Pastor Niemoller Spoke Truth to Power in the Time of Hitler, and in Our Time as Well: First They Came for….

Pastor Niemoller Spoke Truth to Power in the Time of Hitler…and in Our Time as Well: First they Came for ….

Martin Niemoller was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor during the time of Hitler. Early in his adulthood, he was a national conservative. Like most German Protestant ministers, he supported conservative politicians who opposed the Weimar Republic. He voted for Nazis in 1924, 1928, and again in 1933, thereby welcoming Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. He even praised Hitler for beginning a “national revival”. Nevertheless, he changed his opinion of the Nazis due to Hitler’s discrimination against Jews generally, and against Christians with Jewish ancestry. (Niemoller himself had to acknowledge aspects of antisemitism in his own thoughts and actions.). In 1934, Niemoller, together with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth and other pastors founded the “Confessing Church” that increasingly criticized the Nazis for their racism and persecution of the Jews. In 1937, Pastor Niemoller was arrested. He spent much of the next eight years in detention and concentration camps. He is quite famous for the following illustration that he would frequently utilize in his sermons.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.” (There are many versions of this quote. This rendering of the original appears on the United States Holocaust Memorial.)

This famous quotenwas a dramatic speaking of truth to power. It defends our common human rights, even of those persons we disagree with. It was important to shout out this truth against the backdrop of Hitler’s tyranny. It is also important to emphasize this truth today in our politically charged climate. I trust Brother Martin does not mind that I borrow some of his words.

First, they came for the undocumented immigrants, and I did not speak out – because I was not undocumented (although some of my ancestors obtained lands in the U.S. without having permission from the true indigenous owners of those lands).

Then they came for vital USAID programs and employees, and I did not speak out – because I did not live in a refugee camp having fled from war.

Then they came for international grad students (with valid student visas), and I did not speak out – because I was a U.S. citizen.

Then they came for federal workers, and I did not speak out – because I was economically comfortable.

Then they came for (fill in the blank). Will I speak out?

Elon’s (Love of) Money Can’t Buy You Love…Nor Many Votes: A Case Study From Wisconsin

On Tuesday, people went to the polls in Florida and Wisconsin. In Florida there were two special elections to choose replacements for Representatives Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz who had resigned their positions in the House of Representatives to join the Trump cabinet. (In fact, Gaetz’s bad reputation led to his withdrawal as the nominee for Attorney General, whereas Waltz has become Trump’s National Security Adviser.). Both districts (#1 and #6) are predominantly Republican in which Trump won by over 30 percentage points last November. Both Republican candidates won their races, each by a margin of fourteen percentage points. As a result, Republican control of the House of Representatives is slightly improved. On the other hand, these two elections are warning signs for Republicans. A decline in their margins of victory from over 30% to just 14% is a clear indication of buyer’s remorse. Polls conducted this week show President Trump’s approval rate has slipped to 43%, his lowest level since the inauguration. As his widely unpopular tariffs take effect, inflation will increase and a recession is looming on the horizon (as I correctly predicted in an earlier posting on this blog site).

A more dramatic disaster took place in Wisconsin. The principal election in that state was to choose a replacement for a position on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Technically, this was a non-partisan race. The party initials (D) and (R) did not appear on the ballot. Nevertheless, party preferences were quite clear. Trump and most Republican state leaders endorsed the conservative candidate, Brad Schimel. Democrats largely supported Susan Crawford, the progressive candidate. Wisconsin is a “purple” state with almost an equal number of registered Republicans and Democrats. Biden won the state in 2020, but Trump won in 2024 by a margin under 1% of the vote. The election was quite important because it would tilt the Supreme Court, especially on the redistricting of the state’s federal districts for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The race was also the most expensive judiciary election in U.S. with a total of over ninety million dollars spent by candidates, and political parties and donors from within and outside the state. The richest person in the world, Elon Musk, took a special interest in the race and donated twenty million dollars from his personal wealth for the Schimel campaign. He proudly offered $100 to any voter who would promise to oppose “activist judges” and he wrote out checks for a million dollars to two lucky winners of an ideological contest. (This money for votes scheme was even more egregious than JFK’s giving away of two-dollar bills back in 1960.) Musk even made a personal visit to Milwaukee over the weekend to campaign for Schimel. His money and visit proved to be toxic. The liberal candidate Susan Crawford won the election by a wide margin (55% to 45%). Even more important than the issues (redistricting, abortion, etc.), the election turned into a referendum on Musk and his money involved in politics. In her victory speech, Crawford claimed that she ran against the wealthiest man on earth…, and she won.

