By L.A. Williams, Correspondent
Christian Action League
BLACK MOUNTAIN — Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz are calling on North Carolinians to vote for the Marriage Amendment. Son and daughter of evangelist Billy Graham and the late Ruth Bell Graham and leaders of their own worldwide ministries, both have announced their support for the May 8 referendum during the past week.
“I want you to take a stand for God’s definition of marriage, and that’s between a man and a woman,” Franklin Graham, president of both Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is telling listeners of 106.9 The Light during radio spots that began airing Thursday.
“This is very critical. This is going to affect our state for years to come,” Graham said. “So please vote May 8. Support the Marriage Amendment.”
No stranger to the national debate regarding the definition of marriage, Graham emphasized in his radio message that the amendment “affects all of us.”
To hear Graham’s radio spot click here
Earlier this year, during an interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Graham said, “To me, same-sex marriage is unraveling the institution of marriage that God gave. And it is against the Bible, it is against Holy Scripture, it’s against God’s instruction.”
Although perhaps not usually as outspoken as her brother, Anne Graham Lotz, founder and president of AnGeL Ministries, told readers of her blog late last week that “there are times when a political issue is also a moral and spiritual issue that I need to take a stand on.”
Reiterating her desire to reach all people with the message of God’s love extended through Christ, Lotz gave specific reasons for her support of the one man/one woman definition of marriage from Biblical, spiritual, practical and personal standpoints.
Marriage is “not up for redefinition from God’s perspective” she told her readers reminding them that it is the very first institution ordained by God and was reconfirmed by Jesus. She said our perilous and unstable times are all the more reason we should not defy God and provoke his displeasure and added that not only does marriage provide the only natural means of procreation but that it contributes to a society’s overall health, stability and prosperity.
“My understanding of marriage was shaped by the tender relationship I witnessed between Daddy and Mother, who were happily married for 64 years,” wrote Lotz. She said their relationship was a “flesh and blood example of what marriage was designed by God to be” and urged people to pray that marriage would be “preserved and protected in North Carolina … for our own good.”
Read Lotz’s statement by clicking here.
The Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, called the endorsements from Graham and Lotz a wonderful boost to the Marriage Amendment referendum and said he hoped that the many men and women who have come closer to God through their ministries and incredible Bible teaching would follow their lead in the May 8 vote.
“Anne Graham Lotz has pointed people to Christ for years and has spoken and written countless devotions about God’s design for marriage, how He is the marriage maker and how He can sustain even the most challenging marriages. So it isn’t surprising that she is speaking out for the protection of marriage and giving so many solid reasons that the Marriage Amendment deserves our support,” he said.
“Franklin Graham, his courage and tenacity for all things righteous, makes him someone for whom I have profound respect. I know that those are not just my sentiments, but that of most North Carolinians. And to now have Franklin Graham endorsing the Marriage Amendment on the air waves is especially timely as the vote is just over a week away. The opposition has cranked up its media presence, and we need leaders in the faith like the Graham family to speak out.”
Tami Fitzgerald, chairwoman of Vote FOR Marriage NC, commented on the endorsement from Lotz earlier this past week on the organization’s Web site.
“Gaining the support of Anne Graham Lotz in our effort to protect marriage in North Carolina illustrates how faith leaders support preserving marriage between one man and one woman,” she said. “As a native North Carolinian, Lotz knows that the threat to marriage is real in our state.”
To listen to The Light, a listener supported ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, tune into 106.9 fm or listen online by going to www.1069thelight.org.
To find out more about the Marriage Amendment, see www.VoteFORmarriageNC.com.