Evangelist Franklin Graham has commented on whether God is “judging” Hollywood as catastrophic wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, destroying entire communities.
Speaking about the situation, Graham, the CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, stated, “People have lost everything. A lot of people are asking ‘Why?’ and that’s a hard question to answer.” He added, “We want to reassure them of God’s love — that He cares for them and that He hasn’t turned His back on them.”
The fires have claimed at least 24 lives and burned through 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area, destroying over 12,000 structures and displacing more than 180,000 residents.
When asked if God could be judging Hollywood, Graham commented, “I don't know, but I don't think so.” He emphasized the importance of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and being prepared to stand before Him, stressing that assurance comes through confessing sins and believing in Jesus, who died for humanity's sins and rose again.
He remarked, “The question is, do we know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to stand before Him? If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence? Would God receive us? And the only way we can be sure is by confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness and by faith, believing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sins and died on a cross. He was buried, and on the third day, God raised him to life.”
“And if we're willing to believe that, just accept that by faith and ask Christ into our hearts, then God will forgive our sins. We can have that assurance, knowing that whatever storms come our way in life, we'll be prepared to stand before God,” he emphasized.
Graham acknowledged that storms will continue in the future but stressed the importance of conveying God's love during such times.
“The reality is we're going to have more storms like this. It's not going to get less, and the most important thing that we, as Christians, can do is make sure everyone understands that God loves them. And that when storms like this come, it's not God's judgment. I don't believe that for a second. We know that God loves us,” he asserted.
As thousands of Los Angeles residents confront displacement, property loss, and ongoing uncertainty due to the fires, there are currently three active fires in the region, with a smaller fire nearly contained, according to California emergency responders. The largest fire, located in the Palisades area, has burned over 23,000 acres and is only about 14% contained, despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters, as reported by the BBC.
Christian relief agencies and churches have been working diligently to support those impacted by the fires. Chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are collaborating with Samaritan’s Purse to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of affected individuals.
Relief efforts have also been launched by organizations such as Convoy of Hope, CityServe, World Help, and Send Relief, while Zoe Church, led by Pastor Chad Veach, is partnering with the Los Angeles Dream Center to collect and distribute emergency supplies for fire victims.
On social media, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church has encouraged Christians to pray for relief from the fires and has set up a donation fund through his church to support relief efforts. Additionally, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills described California as a “third-world state,” pointing to what he deems significant leadership failures in managing the fire crisis.
In a January 8 social media post, Hibbs contended that environmental regulations worsened the situation, alleging that state officials’ water policies led to “our environment … a scorched earth policy.”