The Trump Administration’s Denial of the National Security Breach: How Stupid Do They Think We Are?

Over the weekend, news broke that a serious security breach of U.S. intelligence had taken place on March 15. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth disclosed war plans in an encrypted group chat to a group of senior members of the Trump administration. Participating in the chat were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, the National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the head of the CIA John Ratcliffe, and other senior officials. The information contained “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing”. There were numerous anomalies including the following:

The conversation took place outside the secure government channels that would normally be used for classified and highly sensitive war planning.
The highly respected editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, affirmed in an article that he published on Monday that he was mistakenly added to the text chat on the commercial messaging app Signal by Michael Waltz.
Goldberg was most cautious. He did not reveal the most sensitive information in his article, but he disclosed enough (portions of the chat text itself, including emojis) to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he had been included in the text chat.
Several Defense Department officials expressed shock that Mr. Hegseth had put American war plans into a commercial chat group. They affirmed that having this type of conversation in a Signal chat group itself could be a violation of the Espionage Act, a law covering the handling of sensitive information. The revelation of operational war plans before the planned strikes had occurred could also put American troops directly into harm’s way.
In the conversation, Ratcliffe mentioned the name of an active undercover CIA officer.

Yesterday there was a Senate hearing that dealt with the presentation of the major threats in the world, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials including Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe. This hearing is an annual event, but there was something different this time. Democratic senators (Warner, Bennet, Ossoff, Kelly) took advantage of the hearing to grill Gabbard and Ratcliffe about the security breach. They repeatedly answered that the conversation in the group chat did take place but that the information provided was not “classified”. How stupid do they think we are? Detailed, sensitive information about imminent strikes on Yemen, and information regarding targets, U.S. weapons and attack sequencing should not be considered “classified”? The Dems continued the pressure. They used Gabbard’s own words against her, by quoting back her own descriptions of what information should be identified as “classified”. She and Ratcliffe were frequently asked about the weapons and targets mentioned in the conversation. And they frequently (and conveniently) answered, “I can’t remember” and “I can’t recall”.

In a press conference later in the day, President Trump repeated the official line that “this information was not classified” because if it were classified, he and his senior staff would appear to be seriously incompetent. The official party line is “Deny, Deny, Deny!”: deny that the information was classified, deny that the breach was serious, or deny that lives were put at risk.

Sooner or later, the administration will have to admit the information was (and should have been) considered “classified” OR that it was not classified and now should be made public. Either way, the administration should admit its serious mistake. Truth will win out in the end. We, the people, deserve the truth. We also deserve public officials who are mature enough to admit their errors and improve our government. We deserve accountability. In my blog postings earlier this year, I questioned the inferior qualifications of many of the Cabinet nominees. Sadly, many of these “leaders” have demonstrated their incompetence. At the very minimum, Hegseth and Waltz should be fired.

Trump’s Plan to End the War in Ukraine: Concessions and Non-negotiables

On the campaign trail, Trump promised that he would end the war in Ukraine BEFORE he took office on January 20. Of course, no sane person believed that promise and of course, Trump did not fulfill his pledge. Nevertheless, Trump does deserve some credit for attempting to end the war. Last night, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian “president” Putin in a preliminary meeting to suggest a temporary ceasefire. It is in everyone’s interest (Ukraine, Russia, United States, Europe) for this war to end and a “just peace” to emerge in which both Ukraine and Russia are in agreement with the terms.

