Franklin Graham stepped in a hornet’s nest when he recently penned a post on Facebook essentially blaming minorities (read “blacks”) for their rising rate of murder-by-cop. According to Graham, if the guys would just do as the cops say and put their hands up, or behind their backs, or wherever the cops tell them to put them, everything would be fine. He writes:
“Listen up–Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and everybody else. Most police shootings can be avoided. It comes down to respect for authority and obedience. If a police officer tells you to stop, you stop. If a police officer tells you to put your hands in the air, you put your hands in the air. If a police officer tells you to lay down face first with your hands behind your back, you lay down face first with your hands behind your back.”
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Graham’s Facebook post caught the eye of, among others, Jim Wallis, a pastor and founder of Sojourners magazine and website, and author of “God’s Politics,” a blog on the site. Mr. Wallis penned a response to Graham’s post, also on Facebook, admonishing Graham for making “such embarrassing and divisive statements.” Wallis’ post was noticed by a pastor in Oakland, Calif., Dominique Gilliard, who brought it to the attention of several evangelical leaders. They, in turn, crafted a letter — a well-deserved public shaming, really — to Mr. Graham. The letter is nothing short of brilliant, both in its take-down of Graham and in its plea for him to “join us in the ongoing work of the ministry of reconciliation.”