The Rev. Franklin Graham, who has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, said Thursday it is time for Christians “to unite our hearts together in prayer” for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Graham shared the edification in the wake of an attack by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon as Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress were convening to certify Biden’s Electoral College victory over outgoing President Donald Trump.
Four people lost their lives during the melee.
“The division in our country is as great as any time since the Civil War,” wrote Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as its charitable arm, Samaritan’s Purse. “I am calling on Christians to unite our hearts together in prayer for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and for the leadership in both parties.”
“Pray that everyone will stop the finger-pointing and realize that both parties bear responsibility for the problems we face today,” he continued. “Pray that they will come together and work together for the good of the American people.”
In the aftermath of the violent rioting in the Capitol Building, Graham said he was “deeply saddened” to have seen such chaos unfold in Washington, D.C.
“Our country is in trouble,” he wrote. “We need God’s healing and we need God’s help. Pray for peace and the protection of our nation. Let’s come together — on our knees.”
As Faithwire previously reported, many other Christian leaders and conservative politicians across the country were quick to condemn the violence that unfolded in D.C. on Wednesday.
Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, described the violence as a “mob attack on our Capitol and our Constitution.” He called the actions taken by the rioters “immoral, unjust, dangerous, and inexcusable.”
California-based pastor and famous author Rick Warren equated the dangerous breach to “criminal treason and domestic terrorism.”
Biden said the scenes in the Capitol on Wednesday “do not reflect a true America” and “do not represent who we are.”
As for Trump, in a brief video that has since been censored by Twitter, he told the rioters, most of whom appeared to be his supporters, to “go home now.”
In a statement released very early Thursday morning via his social media manager, Dan Scavino, the outgoing president made clear that, though he feels certain the election was stolen from him, there will, nevertheless, “be an orderly transition on January 20th.”
“I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes are counted,” Trump said. “While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again.”