This will not be easy. A poll came out overnight in which 59% of Americans believe that a just peace is unlikely or very doubtful. Both countries have non-negotiables and both sides will have to make significant concessions. Here are the most important issues.

Territory integrity – I believe Ukraine is right in demanding territory integrity, that is, the boundaries be the same as prior to the war: Russian occupied lands in eastern Ukraine should be returned. Although Ukraine would also like Crimea to be returned, this wish list item might need to be sacrificed. One option is for the United Nations to study and vote on the status of Crimea some time in the intermediate future.

Membership in NATO – Ukraine wants to join NATO for its future security. Of course, Russia does not want an additional large, NATO member as its next-door neighbor for its own security reasons. Although desiring to join NATO is a legitimate goal, I would be willing to see this deferred for 5-10 years in order for a peace agreement to take place.

Putin’s Responsibility – It is obviously clear to sane people that Putin started this war. He was the aggressor. His reckless invasion has caused the deaths of many thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers and civilians. Justice requires that Putin make some financial remuneration for the deaths that he caused and for the rebuilding of Ukraine. It is doubtful that Putin would admit any guilt. Tyrants seldom acknowledge any mistakes. (Trump knows this all too well.) My suggestion is that Europe and the United States magnanimously and jointly offer to pay for much of the rebuilding of Ukraine. This would be a more economical option than continuing to finance an unnecessary war.

Trump has chosen a difficult challenge: Bringing about a just peace. I hope he can achieve the “art of the deal”.

Trump’s State of the Union Address: Some Good Points, but his Lies should Worry all Americans

In Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, he was preaching to the choir. His MAGA base loved it. Republican leaders who were present got plenty of exercise as they stood up and applauded dozens of times during his 99 minute speech. He was disciplined in sticking to his text instead of his more typical going off script. He highlighted his “successes” and generally omitted his failed promises. Nevertheless, he made many claims that were totally false. I lay out some of the evidence below. I ask my readers, especially MAGA folk, to pursue the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If the following information is inaccurate in any detail, please let me know. If Trump communicated false information, please speak truth to power.

Trump – “The presidential election of November 5th was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades…. We won the popular vote by big numbers.”

The Truth – Trump truly won the election, but it was not a mandate. He did not even receive a majority of the popular vote, just 49.8% of those who voted. In fact, it was the smallest margin of victory since the year 2000.

Trump – “Now, for the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the right direction than the wrong direction — in fact it’s an astonishing record, 27-point swing — the most ever.”

The Truth – “Thirty-four percent of Americans say that the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 49% who say it is off on the wrong track. When it comes to several specific issues, Americans are more likely to say things are off on the wrong track than going in the right direction: cost of living (22% right direction / 60% wrong track), the national economy (31% right direction / 51% wrong track), national politics (33% right direction / 50% wrong track), American foreign policy (33% right direction / 49% wrong track), and employment and jobs (33% right direction / 47% wrong track). Immigration policy is the only specific issue where more Americans say it is going in the right direction (48%) than off on the wrong track (39%).” (most recent Reuters/IPSOS poll)

Trump – “It has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency, it’s our presidency, is the most successful in the history of our nation. By many. And what makes it even more impressive, is that you know who number two is? George Washington. How about that? I don’t know about that list but we’ll take it.”

The Truth – We should be cautious when politicians (or anyone else) refuse to identify their sources. Who are the “many”? Where is the list? Was Trump really ahead of George Washington? According to the FiveThirtyEight average of national polls, only 46.1% of the U.S. citizens currently approve of the job Trump is doing, a decline of over 3% in these first six weeks of his presidency. (Donald Trump : Favorability Polls | FiveThirtyEight

Trump – “The United States has spent perhaps $350 billion on supporting Ukraine’s defense.” He also claimed that Europe has only spent $100 billion in aid to Ukraine.

