The Graham family, including Franklin Graham and Cissie Graham Lynch, has launched a $1.3 million defense fund to support Christians facing legal and cultural threats globally. The initiative, spearheaded by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, aims to defend religious liberty across the U.S. and Europe. Franklin Graham highlighted recent legal victories and warned of growing hostility against Christians, while Cissie Graham Lynch emphasized the importance of standing firm in the face of backlash. The fund, seeded with court settlements and donor contributions, targets legal support for believers worldwide, including cases in the U.K. and Finland.
In a recent statement, Franklin Graham recounted how activists in the U.K. had once labeled his organization’s message as hate, leading to cancellations and legal battles. Despite a seven-year fight, all nine legal disputes were resolved in their favor. The BGEA’s legal defense fund was created using funds from these settlements, alongside additional contributions from Samaritan’s Purse. The organization has also been deeply involved in U.S. religious liberty cases, including the 2018 Supreme Court case involving Jack Phillips, a wedding cake artist who refused to custom-design a cake for a same-sex wedding. Graham stressed the importance of preserving the right to proclaim the Gospel in both the U.S. and the U.K., emphasizing that these freedoms are essential for global evangelism.
Cissie Graham Lynch, a prominent voice within the Graham family, echoed these sentiments, noting that Christians around the world are increasingly facing pressure to suppress their beliefs. She emphasized that the family has personally experienced backlash for taking a stand for the Gospel, highlighting the cost of standing firm in belief. Lynch also shared interviews with various global Christian leaders, including Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish member of Parliament facing another trial over her 2019 quote from Romans 1. Räsänen, who has been acquitted twice but is now appealing to Finland’s Supreme Court, warned that self-censorship could lead to a broader erosion of religious freedom. She urged believers to continue speaking out, even in the face of potential legal consequences.
The initiative also includes collaboration with organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which has represented clients in multiple Supreme Court cases related to religious freedom, including the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. Kristen Waggoner, president and CEO of ADF, warned of a rising tide of censorship globally and emphasized the importance of defending these rights for the flourishing of both humanity and the Gospel. British theologian Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing added that there is a growing demand for truth and the Gospel in the West, despite increased pushback against public faith. Lynch, through her podcast “Fearless with Cissie Graham Lynch,” aims to educate Americans on global threats to religious liberty and encourage them to remain active in advocating for these freedoms.