Photo: Chris Seward/AP/Shutterstock
Franklin, who is the son of the late prominent Christian evangelist Billy Graham, was expected to tour the U.K. in May, June, and October, making stops in Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, and London, according tohis website.
Some of those remarks included howsame-sex marriage was a “sin,”that the Islam religion was“behind the violence”around the world, and thatconversion therapy is possible through accepting Jesus, as those in the LGBTQ community were “misled.”
In part of a statement to PEOPLE, Franklin confirms that his mission to speak in the U.K. will continue onward and that “everyone is absolutely welcome,” regardless of their sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or background.
“We’re not going to speak against anybody,” he says. “We are bringing a message of hope for everybody.”
“We’ve had some opposition and some have worked very hard to cancel our venue contracts but we are not going to cancel the mission,” Franklin says of the cancelations. “Other venues are now being considered and will be announced at a later date.”
Franklin Graham.Erik S Lesser/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Franklin has been the center of controversy for years, especially as of late while openly supporting PresidentDonald Trumpand his policies.
To his 8 million followers onFacebook in April 2017, Franklin outwardly supported conversion therapy amid a new bill proposing to ban the practice and referred to homosexuality as a “sin” and “abomination.”
Last April, Franklin also received criticism when he attacked presidential candidatePete Buttigiegon Twitter for being a gay Christian, claiming that his homosexuality was“something to be repentant of,not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized.”
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Franklin, who is the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, has also previously called Islam a “wicked and evil” religion, according to CNN.
In aFacebook post from July 2016, Franklin suggested that the “world is at war” because of the Islam religion, which he claimed causes “soldiers to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is Great’ in Arabic) as they behead, rape, and murder.”
“Religion is behind the violence and jihad we’re seeing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and here in this country. It’s a religion that calls for the extermination of ‘infidels’ outside their faith, specifically Jews and Christians,” he wrote. “Radical Islamists are following the teachings of the Quran. We should call it what it is.”
Additionally, duringBarack Obama‘s presidency, Franklin supported the “birther” conspiracy that falsely suggested that Obama was not an American citizen and falsely said Obama was “born a Muslim,” according to CNN andThe New York Times.
“We believe an event of this kind with anti-LGBT+ rhetoric has no place in a tolerant and accepting city like Newcastle, which is gearing up to welcome tens of thousands of people for UK Pride this summer,” Northern Pride wrote ahead of the arena’s cancelation.
Here is Franklin’s statement to PEOPLE in its entirety:
God laid it on my heart several years ago to come to the UK to preach the Gospel, so we’ve been praying about this and planning for some time. Hundreds of churches across the UK are partnering with us and are excited to see what God is going to do.
It has been over 20 years since my father came to the UK. A lot has changed since then but the needs of the human heart haven’t changed. People are still searching and looking for meaning to life. They try to fill the void they feel with drugs, alcohol or money but it is a void that only God can fill and that comes from having a relationship with God.
We’ve had some opposition and some have worked very hard to cancel our venue contracts but we are not going to cancel the mission. Other venues are now being considered and will be announced at a later date.
The people who are critical, I don’t think they have ever been to one of our events. First of all, we invite everybody. We want everyone to know about God’s love for sinners. I would love for the LGBTQ community to come. Regardless of their faith or belief system, everyone is absolutely welcome. We’re not going to speak against anybody. We are bringing a message of hope for everybody.
source: people.com