The Truth – “According to the special inspector general responsible for overseeing the spending related to the war in Ukraine, Congress has appropriated or otherwise made available $182.75 billion for the overall U.S. response to the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Of that money, about $119 billion has been for the direct benefit of Ukraine, including approximately $65.9 billion in military assistance…. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European countries have spent around $140 billion to back Kyiv, and pledged another roughly $120 billion to the cause.” (Shannon Kingston in Fact-checking Trump’s speech to Congress)

Trump – “Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control. The egg prices are out of control. And we are working hard to get it back down.”

The Truth – Egg prices rose under Biden. They have continued to rise sharply during Trump’s first six weeks. This is the same Trump who campaigned with the promise “I will bring down egg prices on Day One.” When I was a kid, we would hear the slogan “Boys make excuses, men make good.” I hear a lot of excuses coming out of the White House. Excuses need to be quite solid in order to justify failed promises.

Trump – “the next phase of our plan to deliver the greatest economy in history is for this Congress to pass tax cuts for everybody.”

The Truth – During his first administration, Trump amassed the largest federal debt in U.S. history, $7.8 trillion. This does not lead to “the greatest economy in history”. This debt was largely due to his tax cut that primarily benefited the very rich. It was not a tax cut “for everybody”.

Trump – Although barely mentioned in his election campaign, tariffs have played a large role in these six weeks of his presidency. He called tariffs a “beautiful word”, his “favorite word”. On Tuesday Trump proclaimed that due to tariffs, “we will take in trillions and trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.”

The Truth – “The substantial tariffs that Mr. Trump is imposing on foreign products will raise revenue for the government. But total U.S. imports last year were about $3.3 trillion, meaning that tariffs would have to be incredibly high to generate the trillions of dollars of revenue that Mr. Trump claims.” (Fact-Checking Trump’s Address to Congress – The New York Times)

Trump – The specific special tariffs on Mexico and Canada (of 25%) were included in the written script of his address, but Trump (conveniently) skipped over these items in his oral remarks. Why?

The Truth – The conservative Wall Street Journal described these massive tariffs as the “Dumbest Trade War in History”. These tariffs took effect on Tuesday. In two days, the Dow Jones level fell some 1200 points (about 3% of its total value)! Mexico and Canada announced reciprocal, retaliatory tariffs. GOP leaders and the Big Three Automobile producers voiced their concerns to the White House. Faced with this bad news, Trump caved. On Wednesday he announced a one month “pause” on automobile tariffs with our two neighbors.

I could go on and on, but these lies are enough for now. The next big event is the budget that needs to be approved by Congress and signed into law by Trump. He says he wants a “balanced budget”. He has also promised not to touch Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This is impossible. Republicans plan on cutting $880 billion from Medicaid which would lead to the closing of hundreds of nursing homes across the country and additional pain for millions of our citizens. Readers, what should we do with all these lies?

Woe to those who Call Evil Good and Good Evil: Putin and Trump

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophet Isaiah warned his people, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) He was speaking God’s truth to a people who saw a moral crisis taking place in their times. Religious and political leaders were making moral pronouncements that made a mockery of God’s universal set of ethics based upon the legal equality of every human being, because all have been created in God’s image. Isaiah rightly denounced these immoral leaders as hypocrites who distorted God’s social ethics to further their own self-centered interests.

In this post, I want to consider evil actions that Russian “president” Vladimir Putin has committed and identify some of those U.S. leaders who are now enabling him. Putin is a war criminal. His evil actions were obvious when he was a KGB operative decades ago and his actions have gone from bad to worse. In early 2014 he sent his troops to invade the Crimean Peninsula which belonged to Ukraine. Russian troops occupied the Crimean Parliament and called for a referendum for Crimea’s “independence” which they rigged to win. The international community spoke with one voice to condemn this invasion and theft. The United Nations General Assembly rejected the referendum and annexation, and officially recognized the “the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”. In addition, the members of the G8 kicked Putin and Russia out of this organization of world leaders.

