Billy Graham Evangelistic Association threatens to sue Evangelicals for Harris over anti-Trump ads
Legal counsel for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Evangelicals for Harris after the political action committee rolled out a $1 million ad campaign last month using footage of the late Rev. Billy Graham to attack former President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based nonprofit told The Christian Post that the organization generally avoids commenting on current or potential disputes but confirmed that Evangelicals for Harris has been threatened with a lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement.
"We have communicated directly to this group our concerns about the unauthorized, political use of BGEA's copyrighted video, and we will continue taking appropriate steps to address the matter," the spokesperson said.
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Evangelicals for Harris has featured multiple ads using decades-old sermons from Billy Graham to imply Trump is not a candidate Christians should support. In its latest ad, titled "Keep Clear," the PAC pulled from a 1988 sermon Graham delivered on 2 Timothy 3:1-5 to suggest Trump exhibits the character of evil men in the last days.
Our newest ad has dropped.
— Evangelicals For Harris (@Evangels4Harris) September 26, 2024
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money, full of big words. They will be proud and abusive without any regard for their parents. They will… pic.twitter.com/4NMgvbILFc
The BGEA spokesperson suggested that Graham himself, who died in 2018 but expressed regret in later life for getting too close to politics, would have been offended that his sermons proclaiming the Gospel were being used to attack a presidential candidate and make a political point.
"It may be worth noting that, in all of his years of ministry and across relationships with 11 U.S. presidents, Billy Graham sought only to encourage them and to offer them the counsel of Christ, as revealed through God's Word," the spokesperson said. "He never criticized presidents publicly and would undoubtedly refuse to let his sermons be used to do so, regardless of who is involved."
Evangelicals for Harris responded to the cease-and-desist letter by issuing a formal legal response arguing that "limited use of Billy Graham’s speech falls squarely within the fair use protections afforded by Section 107 of the Copyright Act." The PAC also fired off a series of posts on X alleging that Franklin Graham intends to "silence" them because he is "scared" of their ads.
The eldest son of the late evangelist has been an outspoken supporter of Trump's policies and has claimed that Trump was the last presidential candidate his father voted for. After they dropped their first ad featuring his father in August, Graham wrote on X that they "are trying to mislead people."
Evangelicals for Harris, which was founded by former Evangelical Environmental Network and Evangelicals for Biden head Rev. Jim Ball, also issued an extensive statement Tuesday that essentially accused Graham of idolatry.
"Franklin has placed his hope in a man and a darkness we saw manifest when police lines were overrun at our nation's Capitol on January 6, in Springfield this past month, and in the spirit of fear and anger fed at every Trump rally Franklin attends. Our hope is not in any man or woman but in Christ alone," the PAC wrote.
"Our call is to serve, to witness Christ's love and compassion, and to follow His example of standing between the hypocritical religious leaders and the social outcast. We know the law is on our side in this case. If Franklin follows through on his threats, we'll see him in court," they added.
Evangelicals for Harris made headlines in August when Jerushah Duford, who is Franklin Graham's niece, suggested during a Zoom call organized by the PAC that Trump supporters are causing people to turn away from Christianity.
Duford, who has ties to The Lincoln Project and whose website describes her as an "LGBTQ+ friendly" licensed professional counselor in Greenville, South Carolina, has been outspoken for years against Trump. In an op-ed in 2020, she urged Christian women to reject him, claiming "the church honors Trump before God."
Echoing attacks from Evangelicals for Harris, Duford also accused her uncle last week of abandoning his family in western North Carolina to survey the hurricane damage with Trump in Valdosta, Georgia.
"I'm glad he had the time and resources to fly to Georgia just so he could stand next to Trump. While his 79 yr old sister, my mom, is stranded with no food or water," Duford wrote in an Oct. 1 post on X, adding, "#wwjd."
Days after meeting with Trump in Georgia, Graham spoke to CP from western North Carolina, where he said his own home in Boone remained without electricity and was relying on a generator.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
