The ruling was on a case from 2020.
QUICK FACTS:
- A Scottish court has ruled that Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) were wrongfully discriminated against.
- The ruling came from a case several years old where the Scottish Event Campus terminated BGEA’s contract to hold an evangelistic outreach at the SSE Hydro in 2020.
- The judge in the case, Sheriff John McCormick decided that the SEC violated the UK’s 2010 Equality Act by favoring the opinions of the people who were protesting BGEA’s event and supressing the opinions those who supported it.
- Graham responded to the ruling saying, “I am grateful to God for this decision—it is a clear victory for freedom of speech and religion in the UK. This case was never about financial remedies—it was about the preservation of religious freedom in the UK—particularly the right for Christians to share the Gospel in the public square.”
CASE DETAILS:
- In a strongly worded ruling on Monday, Sheriff John McCormick said, “The concern is expressed that there is the potential for Mr. Graham to make homophobic and Islamophobic comments. I found no evidence to that effect.”
- The judge said of his ruling, “The defender’s true problem with the pursuer arises as a result of the religious views of Franklin Graham, which it has sought to categorise by wrenching selected comments made in the past whilst conveniently ignoring contrary comments also made by Franklin Graham.”
- McCormick awarded BGEA damages totaling $109,927.
BACKGROUND:
- The Glasgow decision was a result of Franklin Graham’s outreach in 2020, when he intended to spread the gospel of God’s love throughout the UK. After the venues terminated their binding contracts with BGEA, the tour was put on hold.
- BGEA clarified the mission after reporting on the ruling saying, “Opponents criticized the Christian organization and Franklin Graham for uncompromisingly standing by their traditional Biblical beliefs about human sexuality, even though the only aim of the tour was to share the message that God loves the people of the UK and anyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ can be forgiven of their sins, be reconciled to God, and have hope for eternity.”
- At this point, five of the cases where their events were shut down have been resolved in BGEA’s favor and there are still events in litigation about venues in Birmingham and Newcastle.
