When Franklin Graham called on Christians to pray for Vladimir Putin, he was not excusing evil or siding with Russia. He was applying a clear command of Jesus: pray for your enemies, seek peace when possible, and ask God to restrain those with power to shed blood.
Update (April 3, 2026): The core point of this article has only become clearer with time. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, one day after Franklin Graham’s call to pray for Putin. But Graham did not answer that evil with excuses. He continued calling for prayer and, through Samaritan’s Purse, continued serving Ukrainians in Jesus’ name. Samaritan’s Purse now says it has helped more than 10 million Ukrainians and distributed more than 286 million pounds of food since the war began. Meanwhile, the Trump White House has described ending the war and securing a just and lasting peace as a continuing American priority. In other words, praying for a hostile ruler to be restrained is not treason – it is a biblical act that seeks peace, protects life, and serves both moral clarity and American interests.
Original: Franklin Graham has been labeled the newest asset of Russian President Vladimir Putin. What heinous act could be responsible for such an accusation? This tweet below is the smoking gun:
The unmitigated gall! Imagine being depraved enough to pray that Russia’s leader would decide not to take action that could turn into a global war. Social media erupted in outrage:
Jon Cooper, who has served on Barack Obama’s campaign, tweeted, “Trump-loving evangelist Franklin Graham just told his followers: ‘Pray for President Putin today.’ Unreal.”
Others tweeted that Graham had never called for prayers for Joe Biden and that Samaritan’s Purse, the relief organization of which Graham is president, should have its tax-exempt status revoked.
First, the charge was false on its face. Graham has publicly called on Christians to pray for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, just as he has urged prayer for other American and world leaders. In January 2021, he explicitly encouraged believers to pray for “our new leaders, President elect Joe Biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris.”
For those unfamiliar with the idea of praying for your enemies, it is a clear command in Scripture. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (NASB1995).
Furthermore, Graham wasn’t praying for Putin to have a great day (though that would also be biblical) and he certainly wasn’t asking for prayers that Putin would win on the global stage. He was calling for prayers that Putin wouldn’t take action that would lead to war and the subsequent loss of life.
The Bible is clear not only on the value of life but the need to be slow to go to war. Both Proverbs 20:18 and 24:6 advise that kings seek guidance before choosing to go to war. Jesus alludes to the truth that a king weighs his ability to win before going to war in Luke 14:31-32. The Bible also instructs us to avoid a conflict whenever possible, such as in Romans 12:18 where Christians are instructed to be at peace with all men.
To put it bluntly, if you desire a war with Russia or any other nation, such as China, you are acting foolishly. No one should want a war that will lead to bloodshed and the loss of our sons and daughters. Imploring God to intervene in a leader’s heart to sway him not to start a war isn’t treasonous, it’s righteous, right, and merciful.
The deeper issue was never one prayer request – it was the way tribal politics had trained many Americans to treat any call for restraint toward Russia as disloyalty and any public Christian associated with Donald Trump as automatically suspect. Christians should reject that reflex. Prayer for a hostile ruler is not endorsement – it is an appeal to God’s sovereignty over men who wield enormous power.
The larger problem is a political culture so poisoned by rage that truth becomes secondary to scoring points. Social media rewards slander, outrage, and bad faith. Christians must not join that mob. We are commanded to love truth, reject false witness, and pursue peace wherever faithfulness allows.
If you are a Christian and you mocked Graham for urging prayer, reconsider what Christ actually commands. We should pray for our own leaders, pray for our enemies, pray for Ukraine, and pray that rulers like Putin would be restrained from further evil. Wanting peace is not weakness. Asking God to prevent bloodshed is not compromise – it is obedience.
If you believe Christians must bring biblical truth, moral courage, and a love of peace into the hardest public debates, make your gift today to help the Standing for Freedom Center equip believers, defend truth, and strengthen a strong, faithful America.
