Graham calls for meeting between Trump, Biden
Evangelist Franklin Graham urged President Donald Trump to invite President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to the White House for a meeting in the aftermath of a violent riot in the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6. The meeting would “begin the healing and preparation for a smooth transition,” Graham posted on Facebook. Trump has since said he will not attend Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20.
Graham was one of many Christian leaders calling for prayer and unity after the Capitol riot, which resulted in five deaths including that of a Capitol Police officer. Another officer who responded to the riot died June 9 from what his family has called a suicide, the Washington Post reported Monday. Some, including Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, called on President Trump to resign before he is scheduled to leave office.
>Related: Erwin Lutzer of Chicago’s Moody Church weighs how Christians should respond to the events of Jan. 6.
>Related: David Dockery, former president of Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield,Ill., urges Christians to be agents of reconciliation in 2021.
Baptist leaders meet over tension on race
The presidents of six Southern Baptist seminaries and officers of the denomination’s African American Fellowship met for an “honest and open conversation” Jan. 6 following weeks of tension over Critical Race Theory (CRT). The seminary presidents had previously said CRT is incompatible with The Baptist Faith and Message, raising concerns from African American leaders and others in the SBC who said the presidents’ statement minimized the existence of systemic racism.
“All of us acknowledge that conversations of this nature should have happened ahead of time,” the group said in a statement after the meeting. “We will continue these conversations. We are committed to listen to one another, speak honestly and to honor our common commitment to the inerrant Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is January 17
Churches around the country will focus on life this week ahead of the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. Recent decisions in the U.S. and around the world highlight the continued need for pro-life advocacy.
>Related: Illinois family clings to hope on adoption journey
Sources: Christian Post, Baptist Press, ERLC.com, Illinois Baptist