Dozens of prominent evangelical leaders recently held a prayer vigil in protest of various cutbacks to US foreign aid made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The faith leaders argue that the recent budget cuts harm vulnerable groups across the planet – and are not in the true spirit of Christ.
The “Prayer Vigil for Foreign Aid” was organized by the Christian-based advocacy group Bread for the World. Participants gathered at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, March 11 in protest and prayer.
During the vigil, the faith groups highlighted the human cost of the humanitarian cuts, arguing that the Bible offers “very clear guidance” on providing for the poor and needy.
"A Moral Failure"
“We are here today to urge the administration and Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, to do all that they can,” said Rev. Eugene Cho, CEO of Bread for the World. “It’s not too late to protect critical international aid that supports tens of millions of people suffering alone right now.”
The vigil came just one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced 83% of USAID programs, which provide foreign aid and assistance to other countries, would be shuttered.
Decrying the “broad, un-targeted cuts,” Rev. Cho said that “These indiscriminate cuts are not just a policy failure… For us, especially, as followers of Christ, as uncomfortable as it may be, we must clearly… but prophetically, say: it is also a moral failure.”
The group's managing director, Rev. Heather Taylor, offered a similar plea:
Reversing the cuts will still be an uphill fight. “I don’t think there’s any going back to the USAID we once knew,” Taylor acknowledged. “God is a miracle worker, but the writing is on the wall.”
A Biblical Mandate
Faith leaders say that the protest is motivated by their love of Christ.
The Bible offers “very clear guidance” said vigil speaker Kombo Choga of Compassion International. Quoting Proverbs 19:17, he stated at the vigil, “whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord.”
Another speaker at the vigil, Lanre Williams-Ayedun of World Relief, echoed those sentiments. When our political leaders “neglect the vulnerable” they are “turning away from God.”
The message of the vigil was clear: cuts to USAID are not only wrong, they are unbiblical because of the harm caused to vulnerable communities abroad. And though nearly all speakers conceded that the program has its faults, they say that cutting funding with a hammer instead of a chisel is not the answer.
Since 2001, foreign aid has hovered around 1% of the entire United States budget. They ask: when it comes to tightening the fiscal belt, is this the place to start?
A Higher Power At Work?
DOGE continues to have strong support from other factions of believers, however. Politicians have gone to bat for the controversial government department and its funding cuts, assuring those affected by DOGE that "God has a plan" for them. Others have praised the Tesla founder directly, saying "thank God for Elon Musk."
What do you make of the vigil to protect foreign aid? Is there a moral (and biblical) imperative to continue this work?
13 comments
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Pastor Jim
God bless Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and his secretaries in their endeavor to right the atrocities perpetrated by the evil intentions of those who hate America and would strive to undermine its sacred place in the world.
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Colleen McAllister
I join in the prayer against DOGE and Musk's plans. While spending cuts are needed it is obvious that the cuts being made are more aligned to Trump and Musk's personal desires to seek revenge and pad their own pockets.
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Nicholas J Page
Alas I can't comment as I'm living in England and I don't know about DOGE
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Robert Gagnon
Funny how same groups were promoting the election of the creator of these cuts. Elon's' the face but not the creator. And yes the government has a lot of waste and unnecessary jobs. What did you think would happen when you gave a conceited five year old a hammer? He's not just going to damage the neighbors house, he will get around to yours.
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Tecla Caryl Loup
I don't think there's a huge number of unnecessary jobs in government. Having worked for a bureaucracy for decades and ridden herd on work groups, I see the necessity of checks and counterchecks to be as sure as possible that things are done correctly the first time. It's really difficult to get people to find their own mistakes. But I really appreciate your hammer-wielding kid image!
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Nicholas Peter Christopher
It’s absolutely disgusting, ridiculous and Evil to use Jesus Christ to wound the Trump Administration. The American people voted for ALL of this!!🇺🇸 Today’s polls confirm confidence in the current administration is at an all time high. I am a bible thumping, gun toting, pork eating American citizen and the safest person to be around should anyone need assistance or help. I am sure after America cleans up its own own backyard. We will resume helping our neighbors. This must be done in order to continue to support them 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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Tecla Caryl Loup
Hmmm. I just read a news article about very recent polls that measured Americans' confidence in our current administration's economy, and those numbers do not look good. So maybe you would like to reconsider your position. Or, I suppose, you could deny the current numbers.
