Bishop T.D. Jakes blasted the son of the Rev. Billy Graham Sunday for questioning President Barack Obama’s religious faith in a recent television interview.
Appearing on “Washington Watch with Roland Martin,” Jakes accused the Rev. Franklin Graham of hypocrisy stemming from comments he made last month on ABC’s “This Week with Christiane Amanpour” and said the North Carolina-based evangelical minister owes the president an apology.
“I find it insulting,” said Jakes, chief pastor of the Potter’s House, a 30,000-member non-denominational mega-church in Dallas. “We didn’t question the Christianity of President Bush when he said he accepted Christ, and I’m disappointed in Rev. Franklin Graham in that regard.”
In an Easter Sunday interview, Amanpour asked Graham if it bothered him that people like potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump questioned Obama’s birthplace and his religious affiliation. Graham replied: “As it relates to Muslim, there are so many people that wonder where he really stands on that.”
“Now, he has told me that he is a Christian,” said Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “But the debate comes, what is a Christian.”
“For him, going to church means he’s a Christian,” Graham added. “For me, the definition of a Christian is whether we have given our life to Christ and are following him in faith, and we have trusted him as our Lord and Savior. That’s the definition of a Christian, it’s not as to what church you’re a member or. A membership doesn’t make you a Christian.”
White House officials didn’t hide their contempt for Graham’s comments the following day.
“I would just say I think it’s unfortunate that a religious leader would choose Easter Sunday to make preposterous charges,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, “and I’ll leave it at that.”
***Info. provided by BlackAmericaWeb***
D. Martez
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