(Video above: Franklin Graham announces the Decision America Tour)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse and the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, is planning to hold a massive prayer rally on the steps of the Alabama Capitol this April and hopes to use the platform to urge Alabama Christians to support candidates who share their worldview.
Graham’s Decision America Tour is staging events in all 50 states this year leading up to the Presidential election in November.
“I’m going to every state in our country to challenge Christians to live out their faith at home, in public and at the ballot box—and I will share the Gospel,” said Graham. “America is at a crossroads, and I believe we should take every opportunity to stand up for the things of God and His Word.”
The Alabama event will take place on the front steps of the Alabama capitol at noon on April 14, 2016.
Graham told Alabama sports website and liberal political blog al.com last year that Christians should never underestimate the importance of their vote.
“(I’m) calling people to repentance, to faith in Christ, to vote for candidates that support biblical values,” Graham said. “I’m not going to endorse any candidates. I’ve been disappointed too many times. I want the Christians to get out and vote. Some of these elections are won and lost not by millions, but by hundreds of votes. In 2000, with Bush and Gore, it came down to just a handful of votes. Every vote counts. Many Christians think their vote doesn’t count. It does count.”
Mr. Graham, born in 1952, is the fourth of five children born to Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham.
Under his leadership, Samaritan’s Purse has met the needs of poor, sick, and suffering people in more than 100 countries. As an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, he has led crusades around the world.
Graham’s father is perhaps the most well-known Christian evangelist of his generation. He was a friend and adviser to many Presidents and was so close to Dwight D. Eisenhower that the he even asked for Graham while on his death bed.
His son, Franklin, has taken up the mantle of his ministry in recent years, continuing to preach around the world and leveraging his non-profit organization’s fundraising prowess to help impoverished people around the globe.
In addition to announcing the upcoming Alabama event, Graham released some eye-opening statistics about Alabama’s religious makeup.
(More after the image)
Citing data compiled by the Barna Group, an organization that conducts research into cultural and religious trends in the United States and around the world, Graham released the above graphic noting that only 23 percent of Alabamians are what they define as “Captive Christians.”
70 percent, however, are “Casual Christians,” essentially meaning they identify as Christians culturally, but are not necessarily Christians as defined by the Bible.
The Barna Group explains further:
The lives of Captive Christians are defined by their faith; their worldview is built around their core spiritual beliefs and resultant values. Casual Christians are defined by the desire to please God, family, and other people while extracting as much enjoyment and comfort from the world as possible.
The big difference between these two tribes is how they define a successful life. For Captives, success is obedience to God, as demonstrated by consistently serving Christ and carrying out His commands and principles. For Casuals, success is balancing everything just right so that they are able to maximize their opportunities and joys in life without undermining their perceived relationship with God and others.
Stated differently, Casuals are about moderation in all things while Captives are about extreme devotion to their God regardless of the worldly consequences.
“Captive Christians consider Casuals to not be genuine followers of Christ,” the group concluded.