Three years ago, Putin’s troops launched a massive invasion of other areas of Ukraine, without provocation. Putin again committed various war crimes. He launched missile strikes on civilian populations, especially targeting schools and hospitals. His troops kidnapped Ukrainian children and deported them to Russia for “re-education”. It was for these crimes that the International Criminal Court (ICC) condemned Putin and issued a warrant for his arrest. In the United States, Republicans and Democrats spoke with one voice. They denounced Putin and they praised Ukrainian president Zelensky for his military response. Over these last three years, the U.S. Congress has sent 119 billion dollars of aid to Ukraine for its fight against the war criminal Putin. As recently as the conference in Helsinki this year, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham praised Zelensky for his heroic stand against Putin.

Putin has not had a moral conversion, but ten days ago, good became evil and evil became good. Europe brought a Resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to condemn Russia for its invasion. Like similar resolutions in the past, the world joined together to condemn Russian and its War Criminal “President”. What was different this time was that our United States Ambassador to the UN, obeying Trump’s command, voted against the resolution. We joined the “Axis of Evil” nations in defending Putin. I was not surprised by Trump’s action. Just two weeks ago, Trump lied to the US people, falsely affirming that the war had been started by Ukraine. Nevertheless, it was painful to see most Republican leaders (with a few exceptions like senators Murkowski and Lankford) do a complete about face. Perhaps out of fear of Trump’s retaliation, they supported Trump’s UN vote in defense of Putin. Speaker of the House Johnson identified the Axis of Evil countries (Russia, North Korea, Iran, etc.) but tried to avoid the obvious truth that we had joined this Axis in our UN vote. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s body language in the White House fiasco meeting on Friday tells the whole story. He hated hearing Trump’s defense of Putin and attack on Zelensky, but he had sold out his conscience to his boss.

Calling evil actions good is in itself “evil”. In this case, it is due to Republicans’ “loyalty” to Donald Trump. But giving absolute loyalty to Trump or to any other fallen human being is not good. It is idolatry. Let us heed Isaiah’s warning before it is too late.

I Applaud Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski for Her Courage in Denouncing Elon Musk’s Cruel Firings

Lisa Murkowski is a Republican. She has represented her home state of Alaska in the United States Senate since 2002. She is on the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. She chairs the Committee on Indian Affairs. Nevertheless, her most important role (in my opinion) is that she is a major voice in the conscience of our country. She speaks her mind, and her words usually speak truth to power.

Earlier this month, she and the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote a strong letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which they denounced the freezing of USAID funds and the gutting of that agency that Rubio and Elon Musk had implemented. They accused Rubio and Musk of violating federal law. They demanded that Rubio go to Congress and defend his actions.

Over the last three weeks, Musk has continued his crusade to demolish federal agencies, alleging that he is eliminating “waste, corruption and fraud”. Instead of surgically cutting out just the waste, he has taken a chain saw approach that cuts out healthy programs (like Ebola prevention, protection of nuclear weapons, and actions to fight avian flu).

His actions reached a new extreme over the weekend when he launched a new policy requiring federal workers to write a weekly email report consisting of five bullet points that describe what they had accomplished in the previous week…or face dismissal. Murkowski immediately defended the federal workers and blasted Musk in a post on the X platform. She described Musk’s actions as “absurd”. She used his own language and told him to “get to know each department and agency” BEFORE he cuts federal jobs.

Murkowski then listed off the workers at the agencies that have seen cuts and defended their role in the federal government. “Our public servants work hard to ensure that our national security is protected; that planes land safely; that forest fires do not spread to our homes; that Social Security checks arrive on time; that research for the breakthroughs needed to cure diseases like cancer and ALS continues; and much more” She then concluded, “Our public workforce deserves to be treated with dignity and respect for the unheralded jobs they perform. The absurd weekend email to justify their existence wasn’t it.”

Murkowski’s courage might be contagious. Several of Trump’s appointed Cabinet members protested against Musk’s rash order. FBI Director Kash Patel instructed his employees to “pause” any response to Musk’s questionnaire. Other Cabinet members told their workers to “ignore” Musk’s order. Any sane observer acknowledges that Musk’s action has led to chaos in federal agencies. Up until now, Trump has backed Musk. How long will he tolerate this chaos in his own administration?

