Franklin Graham

William Franklin Graham III (born July 14, 1952) is an American evangelical evangelist and missionary.

He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary.

He is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization.

William Franklin Graham III was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on July 14, 1952, to evangelist Billy Graham and Ruth Graham.

He is the fourth of their five children.

As a teenager, Graham attended The Stony Brook School, a Christian private school on Long Island, New York, but dropped out.

He finished high school in North Carolina.

In 1970, Graham attended LeTourneau College in Longview, Texas, and was expelled from the school for keeping a female classmate out past curfew.

In 1973, Graham joined Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan's Purse, on a six-week mission to Asia.

During this trip, Graham decided to focus on world relief.

Graham became a "committed Christian" in 1974 and was ordained in 1982, and has since become a public speaker and author.

He is a son of the American evangelist Billy Graham.

In 1974, he graduated from Montreat-Anderson College, now Montreat College, with an A.S. That same year on a trip to Jerusalem, he repented and experienced a new birth.

In 1978 he graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.A.

In 1979, after the death of Pierce, he became the president of Samaritan's Purse.

He was ordained in 1982 by the Grace Community Church in Tempe, Arizona, a non-denominational church.

In 1995, he became vice-president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and became the CEO in 2000.

Graham has said in interviews and social media posts that he believes Jesus would approve of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying "that's what Jesus Christ would want us to do, to help save life. It's just a tool to help save life."

He has compared the vaccine to the oil and wine the Good Samaritan used to treat the wounds of the injured traveler, saying "Now the oil and wine were the medicines of that day."

He told ABC News, "I think for a pastor to tell someone not to take the vaccine is problematic because what would happen if that person got coronavirus and died?"

Graham has also cited the work of Samaritan's Purse in describing his support for the vaccine.

"We have seen what COVID can do," said Graham, citing Samaritan's Purse work to help during the outbreaks in Cremona, Italy; Los Angeles; North Carolina and the Bahamas.

Graham has also spoken of seeing the effects of the virus in his own organization.

"I've had some of my own staff, one of them was on a ventilator for three months, Graham said in an interview with CBS News, "...from what I have seen and experienced myself, I don't want COVID and I don't want anybody else to get it." Graham stated that he and his wife are both vaccinated. He also stated, "I want people to know that COVID-19 can kill you.

But we have a vaccine out there that could possibly save your life.

And if you wait, it could be too late."

Graham came under criticism for comments he made about Islam in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks when he referred to Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion."

Graham supported the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

Further criticism came on April 18, 2003, when he preached at a Good Friday service at the Pentagon.

This was called into question after his 2008 compensation from both organizations totaled $1.2 million.

(Most of this was the result of a new IRS rule that required him to re-report deferred retirement contributions that had already been reported over the previous three years. ) Some experts on non-profit organisations have questioned whether one person can perform two full-time jobs leading organizations that employ hundreds and spend hundreds of millions around the world.

In response to the questions about his compensation, Graham decided to give up his salary from BGEA, stating his calling to the ministry "was never based on compensation."

Graham has made controversial remarks against Islam saying, "True Islam cannot be practiced in this country," to CNN's Campbell Brown in December 2009.

"You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they've committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries."

Franklin Graham drew scrutiny in 2009 for drawing a full-time salary from Samaritan's Purse while simultaneously receiving a full-time salary from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

On April 22, 2010, after objections from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and the Muslim group Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Pentagon rescinded his invitation from the Christian conservative National Day of Prayer Task Force to speak at a Pentagon National Day of Prayer event.

In the August 30, 2010, issue of Time magazine, "Does America Hate Islam?"

Graham reportedly said that Islam "is a religion of hatred. It's a religion of war."

Building the cultural center near Ground Zero, he says, means Muslims "will claim now that the World Trade Center property...is Islamic land."

In September 2010, Graham stated on ABC's This Week with Christiane Amanpour that building churches and synagogues is forbidden in most countries in the Islamic world.