Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, is encouraging Christians to stand by Jesus Christ and their faith, even if it means earning the ire of the public and losing everything they hold dear.
Specifically, he commended Barronelle Stutzman, the Christian florist who refused to serve a same-sex wedding because it opposed her Christian beliefs. She experienced a long court case and was later found guilty of discrimination.
The lawyer working against her case offered to settle it if she agreed to pay a $2,000 fine, a $1 payment for costs and fees, and agreed not to discriminate in future. But Stutzman refused.
In response, Stutzman said that she does not relish the idea of losing her home and her business, and everything else that the lawsuit threatens, but they can never take away her freedom to honour God.
She later told the Washington Post: "We've always heard that same-sex marriage would never affect anyone aside from the same-sex couples who wanted to be married. But a judge recently told me that my freedom to live and work according to my beliefs about marriage expired the day same-sex marriage became the law in my state."
"I commend Barronelle Stutzman for living by the biblical principles of her Christian faith, no matter the cost," Graham wrote on his Facebook page.
Graham urged Christians from all over the world to pray for American Supreme Court justices as they mull over the issue of same sex marriage for the nation.
"Today pray especially for Justice Clarence Thomas who has served on the court for over 23 years. I assure you this affects each and every one of us. There will be a storm of persecution against all people who follow God and His standards if this passes," he warned.
