U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham Dies

Thann BennettNewsFaith
Written By Thann Bennett

South Carolina’s senior U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has died suddenly at the age of 71. Emergency personnel were called to Graham’s home on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Saturday evening and the Senator was transported to George Washington University Hospital where his passing was officially announced. Early indications are that an aorta tear was the cause of death.

Graham’s death sets off a chain of events in both South Carolina and Washington, DC. Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been appointed to finish the term in the U.S. Senate, which ends on January 3, 2027. Meanwhile, a special primary will be held to replace Graham as the Republican nominee on the November ballot for a new six-year term. There are several possible candidates and it is likely U.S. President Donald Trump will weigh in on the race.

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Ron Johnson (WI) is assuming the gavel as Chairman of the Budget Committee, a position Graham held. Graham had been in line to return to the top spot for Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, as current Chairman Chuck Grassley is term-limited for the post.

Analysis and eternal perspective: We reflect on this truth nearly every week: Life on Earth is short, but eternity is forever.

It appears Sen. Graham had little or no forewarning before his physical demise. While this reality feels jarring every time it occurs, it is a common refrain. We live in temporary bodies that simply give out after a time. This is difficult to fully comprehend in our finite minds, but the wonderful news for Jesus followers is that He is “making everything new” (Rev. 21:5).

As we band together across all political persuasions to pray for Sen. Graham’s family, let us also redouble our focus on our eternal home and to the task of extending the invitation of a relationship with Jesus to those around us. It feels counter-intuitive to surrender control of our earthly lives, but the exchange is relinquishing something temporary for the certainty of eternity!

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” –Jim Elliott, diary entry from October 28, 1949

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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