Franklin Graham Blasts Oregon Ruling That Fined Christian Couple $135K

Evangelical pastor Franklin Graham has spoken out against the recent Oregon ruling that fined a Christian couple $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage.

Graham, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, took to Facebook over the weekend to express his dismay with the recent decision, made by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

"Give me a break. In my opinion, this couple should pay the Kleins $135,000 for all they've been through," Graham wrote on Facebook this past Sunday. 

"Even more outrageous is that Avakian has also now ordered the Kleins to 'cease and desist' from speaking publicly about not wanting to bake cakes for same-sex weddings based on their Christian beliefs. This is an outright attack on their ‪#‎freedomofspeech‬," he added.

"Pray for them as they appeal the ruling and for other Christians experiencing discrimination because of their faith right here in 'the land of the free,'" Graham wrote.

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian determined last week that Christian bakery owners Melissa and Aaron Klein, who own Sweet Cakes by Melissa Bakery, pay $135,000 to Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer for the "emotional suffering" they inflicted when they denied the lesbian couple a wedding cake.

The Kleines were also given a cease and desist order from "publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying, or causing to be published … any communication to the effect that any of the accommodations … will be refused, withheld from or denied to, or that any discrimination be made against, any person on account of their sexual orientation."