Lisa Murkowski: Because you spoke up, we the people appreciate you. Musk cancelled funding for Veteran Affairs. This affects services for veterans’ cancer care, toxin exposure assessment, and even burial services! We the people are raising our voices in protest. According to the most recent news, Musk’s VA reduction in VA funding has been reversed!

Lisa Murkowski: Thank you for your courage and conscience.

Good News from the Global South: The Journal of Latin American Theology

Good News! The Journal of Latin American Theology: Christian Reflections from the Latino South has just published its newest issue (19.2). Why is this good news? Two decades ago, I helped to start this journal with the purpose of making available to English reading audiences some of the best Christian reflections coming out of Latin America. The journal does not focus on esoteric religious oddities. It brings to bear the teaching of Jesus to concrete issues that affect people around our world. If it contributes to genuine communication between and among the Global South and North, it is good news. If it helps to shed the light of truth on troublesome issues, it is good news. If it applies the practice and teaching of Jesus to today’s most difficult challenges, it is good news indeed.

Here are the article titles in this most recent issue:

Christian Faith and Climate Change
The Centrality of the Cross for Socioenvironmental Justice
The End of the World and New Creation: Approaches to and from John’s Revelation
Protestantism, Public Influence and Theological Education: Perspectives from the Political Ethics of the Kingdom of God
Christian Higher Education and an Evangélico Sense of Shame: A Case Study from Brazilian Politics
Protestant Presence in the Public Sphere: A Case Study of Brazil
Three book reviews, a film review, and two poignant examples of theopoetry

Readers who would like to access these articles can do so through the ATLA Religion Database published by the American Theological Library Association. The journal can also be purchased through the Wipf and Stock Publishers website: www:wipfandstock.com

Enjoy and be challenged by your reading!

Elon Musk’s Freeze on USAID Funding: Either He is Stupid or He is Evil

Elon Musk is the wealthiest person the world has ever known. He is also the czar of the newly invented Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He was appointed by President Trump, but he was not elected. He was not ratified by the U.S. Senate. Musk has “Special Government Employee” status. With the goal of improving governmental efficiency, Musk has made many controversial decisions (like firing thousands of government employees). In this post, I will limit myself to comments on Musk and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID was created in 1961 and “works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential”. With its annual budget of $40 billion, it provides humanitarian aid in over 100 countries, primarily through its support of well-respected, smaller NGOs like World Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Charities, etc. During his first presidency, Trump praised USAID, and his daughter Ivanka was one of its most vocal advocates. Now, allleging that there is massive fraud and waste (without providing a shred of evidence), Musk ordered a freeze on most of USAID spending by directing all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts to immediately issue “stop-work” orders for existing foreign assistance awards. There is an exemption for “life-saving humanitarian assistance”, but hardly any NGO has been given this exemption.* Although Musk claims the stop-work order is merely temporary, pending future review, the damage inflicted upon people victimized by war, starvation and illness is immediate and long-lasting.

There are two main ways to evaluate Musk’s order to dismantle USAID. Either he did not calculate the immense human costs inflicted by his funding freeze, and he is stupid, or he knowingly knew the cruel impacts of his order and he is evil. I don’t believe Musk is stupid. To make as much money as he has acquired, he has had to be quite astute. He has predicted quite well the consequences of his economic decisions over the years. He knew that his freeze on USAID funding would lead to serious harm for millions of people.

