Conservative religious leaders who had been imploring Speaker Mike Johnson to back assistance for Ukraine and Israel in fighting their wars celebrated the House’s passage of foreign aid packages Saturday, clearing the way for the measures to go to the Senate.
Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was among those lobbying Johnson, himself a Southern Baptist, on behalf of Ukrainian and American Baptists concerned about the plight of Ukrainian Christians.
“That is why we asked Speaker Johnson and congressional leaders to come together to meet the challenges of this moment,” Leatherwood said in a statement on Monday. “In the House passage of bills relating to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, the Speaker sent a strong message to autocrats and terrorists alike that our nation will take a stand to support vulnerable lives and oppose the tyrants who threaten them.”
The push on Ukraine included a Wednesday meeting between Johnson, Pavlo Unguryan (an evangelical and political leader from Ukraine) and a Ukrainian citizen whose wife and child were killed in a March attack on Odesa.
Gary Marx, president of the new coalition Defenders of Faith and Religious Freedom in Ukraine and former executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, praised the House leader’s “courage and his willingness to listen to the cries of Ukraine’s faithful” in a statement posted on X on Saturday, while saying, “As we celebrate this victory, we recognize that there is still more work to be done.”
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On Thursday, Marx had written to Johnson on behalf of the coalition seeking congressional support for Ukrainian Christians. The letter was also signed by Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator and chairman of Patriot Voices, and the Rev. Adam Hamilton, a prominent United Methodist pastor in Kansas, among more than a dozen other faith leaders.
“We are pained and shocked by the widespread, vicious persecution of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by Russian forces,” reads the letter. “Russia is waging a war against Evangelical and Protestant Christians at a scale likened to ‘cultural genocide.’ These Christians are being persecuted, harassed, intimidated, imprisoned, tortured, mutilated, and killed — simply for worshipping God as they see fit.”
Other leaders of political groups that largely represent evangelical Christians pressured Johnson to shepherd support for Israel through a Congress with contingents on the right and left opposing the aid package. Twenty-one Republicans joined 37 Democrats in voting against the Israel aid bill.
In a virtual press conference organized by Johnson’s staff as the House prepared to vote on Friday, Sandra Hagee Parker, chair of the Christians United for Israel Action Fund, lauded the speaker, praising his “fortitude” in pushing for the “vital issue” of Israel aid.
“The enemies of America are watching and waiting to see what America does, and we should do everything in our power to have Israel’s back,” Parker said. She echoed Johnson’s remark that Russia, China and Iran constitute a new “axis of evil,” hearkening back to former President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address in which he called out Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
Anyone who doubts that the three states are mounting a “united front against the enemies of the West,” said Parker, is “simply sticking their head in the sand.”
Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said at the press conference that the U.S. must “rush” to Israel’s defense. Reed suggested that Johnson, despite threats from some GOP members to challenge his speakership, will ultimately be celebrated by conservative Christians if the bills are passed.
“We must never waver, and once this bill passes and it gets to the president’s desk and it’s signed, Speaker Mike Johnson will get a lot of credit for moving through a minefield to get this done,” Reed said.
A more diverse group of a dozen religious leaders who had been seeking support for the people of Gaza sent Johnson a note of thanks for his efforts, coupled with concern about final passage of the aid they sought.
“We, as a group of diverse faith leaders, thank you for including in the legislation you have brought before Congress life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza as well as humanitarian and refugee assistance for other areas facing wars and famine,” wrote the leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations in a Friday letter. “Please ensure that humanitarian aid is included in the bill that is passed.”
Signers of the letter included Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Bishop Vashti McKenzie, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches; Mary Novak, director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism; and the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, co-convener of the National African American Clergy Network.
Adelle Banks and Jack Jenkins are national reporters at Religion News Service.
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17 Responses
Those in favor of this are NOT doing God’s will, lack wisdom/discernment & are assisting the satanic cabal destroy this great nation. These are the days of revelation; God is revealing the truth & it will not end well for those who are part of satan’s team but pretend to be on God’s side. “Woe to those who call evil, good and good, evil.”
