As all eight key venues have now canceled their bookings for Franklin Graham’s 2020 UK tour, the Billy Graham Association has responded.
Dubbed by some in the UK as the ‘hate preacher’ because he views homosexuality as a sin, venues have been trying to stop the son of Billy Graham from touring the country. However, he remains undeterred.
While ACC in Liverpool has banned him, Premier Media in the UK reports that The FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield and Glasgow’s Hydro have become the latest venues that will not accept his booking. They have also confirmed London’s O2 Arena will not uphold its booking.
Newcastle’s Utilita Arena had been booked to host an event in June, but it announced it was no longer going ahead.
“The booking for this event was processed in the same way we would for any religious concert of this nature and as a business we remain impartial to the individual beliefs of both our clients and visitors,” a Hydro spokesman commented last week.
“More than 1,800 churches across the United Kingdom are cooperating with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to share the Gospel in multiple cities this spring,” the organization stated. “That number has steadily increased in past weeks.
“When Billy Graham made his first trip to the U.K. in 1954, many protested his visit, leaving Billy Graham to wonder if he would even be allowed off the ship after his transatlantic voyage. By the end of his time there, thousands had come to know Jesus Christ, and many today still share how God transformed their lives during those Crusades.
“Now Franklin Graham plans take the same Good News throughout Scotland and England beginning this May, and again protesters are threatening the outreach, specifically calling Franklin Graham’s Biblical views “hate speech.” Several venues have cancelled.
“In response, churches and everyday people from the U.K. have expressed their support of the eight-city Graham Tour, set to begin in Glasgow, Scotland, and end in London this October.”
Matthias Browning
Matthias Browning | Reporter
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