Billy Graham's Granddaughter 'Unapologetically' Endorses Donald Trump
The granddaughter of Billy Graham and daughter of Franklin Graham has endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and says that this election could affect the religious freedom of conservative Christians for generations to come.
Cissie Graham Lynch, who works for Samaritan's Purse humanitarian organization and is also married to former NFL player Corey Lynch, spoke with The Christian Post on Tuesday about why she is voting for the thrice-married billionaire real estate mogul.
Lynch told CP that no matter what Christians might think of Trump's character or his crude comments on women, they need to "set all emotions aside" and think of the implications this election has on the balance of the Supreme Court and the federal courts.
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As Trump has vowed to appoint pro-life justices and protect religious freedom of conservative evangelicals, Lynch warned that if Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is elected, the court system and rule of law will be hostile toward Christians who uphold traditional beliefs.
"There could be one to maybe five [Supreme Court] appointees and this could affect an entire generation. This will affect my children and their children's children," Lynch told CP. "You are either going to have two ways — a secular progressive who is hostile towards Christians or you are going to have a side who protects religious liberty and the life of the unborn. For me, I see protection under Trump and Mike Pence."
"This election, to me, is crucial for Christians. We can't afford to sit at home," she added. "We have to get out and vote. It is just a privilege to vote."
Lynch first voiced her support for Trump in a blog post last month titled "Unapologetically Voting for Trump."
Lynch wrote that the comments and actions of both Trump and Clinton "are wretched and inexcusable" and contended that they both "lack what most of us would like to see in the next Commander-in-Chief of the United States." However, Lynch stated that Christians can't afford to sit out this election.
Lynch contested the notion that "it isn't biblical to vote for the lesser of two evils" and stated that this election could be the "the most important election we ever vote in."
"As a Christian woman, I will vote for Donald Trump, and do not have a problem doing so," Lynch wrote.
Lynch, along with Concerned Women for America president Penny Nance and evangelical business owner Gabrielle Jackson Bosche, were invited to the Trump Tower in New York City on Wednesday to record a Facebook video on why Christian woman should vote for Trump. The video is expected to be posted on Trump's Facebook page Wednesday night. The women's appearance at Trump Tower was coordinated by Pam Pryor, the national director for faith engagement for the Trump campaign.
Lynch also appeared on Fox & Friends on Wednesday to speak about her support of Trump.
"Just in the last debate, to listen to [Clinton] in those first five minutes just candidly talk about abortion — this is murder," Lynch said on the program. "We are on a national stage, just talking about it and that it's OK and defending it. To me, it was so vulgar."
Lynch then spoke about how she came across a bus full of young children buried alive by the Saddam Hussein regime in northern Iraq. She asserted that there is "no difference what we are doing here in the United States."
Lynch's endorsement comes as her father has maintained that he will not endorse a presidential candidate and as her aunt, Anne Graham Lotz, has stated that she will vote for the Republican candidate. But when pressed by The Christian Post earlier this year if she was supporting Trump, Lotz stated that she is merely voting for whoever the Republican nominee is because she doesn't agree with the platform of the Democratic party.
Lynch told CP that her endorsement of Trump does not speak for her other family members.
"I don't speak on behalf of my grandfather, who is going to be 98 next week, by the way. When I am with my family, most of the time we are just a family. We don't talk politics. I do not speak on behalf of either [my grandfather or my father]," she explained. "But, I have seen a major concern over the last few weeks of Christians saying they are not going to vote."
She added that "our country is in a moral decay," as Christians, like the Christian bakers in Oregon who were fined $135,000 for refusing to serve a same-sex wedding, are being "persecuted" for their beliefs on biblical marriage.
"I am upset. Christians got to put all emotions aside. If there is only one reason to vote, it comes down to protecting our religious freedoms through the Supreme Court," she argued. "So, it is really important for Christians right now. It's crucial."
