Franklin Graham's Destination America Tour via California was supposed to win souls for Jesus. As acknowledged by a latest story in The New York Times, it was additionally supposed to drum up much-needed help for evangelicals to win again California within the June 5 major.
As reported by the Times, final week Graham met with fellow evangelists, pastors, and donors, urging them to take a stand in opposition to the Golden State's "blue wall."
As acknowledged by Graham, the blue wall of California represents secular values which have discovered a house on the west coast.
"Progressive?" he requested. "That's just another word for Godless." Now is the time for church buildings to "suck it up" and vote.
"California was all the talk concerning the mid-terms about six months ago when the "Blue Wave" was threatening to become a Tsunami," mentioned CBN News Senior Political Editor John Waage. "Conventional wisdom had it that California—the most populous state and strongly anti-Trump would fuel a Democrat takeover of the House. After all, Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016 by more than 4 million votes."
"California GOP Chairman Jim Brulte mentioned on Fox News Tuesday that Democrats have focused 10 of 14 California House seats managed by the GOP and have spent $6 to eight million, a substantial sum," he mentioned.
But may California ultimately turn into purple?
"We're tired of being stepped on," Felix Martin del Campo, a board member of Samaritan's Purse, Graham's worldwide humanitarian group, mentioned in an interview with the Times. "Only as we change the heart of the people of California can California go red again."
Graham's message to Christians in California was plain and easy. Support candidates who will promote socially conservative causes, particularly opposition to abortion and same-s3x marriage. Then get out to the polls and vote for them.
Some evangelicals may contemplate this a hopeless trigger. However, one in 5 adults within the state is an evangelical Christian, in accordance to the Pew Research Center. And there are extra megachurches within the Golden State than some other state within the Union.
Graham's supporters recall how in 2016 he held rallies in all 50 state capitals, urging Christians to vote. Donald Trump received the White House, in accordance to the Times, thanks to the largely white evangelical voter turnout.
Could the 2018 California midterms provide a comparable shock?
"That's what we are praying for," mentioned Peggy Brown, who runs a Christian drug rehabilitation program. She traveled to 9 of Mr. Graham's rallies in 2016 and broke down into tears as she spoke to the Times. "We saw a move of God with Christians. It gives me chills just to talk about it."
During an interview with the newspaper, Graham mentioned, "People think I follow politics," he mentioned. "I don't."
"The church just has to be wakened," he mentioned. "People say, what goes on in California is the way the rest of the nation is going to go. So, if we want to see changes, it is going to have to be done here."
"All of California is like a university town now," he went on.
Referring to the state's chief, Jerry Brown, he mentioned: "But you are beginning to see a groundswell of revolt out here. Orange County, San Diego County, are beginning to take on Governor Brown. It's good for Christians to capitalize on that. So yeah, we could help turn the tide."
Waage thinks Graham's presence in California is an attention-grabbing issue.
"His tour there was not just to gin up the GOP vote in California, it was to earnestly pray for revival renewal there, and to encourage the millions of evangelical Christians in the state," he defined. "The fact that the GOP was 10 to 12 points ahead in early voting (according to Karl Rove) may be a sort of reflection of the prayer efforts, although there is no way to substantiate it until we see exit polls."