Franklin Graham condemned the disruption of a church service in Minnesota, calling the incident an attack on religious freedom and a form of intimidation against worshippers.
In a Jan. 19 post, Graham said protesters “invaded a church service on Sunday,” shouting, cursing, and directing accusations at “youth, children, and families” who were gathered to worship peacefully.
He criticized what he described as the irony of violating Christians’ rights while claiming to defend others’ rights, and agreed with the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention’s assessment that the incident was “an unacceptable trauma.”
Graham noted that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation and expressed hope that those responsible would be held accountable.
He urged Americans to protect religious liberty, called for prayer for the affected pastors and congregation as well as churches nationwide, and asked for prayers for law enforcement officers enforcing the law, that God would grant them protection, courage, and strength.