By the way, although I don't thump my Bibles, as they're family heirlooms, I own firearms and there is nothing like pork BBQ with lots of spicy sauce (not fond of the sweet stuff--too sissy) on the weekend.
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Michael Arthur Lueras
Prayer alone won't cut it. Satan prayed for a reprieve and Allah gave it to him. But if you pray for others others will pray for you. Whatever Satan Incarnate (Elon Musk) deprives you of Allah can replace with something better. Allah is Most Merciful and Most Compassionate to those who will ACCEPT ISLAM to The Perfect Will of God. If Satan takes something from you it is your karma that permits him to do that to you. "Whatever befalls you is the reaping of what your own hands have sown." (Quran 42:30) Elon Musk does the work of Satan on Earth today because he has given his Immortal Soul to Satan in exchange for billions of dollars. The best thing that you can DO FOR Elon Musk is embodied in this Scriptural passage: "Kill Infidelity wherever you find it." (Quran 2:191) If Elon Musk does not die at the hand of a Willing Muslim or accept Islam before he dies somehow he will most assuredly (Allah Willing) go to Hell where he can deliver to Satan PERSONALLY the money that he has bartered his soul for. "All born will taste death." (Quran 21:35) "I will fill Hell with jinn and humans all - a multitude from every community." (Quran 11:119) It is all taken care of. You don't really have to do anything. Elon Musk (Satan Incarnate) will not get away with anything! REALLY!!!! Amen!?
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Tecla Caryl Loup
I don't advocate assassinating the Muskrat, but I'd like to point out that he started out as an heir to an emerald mine from his father. So it isn't even as if he had to scrimp and save to build his little empire.
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Marnell C Keller
This is insane, we are 36T in debt....and you want to "pray" against DOGE? What happens in your own households when you have more debt than income? Do you spend more money or do you cut back on expenditures? Praying against being fiscally responsible and expect your God to bless you with agreement is egocentric and not aligned with what is truth and responsible.
I pray to the Gods that DOGE is successful and continues uninhibited to call out the weakness and the waste. That its mission to reduce the deficit be successful and complete. I pray that those who wish failure on DOGE finally open their eyes to see that they are in fact praying against the USA and their children's and grandchildren's future.
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Tecla Caryl Loup
Sigh! I worked with economists for over 40 years. Reading a history of taxation in the US might shed some light on how governments acquire funds since that is the main way that they make money. (I'd like to add that government doesn't work like a business; it's essentially closer to being a nonprofit.) Check Wikipedia, e.g., for more information. If one has more debt than income, one can always raise more income (i.e., tax money) by increasing tax rates. Of course that could result in a revolution, as it was a major impetus for our Revolution.
DOGE says its purpose is to rid us of waste, fraud and abuse, but that's a cover story and feeds into citizens' mistrust of government. The current administration wants to give the ultra-wealthy further tax reductions. Over the past few decades, tax rates for the morbidly rich have been reduced a number of times from a former high of ~90% at the end of WWII to around 35% these days. For example, I recall Kennedy reducing rates from 90% to 70%.
And just as frosting on the cake, you might be aware that tax rates on capital gains and dividends are lower than rates on earned income, so wealthy families are getting tax breaks on their investments, unlike the general population who earn their main income through labor.
DOGE has set its sights on slashing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (the first two programs into which those of us with earned income have been contributing regularly for decades), which account for a very large portion of governmental payouts. Another large payout is for defense, but I don't hear anything about reducing Pentagon and military spending--except for reducing veterans' benefits.
I could go on in much greater detail on this subject but I'm not here to write a book, or even a chapter. So much of the fuss over money is antithetical to humanitarian ideals, including those of Christianity and other religions. It's very easy to understand why Jesus became so angry at the moneylenders at the temple and why the widow's mite is held up as an example for the rest of us.
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John P Maher
WHERE WERE YOU ALL AT VOTING TIME, FALSE GODs ???
You just can't go deeper and deeper into debt. How long will your church exist? You have to make cuts but first you have to make salaries, mortgage and utility payments. You cannot live beyond your means. Making cuts is hard. If cuts have to be made, you can't be nice. It is painful. And in my opinion, it is best to hire a hard nosed no nonsense outsider to do the job.