Yes, Dee and you just called evil good. we have no business trying to fix everybody problem when we have so many in our own country. and please note its usually the “American evangelicals” calling for war more than anyone else, yet so few are veterans. Keep your false beliefs to yourselves and fix America first. But i am just a veteran who has witnessed Americas carnage so who am i to have an opinion on world affairs. Think of the TONS of money spent for other countries and DONT tell me none comes back to our elected officials. OH BTW, Zelinsky just bought his third mansion, and this one is in England and his wife spent around 1 million for jewelry back a few months ago. Yeah, it’s all for Godly causes. Hey SBC mind your own business and these actions is why church membership is dwindling. Seventy years of being Israels lap dog and how is that whole blessing paying off in America since the fifties.
William – “fix America first” isn’t in the Bible. There’s actually no sort of nationalism in the Bible. What is in scripture is that God is no respecter of persons, so our nationality or country of origin doesn’t matter to Him. What is in scripture is how we are called to help the vulnerable – and there is no barrier of “only if they are from the same country.”
Scripture actually says “even sinners” love their own. We see in the parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite walk by the beaten man because he wasn’t “the right person” to help. Believers are called to do better than this.
I’m not going to get on the theological side. I would lose most of you. However, this bill is a sham. As a veteran, lost a brother to a war and come from a long line of veterans in my family. This war is a losing ticket for Ukraine and we already have American Soldiers over there. The government is not telling the truth. Ukraine has zero chance to beat Russia. Zero! I’ve been to both places. If Mike Johnson was serious. He would either do nothing or demand every NATO country would join together and help Ukraine win this war. Same truth applies to Biden. Our government is compromised by corrupt people. Democrats and republicans. If you think about it. This does not add up.
I come from a long line of veterans in my family as well, and I have family who are STILL active duty. The NATO countries are also giving billions in aid, training, military hardware etc. to Ukraine. For starters, the other NATO countries (besides the US) have given Ukraine almost 100 billion USD in aid since the start of the war:
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm
And I dispute the claim that Russia can win this one. When Russia has to beg North Korea for faulty artillery shells that is saying something.
Your point is moot. Ever wonder why we have not asked for a cease or a pause as we have in the Middle East? I have a relative who is active in the military and is in Ukraine. This tactic is Just enough to keep the war going. Deductive logic reasons that this war is not what the government says it is. There is mass hypocrisy and if the US and all these NATO countries were behind this. Put their soldiers at risk. Not my desire. But this tactic is 1 foot in and the other out. Doesn’t add up.
Your assumptions and logic about a ceasefire or pause is flawed. See my comment further below in the thread. Read up the Sudeten Crisis of the 1930s and get back to us.
Funny how Russian propaganda is now cloaked in pious sounding language. The US needs to step up to help defend Ukraine or risk giving all of Europe to Putin.
That is because for Christian nationalists, they love a strongman like Putin, Orban, etc. Especially those who are tight with the prevalent religion and its head (Kiril and the Russian Orthodox Church for example). Both push for and enforce traditional “biblical” values in society through the federal state and its power (no gay marriage, no abortions, other religions marginalized, etc.). After all, gay marriage is illegal in Russia and banned by their constitution.
In my local synagogue is a couple. Husband is Ukrainian and wife is Russian who is a good friend. She confirms what I suspect. She tells me, most of Ukraine is gone and very unlikely to win this war. American media is not truthful in the least bit in disseminating correct info. Journalistic dishonesty as it were.
HaShem showed me even BEFORE this Russo-Ukrainian war began that the fall of US will be their pride and arrogance of self-imposed world governance. US can’t seem to mind their business. They must meddle in world affairs. And to their end.
I saw the Russo-Ukrainian war AND this Israel-Gaza war BEFORE it manifested in the natural. Next up: full blown collusion with Arabs and eastern world powers like China and NK.
