The group acknowledged that it did not receive permission from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association before using the clips.

“Our intent was not to infringe on BGEA’s copyright or to give the impression that Rev. Graham would have taken a side in publicly supporting one political candidate over another in an election, so we apologize to BGEA,” Evangelicals for America said in its statement.

“Our hope is that these actions and our commitment not to use Rev. Billy Graham within a partisan electoral context will clarify confusion over the message in our original ads; affirm the value and importance of Christian dialogue about the way we engage in politics, and prioritizes Christians remaining in communion despite differences,” the group added. 

Great summary by @DBrodyReports of our new ad and campaign!

Christians should be swing voters in America, and our choice is clear in this election.

We aren’t giving up on anyone and welcome all into a necessary conversation.

Join our members this evening in kicking off our… https://t.co/TaXYZeN1j8

— Evangelicals For America (@Evangels4Amer) August 14, 2024

One of the group’s most controversial ads featured footage from a 2015 interview between GOP pollster Frank Luntz and President Donald Trump, filmed at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa before Trump launched his presidential campaign. During the exchange, Trump spoke about his Christian faith but admitted he had never asked for forgiveness for his sins.

The ad opens with a clip of Rev. Billy Graham preaching about the importance of seeking forgiveness. It then cuts to Trump’s response to Luntz’s question, where he said, “I’m not sure I have…I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”

The video ends with a stark message displayed on-screen: “Is there any greater denial of Christ than to say, ‘I do not need his forgiveness?’”

The group poured over $1 million into ad campaigns aimed at religious voters in key battleground states, contending that Harris’s character and policy positions aligned more closely with Christian values than those of Trump. 

Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham and president of both the BGEA and Samaritan’s Purse, publicly condemned the campaign at the time.

“The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image,” Graham wrote in a post on X in August 2024. “They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President @realDonaldTrump in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”

In response to legal threats from BGEA, Evangelicals for America accused the group of attempting to suppress their message by misrepresenting the intent of the ads, which they said were meant to compare Trump’s words to Scripture, and vowed to defend themselves in court if necessary. Months later, the group reversed course, removed the ads, and pledged not to use any further content featuring Billy Graham or materials from his organization without explicit permission.

EVANGELICALS FOR HARRIS AD CAMPAIGN USES TRUMP’S COMMENTS ON FAITH AGAINST HIM

In their latest statement, Evangelicals for America emphasized that they did not intend to politicize Graham’s legacy and praised his lifelong commitment to preaching. They stressed that his message was “always clear: telling people about God’s Son, Jesus Christ,” rather than engaging in partisan politics.

“We affirm its intellectual property rights… and its missional interest in protecting Rev. Graham’s legacy,” the group said. “Evangelicals for America and its Directors have committed not to use content in electoral advocacy.”