"Profound, Political Courage:" Christian Leaders React to Trump's Middle East Trip

Mike Martin : May 24, 2017
CBN News

"He was not timid in talking about confronting the crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamists and Islamic terror of all kinds. God bless him." -Franklin Graham

(Washington, DC)—[CBN News] Christian leaders are speaking out about President Donald Trump's first trip overseas. The president traveled to Saudi Arabia, Israel, The Vatican [and was in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday]. (Photo via CBN News)

Dr. James Dobson, the founder and president of Family Talk, applauded Trump's travels.

"By speaking truthfully about Iran, by naming terror what it is and by calling upon Islamic nations to do more than they have in the fight against extremism, President Trump has taken a bold and refreshing stance, one that lays the groundwork for something altogether new in the Middle East—a coalition of nations finally ready to take a stand for peace," Dobson said in a statement.
 
"Likewise, in Israel, he has made an equally seminal statement," Dobson continued. "By visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then becoming the first American president to visit the Western Wall—the holiest place in Judaism and a place rightly belonging to the State of Israel—he marks a new chapter in the modern Middle East, one that places faith at the center of any future peace."

"By his actions in the Middle East, President Trump has made it clear he has no intention of giving a single inch to any of those who would oppose Israel's absolute right to sovereignty," Dobson said.

Dr. David Jeremiah, a pastor, Bible teacher and New York Times bestselling author, also spoke out in support of the president's time in the Middle East.

"In Saudi Arabia and in Israel, President Trump has laid the groundwork for a broad and unified coalition throughout the Middle East," he said in a statement. "He is demonstrating to the world that there is a way forward if one has sufficient determination and knows what is negotiable and what is not."

"As we all pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we pray with greater faith today knowing that the president has prayed there himself, first," Jeremiah continued. "By visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, by becoming the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall, by not falling prey to the political status-quo, President Trump is acting with profound, political courage."

"The only leaders who truly make a difference in history are those who do what needs to be done, not what everyone else tells them is possible," he said. "I commend the president and call upon Christians throughout the United States to pray for God's continued blessing on this important journey, especially as he visits the State of Israel."

Evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, also described Trump as courageous. (Photo: Franklin Graham/via Facebook)

"The president's speech to leaders of the Muslim world earlier today was great," Graham wrote on Facebook on Sunday, referring to Trump's speech before the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "It was extremely diplomatic yet strong, direct, and honest."

"He said the war on terror was a 'battle between good and evil,'" Graham continued. "He was not timid in talking about 'confronting the crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamists and Islamic terror of all kinds,'" Graham said.

"God bless him," Graham concluded.