I’m afraid to say this: but PUTIN (along with other ‘eastern’ powers) is HaShem’s sword against US and the west. What we are witnessing is the battle for the next New world order (a 10 nation alliance). Heads up. It will not be U.S leading it. I won’t get into the eschatological side of it.
Suffice to say, US is wasting precious pecuniary resources better suited for use domestically. It’s the futility of Afghanistan “axis of evil” war all over again. Americans never seem to learn. It shall be their undoing.
You do understand that Putin and Russia are going after Christians in both Russia and Ukraine? You do realize that some of those funds will be used by Israel? One couple’s view in your church does not make it fact (especially since they have not been in Ukraine since before the war). Putin must be stopped before he makes further aggression. We saw this once before in the 1930s and the world (along sincere Christians in Germany who tried to stop it and 6 million Jews) paid a price for not stopping another despotic madman when he first marched troops into the Rhineland in 1936. Read up on the Ukrainian Holodomor (which Putin wants to do again) and get back to us.
As for the “prophetic visions”, I dismiss them because they have not been tested against Scriptures and are no different than the all the Hal Lindsays and end-times “prophets” we have heard in various forms since the 1960’s. Yet another game of pin-the-tail-on-the-Anti-Christ. Nations (both great powers and small) do come and go and that is a fact of history and civilization. The same will happen to the US, but that does not make one a prophetic genius.
Credible analysts have said the Ukraine war is unwinnable by either side. Russia is said to be good for another 2-3 years. Biden’s timidity and foot dragging ensured a war of attrition that will leave Ukraine a massive toxic waste site with landmines and ordnance everywhere. Add to that a corrupt Ukraine government that won’t and can’t account for the money already given them. Putin is very good at playing the brinksmanship game and Biden blinked. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/14/europe/russia-sustain-war-effort-ukraine-analysis-intl/index.html#:~:text=The%20authors%20concluded%20Russia%20could,up%20defense%20spending%20for%202024
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/attritional-art-war-lessons-russian-war-ukraine https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/ukraines-war-of-attrition
Fortunately the Bills passed the House.
Unfortunately the majority of Republicans/Evangelicals voted against aid to Ukraine.
The U.S. Evangelical movement is really messed up.
I remember when Evangelicals used to be pro democracy. Crazy how things have changed.
Your logic is flawed. You make the fatal assumption that Russia would be content with a cease-fire. Also, a sine qua non of any Russian agreement to a cease-fire is that Ukraine permanently give up its territory in the east and in Crimea. We tried that before in the 1930s to avoid further war and we all know how well that happened.
But then if we (and YOU and other Putin appeasers) demand that Ukraine give up its land to have a so-called peace with Russia, it is only fair we give up Alaska and part of California to secure the peace as well. Putin signed a decree in January that allocates funds for the search, registration, and legal protection of Russian property abroad, including property in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Property such as all of Alaska and the area of the former Russian site Fort Ross in California.
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4434869-russia-casts-its-eye-on-alaska/
Suppose someone breaks into your one of your kids’ bedrooms and kills your kid. But as a condition of him not going to other rooms and killing the rest of your family, he demands that he be permanently allowed to stay in your dead kid’s bedroom and make it his own property as a ceasefire or pause. If you are OK with that, then by all means, we have Ukraine do the same.
If the goal of Ukraine is to take back the Donbas region, let alone Crimea, it will never happen under a Biden administration.
As was mentioned above, the numbers are against them. Sending billions more will only lengthen the suffering. The average age of a Ukrainian soldier is over 40. I was in the military and 40 year old’s cannot be expected to defend in a front line for an extended period of time- let alone shift to the offense.
Ukraine is running out of soldiers. Russia has almost four times the manpower and more than ten times the GDP. No chance- unless the U.S. or Europe sends in soldiers. This will never happen.
One can see why Putin preferred a U.S. administration led by Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden. They were the ones that let the “dog out”.
And if Trump was in the White House, then Putin would have not only kept the Donbas, he would have gotten much, much more in the Ukraine. It was Trump that played games with delaying shipments of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because he was duped by the Russians