Dear Editor,
I am shocked and saddened by the tone of Tony Bennett’s article (July en) criticising Franklin Graham’s support of President Trump and questioning whether evangelicals should back his forthcoming rally in Manchester.
Refusing to condemn the social media posting of an AI-generated image of Trump in a supposedly Christ-like pose was perhaps unwise. But comparing the present-day war with Iran to the days in ancient Persia when Queen Esther saved the Jews from genocide precisely hits the mark.
Yet Mr Bennett says it is “not the faithful application of Esther for today’s church”. Really?
The primary context (of the relevant passage in the Book of Esther and of Graham’s reported White House prayer) is the dire threat posed by modern Persia to the Jewish people, perfectly justifying his belief that God had raised up Trump “for such a time as this”.
Yes, Iran and other Muslim states hate Christians too, but only because they worship Jesus, the Jew.
To suggest evangelicals should rethink their support for evangelist Franklin Graham is to throw the baby out with the bathwater or, worse, to strain out a gnat while swallowing a camel (Matt.23v24).
Yours sincerely,
Charles Gardner
Armthorpe