Musk knew that 4.6 million displaced people in eastern Congo would see a sharp reduction in food, potable water, emergency housing, and health care.
Musk knew that 12 hospitals in Syria would close and daily medical consultations would plunge from 5000 to 500.
Musk knew that $400,000,000 would be slashed from shelters in Ukraine for those who have become victims fleeing Russia’s bombing of civilian neighborhoods of major cities…
Musk knew that 600,000 people in civil war-torn Sudan would become at risk of becoming infected with cholera.
Musk knew that thousands of thoroughly vetted refugees in the United States would no longer have the needed housing and food due them during their ninety-day transition period.
Musk knew that efficient humanitarian agencies like World Relief, Catholic Charities, Meals on Wheels, etc., would see their services reduced or eliminated due to the freeze on funding.
Musk knew that at least 10,000 – 50,000 people would die this year due to starvation, untreated illnesses, or exposure caused by his funding freeze.
Musk knew that billions of dollars would not be paid to U.S. farmers for crops and meat destined for hungry people around the globe through humanitarian agencies associated with USAID. This food has already been ordered and much of it is now sitting in ports around the world and beginning to rot.

If Musk is not stupid, the only other alternative is that he is evil. I don’t use the word “evil” lightly. I use it because the Bible uses it when it refers to greed. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith” (I Timothy 6:10). James affirmed that it is the rich who oppress others, especially the poor (James 2:6). Jesus Himself was just as explicit: “Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full” (Luke 6:24),

I admit that these passages are generalizations. There are exceptions to the general rule, like Job in the Hebrew Scriptures. Musk might be an exception to this description of evil, but he needs to prove it by his actions.

Footnote

Samaritan’s Purse is an evangelical humanitarian aid agency which receives USAID. It is led by Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham. I have not heard of even a rumor of fraud or corruption in Samaritan’s Purse and its use of funds. It is one of the very few NGOs that has already acquired the exemption waiver. It is well known that Franklin Graham publicly supported Trump. He urged Christians to “hold their nose” and vote for Trump in spite of his sub-Christian policies and personal failures. If this exemption if a quid pro quo agreement between Graham and Trump, shame on both of them.

God Help Us When Trump Talks Religion

Yesterday, at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Trump ventured into the area of religion. This is not his strong suit. In fact, although he received many votes from evangelicals, he knows very little about the Christian message. The basic gospel message is that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son Jesus Christ to offer new life to people through the forgiveness of their sins. People need to repent (=turn from their sins) and confess their mistakes, and believe in Jesus. They are called to love God with their whole heart and to love their neighbors as themselves.

Trump himself has repeatedly admitted that he can’t remember ever asking God for forgiveness. Trump does not regret this partially because he says he doesn’t “have much to apologize for”. By his own words, he doesn’t know God’s forgiveness.

At the prayer breakfast the president quoted a verse from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). This is one of my favorite verses. In fact, I taught on this passage in an adult education class at my church this past Sunday. It is no secret that Trump wants to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But quoting Scripture does not necessarily equate to following Scripture. Some of his harshest critics quoted the Hebrew Scriptures to Jesus. It is quite clear that it is more important to do God’s will than to merely quote a Biblical verse. Those who are true peacemakers are those who work to reduce hunger, poverty, and homelessness.

^“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (I John 3:16-18)

It is painful to acknowledge that according to this passage, our president does not have the love of God in him. Not only does Trump show no pity (love) for those in need, he has increased their pain. Yesterday, it was announced that Trump (together with Elon Musk) is gutting USAID (reducing its employees from 5,000 to 290!). USAID has funded respected humanitarian organizations such as Meals on Wheels, World Relief, and Catholic Charities. Although it is appropriate for the administration to evaluate these organizations, IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO PAUSE FUNDING WHILE THE EVALUATION IS OCCURRING BECAUSE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE. Homelessness, acute malnutrition, and malaria do not pause just because funds are on pause.

Let’s briefly turn our attention to the war in Gaza. The president’s comments on Gaza are not peacemaking. He has affirmed that we, the United States, will take over Gaza and occupy it, even if this means with U.S. soldiers. This will require expelling two million Palestinians from their homes in Gaza. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Mr. President, would you want to be expelled from your home?

President Trump, your recent executive orders are not peacemaking. You are waging war against vulnerable people of the human race. The good news is that God still offers you forgiveness. I urge you to repent, change your evil ways, and ask to be forgiven.