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George, On behalf of President Barack Obama, the signatories of a group of prominent black religious leaders of an open letter criticizing evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham for saying he did not know whether Obama is a Christian and suggesting that Islamic law considers him to be a Muslim, and all Americans who accept that Obama is a Christian, as he publicly declared himself to be many times, I, Uriah J. Fields, a Christian minister, accept Rev. Franklin Graham's apology. However, I am aware that ultimately each American has to accept or reject Graham's apology for himself or herself. Of course, I could use the same rationale Graham used during the last several years, when doubting that Obama is a Christian, but I will not question the validity of Graham's apology. I accept the apology he made to Obama on Feb. 21, 2012 despite the fact that one week earlier, during an interview on MSNBC, he said "that he does not know for sure if Obama is a Christian." He followed that statement declaring that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are Christians. I will not use that rationale. I accept as fact that Graham's apology to Obama for having doubted his faith is genuine. Graham, president and CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the relief organization Samaritan Purse and the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, said he accepts Obama's declaration that he is a Christian. "I regret any comments I have made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama." Continuing he said, "I apologize to him and to any I have offended for not better articulating my reason for not supporting him in his election -- for his faith has nothing to do with my consideration of him as a candidate." Signatories of black religious leaders of an open letter, that may have influenced Graham to offer an apology to Obama included presidents of the National Baptist Convention USA; the National Baptist Convention of America, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, as well as bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Although this writer was not among the above signatories, I have denounced Franklin Graham for his public statements questioning the faith of Obama. In my open letter titled "Graham's Quasi-Endorsement of Obama's Christian Faith" in August 2010 and the reissuing of that letter in April 2011 following Graham's statement made on Easter in which he again expressed doubt as to whether Obama is a Christian. I am compelled to point out that no religious leader of a predominantly white religious denomination has criticized Graham. I recall something Martin Luther King, Jr., said in his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" in 1963, addressed to white clergymen. He said, "I must confess...I have almost reached the regrettaable conclusion that the Negroes great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Klu Klux Klanner, but the white moderate." No criticism of Graham's questioning Obama's faith came from leaders of the mostly white Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Catholic Church (U.S.A.), the latter that has recently spoken-out vehemently about the evilness of contraception. Yet, these religious insittutions accept people as members on the basis of their confessions that they are Christians. Silence is not golden when verbally expressing righteous indignatiion is appropriate. Having said these things, hopefully to add to the consciousness of humankind, again, I declare that "I accept Graham's apology for doubting Obama's Christian Faith." He once doubted, now he believes.
Uriah J. Fields (Electronic mail, March 1, 2012
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