Ballot Boxing: Franklin Graham supports Donald Trump's Muslim immigration ban

Welcome to Ballot Boxing, WORLD’s political roundup of news and views from the presidential campaign trail.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump found at least one prominent evangelical ally in his call for banning Muslim immigration: Franklin Graham, who took to Facebook today saying he’s agreed with Trump’s idea “for some time.”

Trump ignited a political firestorm on Monday when he said the United States should stop admitting Muslims into the country “until our representatives find out what’s going on” with radical Islam. He hasn’t said what that process should entail.

Graham of the Christian aid agency Samaritan’s Purse defended Trump’s position: “Muslim immigration into the United States should be stopped until we can properly vet them or until the war with Islam is over.” Graham cited a poll of Muslims living in America released by the Center for Security Policy in June. The group reported that 29 percent of the 600 survey participants said they believed violence against those who insult Muhammad is acceptable.

Trump has cited the same research, but others have noted the poll was an online survey, and it’s unclear whether its findings would apply to the broader swath of some 2.7 million Muslims living in the country.

Other GOP presidential contenders distanced themselves from Trump’s proposal. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called the statements “offensive and outlandish.” Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Trump was “unhinged.” Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson called the plan “unconstitutional,” adding, “It’s just not who we are.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he also disagreed with Trump’s proposal, but he avoided criticizing the party’s front-runner, even as Cruz rises in the polls.

“In the media, there has been no shortage of criticism for Donald Trump, and I do not believe the world needs my voice added to that chorus of critics,” Cruz said at a press conference Tuesday. “And listen, I commend Donald Trump for standing up and focusing America’s attention on the need to secure our borders.”

Other evangelicals didn’t commend Trump.

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission blasted Trump’s proposal: “Anyone who cares an iota about religious liberty should denounce this reckless, demagogic rhetoric.” Moore also noted: “A government that can shut down mosques simply because they are mosques can shut down Bible studies because they are Bible studies. A government that can close the borders to all Muslims simply on the basis of their religious belief can do the same thing for evangelical Christians.”

Still, Franklin Graham’s comments had drawn a swell of attention by this afternoon. Less than six hours after Graham’s post appeared on Facebook, more than 61,000 users had clicked “like” and nearly 42,000 had shared it. More than 9,000 people had commented on the post, with most appearing to commend Graham’s position.

One commenter wrote, “Vote for Donald Trump and arm yourself at all times for a chance to defend yourself and your family against the next group of Islam psychotic homicidal killers.”

As the rhetoric swelled, backlash continued against Syrian and Iraqi refugees entering the United States, and GOP candidates continued to call for a halt on admitting most Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, refugee resettlement agencies continued helping refugees still arriving in the United States from all over the world. I caught up with Matt Soerens of World Relief and asked if the Christian aid agency that helps resettle refugees had faced any negative reaction in recent weeks.

He said the group had experienced some pushback, including at least one death threat against an office director, but Soerens said the response from local churches had been overwhelmingly positive. In November, the office director for World Relief in High Point, N.C., said the group had seen more people in its volunteer training session for churches than ever before in a single month.

In Wheaton, Ill., Soerens said some supporters had been putting up yard signs welcoming refugees with the slogan “We are not afraid.”

The year ahead surely will bring more political intrigue, earthly suffering, and knotty dilemmas for Christians seeking to serve Christ. But the hope remains the same one that angels proclaimed to a group of frightened, Middle Eastern shepherds 2,000 years ago. The good news wasn’t about a government program or a political hero, but about a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Of His government, there shall be no end.

Ballot Boxing goes on vacation for the next couple of weeks but will return with the New Year. Until then, Merry Christmas to all.