{"id":179916,"date":"2018-03-02T19:49:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-03T00:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=179916"},"modified":"2018-03-02T19:49:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-03T00:49:37","slug":"read-billy-grahams-moving-pro-life-letter-heart-aches-america-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/read-billy-grahams-moving-pro-life-letter-heart-aches-america-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Graham’s pro-life letter: ‘My heart aches’ because of abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

In an open letter written in 2012, titled \u201cMy Heart Aches for America,\u201d the late evangelist Billy Graham shared why he grieves for America.<\/p>\n

Graham’s letter described remarks that his wife, Ruth, made after reviewing a draft of a book Graham was writing at the time. He wrote:<\/p>\n

I wonder what Ruth would think of America if she were alive today. In the years since she made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Graham also responded to a post-abortive woman who wrote him for advice on healing after abortion. The woman, named J.N. wrote: \u201cMaybe some women can go through an abortion and never feel guilty, but I\u2019m not one of them. I feel terrible over what I did, and every time I drive by a school playground I\u2019m almost consumed with grief.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham’s response reflects the compassion he often displayed:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves you, just as He loved the child that was growing in your womb (and is now, I am confident, safely in His presence). Furthermore, when Christ died on the cross, all your sins \u2014 without exception \u2014 were transferred to Him, and He took upon Himself the judgment you deserved. As the Bible says, \u2018He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins\u2019 (1 John 2:2).”<\/p>\n

Read Graham’s moving letter below:<\/p>\n

Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation\u2019s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me by exclaiming, \u201cIf God doesn\u2019t punish America, He\u2019ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was probably thinking of a passage in Ezekiel where God tells why He brought those cities to ruin. \u201cNow this was the sin of \u2026 Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen\u201d (Ezekiel 16:49\u201350, NIV).<\/p>\n

I wonder what Ruth would think of America if she were alive today. In the years since she made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Yet the farther we get from God, the more the world spirals out of control.<\/p>\n

My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance. In Jonah\u2019s day, Nineveh was the lone world superpower\u2014wealthy, unconcerned, and self-centered. When the Prophet Jonah finally traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed God\u2019s warning, people heard and repented.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an open letter written in 2012, titled \u201cMy Heart Aches for America,\u201d the late evangelist Billy Graham shared why he grieves for America. Graham’s letter described remarks that his wife, Ruth, made after reviewing a draft of a book Graham was writing at the time. He wrote: I wonder what Ruth would think of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":179919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBilly Graham's pro-life letter: 'My heart aches' because of abortion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In an open letter written in 2012, titled \u201cMy Heart Aches for America,\u201d the late evangelist Billy Graham shared why he grieves for America.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/read-billy-grahams-moving-pro-life-letter-heart-aches-america-abortion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Billy Graham's 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