{"id":31658,"date":"2026-04-24T13:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=31658"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:06:53","slug":"makes-my-blood-boil-franklin-graham-defends-erika-kirk-amidst-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/04\/makes-my-blood-boil-franklin-graham-defends-erika-kirk-amidst-attacks","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMakes my blood boil.\u201d Franklin Graham Defends Erika Kirk Amidst Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: CBN News \/ YouTube | Right: Gage Skidmore \/ Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Franklin Graham has stepped into the fray of increasing attacks against Erika Kirk, widow of slain Christian conservative Charlie Kirk. Graham began his discussion with CBN <\/em>on the reality of spiritual warfare and the importance of Christians knowing their Bibles. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know God\u2019s Word, you\u2019re not going to recognize spiritual warfare. You\u2019ll just succumb to the attacks of the devil and not even be aware that you\u2019ve been attacked,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cThe devil is wanting to trap every believer, every Christian, and if he can just get them into apathy, where just they kind of don\u2019t care, then he wins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham said the solution to the problem is \u201cstudy.\u201d He then cited the recent character attacks against Erika Kirk as an example. \u201cShe is a nice, sweet, young lady who\u2019s grieving for the loss of her husband and \u2026 she\u2019s attacked all the time, even by Christians. It just makes my blood boil. \u2026 And all this is coming from the devil. He wants us to be at each other\u2019s throats. He wants us to and not only attack one another, but \u2026 he wants us to fall,\u201d said Graham.<\/p>\n

Kirk has faced criticism for what some perceive as \u201cfake\u201d tears and a demeanor that some judge as being too happy less than a year after her husband was murdered. A leaked call<\/a> between TPUSA employees and Kirk just days after her husband\u2019s death was criticized when Kirk was seen laughing and discussing merchandise sales. Others have speculated on an adulterous relationship between Kirk and Vice President JD Vance, after the two shared a warm embrace on stage. Critics have also gone after what they call Kirk\u2019s WWE-style event entrances with fireworks and music. They accuse Kirk of propping herself up for a presidential run in 2028. She was also recently roasted during an unflattering skit by comedian Druski.<\/p>\n

Some of the most vicious attacks have come from former Daily Wire <\/em>commentator Candace Owens. Owens has openly questioned that accused Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson acted alone or was even involved in the shooting. She has even gone so far as to insinuate that Kirk had something to do with her husband\u2019s murder. Owens has gained vocal followers, with attacks on Mrs. Kirk getting so bad that she canceled an appearance at a recent TPUSA event with Vice President Vance. \u201cWell, first of all, I love Erika and I know that she did get some threats, and, you know, about two hours ago, I was a little worried we were going to have to cancel the event because Erika was not going to come and she was very worried about it,\u201d Vance said at the event<\/a>, which he attended solo.<\/p>\n

Kirk does have her defenders other than Graham. \u201cThis is the TRUTH about Erika Kirk skipping the TPUSA event with JD Vance Remember Candace Owens skipped Charlie Kirk’s memorial out of safety and people knowing where she’s going to be…? Erika Kirk does the same and now it\u2019s \u2018fake\u2019 and she gets dragged?\u201d\u00a0 conservative commentator Brandon Tatum wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d \u201cI don’t know Erika Kirk. I do know Candace Owens,\u201d said former Daily Wire <\/em>CEO Jeremy Boreing during an interview<\/a> in February. \u201cErika met the moment of her husband’s assassination with a grace unimaginable. Candace met the moment of her so-called friend’s assassination as she meets every moment — focused on herself and her insatiable hunger for fame and aggrandizement,\u201d he said, warning others that they were being \u201cmanipulated.\u201d \u201cMay God open your eyes to the evil you are participating in, and may God bless Erika Kirk.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Franklin Graham has stepped into the fray of increasing attacks against Erika Kirk, widow of slain Christian conservative Charlie Kirk. Graham began his discussion with CBN on the reality of spiritual warfare and the importance of Christians knowing their Bibles. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know God\u2019s Word, you\u2019re not going to recognize spiritual warfare. You\u2019ll just…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":31661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cMakes my blood boil.\u201d Franklin Graham Defends Erika Kirk Amidst Attacks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Franklin Graham defends Erika Kirk, condemning online attacks and urging Christians to recognize spiritual warfare.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/04\/makes-my-blood-boil-franklin-graham-defends-erika-kirk-amidst-attacks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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