Prominent Evangelist Slams 'Disastrous' Gay Marriage Ruling in Wake of Kentucky Clerk's Arrest: 'This Ripple Effect Is Exactly What We Feared

Evangelist Franklin Graham, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, responded to the arrest of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in a Facebook post on Friday, saying that it is evidence of the "ripple effect" that he feared would come from the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling.

"[Davis] was jailed by a federal judge yesterday because she refused to put her name on marriage certificates for same-sex couples," Graham wrote. "This ripple effect is exactly what we feared would result from the Supreme Court's disastrous ruling in June."

Graham went on to say that he believes the U.S. Constitution grants religious freedom rights that allow people to live out their faith in their daily lives, citing 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's claim on Thursday that the arrest is evidence of the "criminalization of Christianity" in America.

As TheBlaze previously reported, Davis was arrested on Thursday after repeatedly skirting U.S. District Judge David Bunning's orders that she grant gay marriage licenses — a detainment that left her legal team "stunned." 

“This wasn’t even what was part of the original request from the plaintiffs in this case,” attorney Mat Staver told TheBlaze just minutes after the ruling came down. “The judge went way beyond.”

Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal firm, said that he believes Bunning is treating Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis like “a criminal” after he ordered that she be put behind bars until she complies.

"As Kim fights this battle, she is really fighting for religious freedom for all of us," Graham concluded. "Let's continue to pray for her, and that Judge David L. Bunning will have a change of heart."