any attempt by its members to defend the actions of Trump at this time sound hallow and insincere.

At a recent large family event, I was pulled aside by many female family members thanking me for speaking out against an administration that they, too, had been uncomfortable with. With tears in their eyes, they used a hushed tone, out of fear that they were alone or at risk of undeserved retribution. How did we get here? How did we, as God-fearing women, find ourselves ignoring the disrespect and misogyny being shown from our president? Why do we feel we must express our discomfort in hushed whispers in quiet corners?

I chose to listen to my spirit and speak out. Not because doing so feels comfortable, but because it feels like the right way to leverage the voice God has empowered me with. Now I am asking all of you that feel as I do, to embrace your inner tug, and allow it to lead you to use the power of your God-given voice and not allow Trump to lead this country for another four years.

Source:

Duford, Jerushah. (August 26, 2020). "I'm Billy Graham's granddaughter. Evangelical support of Donald Trump spits on his legacy.". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-08-25.

More:

• Billy Graham's granddaughter urges evangelicals not to support Trump | The Hill
• Editor in Chief of Christianity Today Publishes Article Entitled 'Trump Should be Removed from Office' | Health and Wellness Resource
• Trump and the 'prosperity gospel' sell false promises to credulous evangelical Christians | USA Today