Five faith leaders were arrested while praying in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday, the second time in as many weeks clergy and others have been handcuffed as they speak out against the Republican-led budget bill.
Among those arrested was Shane Claiborne, a longtime activist and co-director of Red Letter Christians, a Christian social justice group. Claiborne, who is based in Philadelphia and known for his longstanding opposition to the death penalty and gun violence, prayed side by side with others for several minutes in the Rotunda before eventually being arrested by Capitol police.
“Reorder our moral compass,” Claiborne said, standing near a statue commemorating famous suffragettes and abolitionists. “Stir the conscience of our nation. Let justice rise up on these very steps, let truth trouble the chambers of the Capitol. Let there be no peace where there is no justice. Let there be no comfort for those who legislate cruelty.”
Claiborne added: “Let those of us gathered here rise not with fear but with fire, because as long as the details are still being worked out in committee …” as the group, which included Christian and Jewish activists, responded in unison: “You can work a miracle.”
Shortly after an officer gave multiple verbal warnings, roughly two-dozen officers surrounded the group and began arresting them one by one. Members of the group prayed and some sang “This Little Light of Mine” as they were led away from the Rotunda.
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According to organizers, also arrested were the Revs. Alvin Jackson and Hanna Broome, both affiliated with the activist group Repairers of the Breach; Ariel Gold, USA director of the interfaith The Fellowship of Reconciliation; and the Rev. Joel Simpson, pastor at First United Methodist Church in Taylorsville, North Carolina.
Police cleared the Capitol Rotunda to make the arrests but allowed press to continue documenting the scene as they placed the five people in handcuffs. At a similar protest a week before, press were steered into a section with a closed door and then instructed to leave the floor entirely.
In an email to media on Monday, Capitol Police confirmed they arrested five people after warning them multiple times, charging them with “crowding, obstructing, and incommoding.”
Reached by phone after he was released from police custody several hours after the demonstration, Claiborne said his interactions with officers were largely positive but he felt protest was necessary. He cited inspiration from the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s civil rights advocacy and argued the GOP-led budget constituted an emergency for the poor, comparing the legislation to an out-of-control fire.
“We think that these are extreme times, and they warrant extreme measures,” Claiborne said. “So we’re going to bear witness, non-violently.”
The demonstrators had initially approached the U.S. Capitol steps to stage their prayer, but police erected barricades as they approached and temporarily closed off the area on the east side of the Capitol.
The protest is the latest in an ongoing Monday protest effort launched last month by the Rev. William Barber, a prominent pastor, anti-poverty activist and founder of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. The campaign is focused on countering the proposed Republican budget, with organizers protesting potential cuts to Medicaid and other programs designed to help low-income Americans.
Last week, Barber and two others were arrested while praying in the Rotunda.
“It is a sad day in America when you can be arrested in the people’s house for merely praying because the congresspeople in a party in that house are choosing to prey — P-R-E-Y — on the most vulnerable of this nation, along with the president of the nation,” Barber told media in a phone interview, referring to the latest arrests. “But we will not bow. We will not stop. We have to raise moral dissent.”
The arrests both weeks followed rallies earlier in the day in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, where faith leaders repeatedly decried the bill.
“We are gathered here in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and in the shadow of the Capitol, to stand up and to speak out about a federal budget that seems to have emerged like a phoenix from the very pit of hell,” said the Rev. Leslie Copeland-Tune, of the National Council of Churches, on May 5.
Claiborne also railed against the bill and criticized those who have invoked faith to defend President Donald Trump’s policies. He held up a version of the four biblical gospels that had all verses relating to the poor, love and compassion redacted to make his point.
“It’s called the Gospel of Donald Trump,” he said.
Organizers say they plan to continue the demonstrations over the next few weeks as Congress continues to debate the budget bill, which Trump has described as a “big, beautiful bill.”
Claiborne said even as he and the others sat in the back of a police van on Monday, the group was already planning future demonstrations.
“We were doing two hours of organizing with Rev. Alvin (Jackson) in there,” Claiborne said, laughing. “One less Zoom call.”
Jack Jenkins es un periodista galardonado y reportero nacional de Religion News Service.
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42 Responses
Kinda funny how these praying Christians didn’t show up at the retunda when Biden was in office desecrating Easter, and also supporting abortion. Two of the most abdominal things done in all of American (and human) history.
Jody, it’s also kind of funny how when mega Christians broke into the Capitol, sent 140 police officers to the hospital and smeared feces on the wall didn’t get arrested when Trump was in charge. In fact they all were pardoned and received an apology from the US government.
The police officers on the other hand are currently under threat of arrest from this administration.
Jody – you do know that Transgender Day of Visibility has been March 31st since 2009. Biden didn’t start it or intentionally acknowledge it on Easter to make some sort of statement.
And as Christians, we must remember POTUS is the President of ALL Americans, not just Christians. And yes, that includes those who are transgender.
I’m assuming I don’t have to say it’s wrong to discriminate, bully or kill transgender people (which is what the day calls attention to).
Perhaps Christians could have used the coinciding of Easter and the Transgender Day of Visibility to draw attention to how Jesus died for all – and to intentionally reach out to share the gospel to the transgender community; what a missed opportunity.
That’s what you got out of the article? I wasn’t a fan of Biden or the current president. I haven’t been a fan of any US president since George W. Bush. Biden did some awful things. As a Christ follower and an American who lives below the poverty line and is a minority. I think that this administration has done a lot of damage in less than four months. I know as believers we are called to pray for our leaders. Which they desperately need on both sides. What happened to allowing peaceful protesting? The First Amendment says it’s right of the people to “peaceably assemble”. Doesn’t look like that is being allowed. What a shame. Regardless of who the president is. We are called to follow the laws of the land. The U.S. Constitution is part of the law. Yet, it seems that is being cherry picked and ignored when it best suits individuals. Either we have to right to peaceably assemble or we don’t.
Yes it is vary interesting sounds like Trump haters.
I could not have said it better!
Yep, great point! Trump’s not perfect by any stretch, but he is working overtime to back up a bus that was headed over the cliff by the policies of our last administration, which not only promoted abortion but also immoral and unscientific notions with regard to gender and sex, weaponization of the law with regard to citizens, disregard of the law with regard to noncitizens, irresponsible stewardship of tax resources, open borders, and fraud, including the deliberate cover-up of the disqualifying cognitive impairment of Joe Biden. We can hear questionable Christian voices on the left and on the right. However, I hear much more common sense on the right. Many are praying, and they don’t need to make a political spectacle of their prayers in order to get arrested in the Rotunda. I pray that God uses our current administration to reverse the self-destructive direction of the USA.
Well, Claiborne doesn’t teach the actual Gospel of Jesus, so there is that. He’s just your garden variety Social Justice hypocrite. He “preaches” and “protests” against the exact same things that Liberals clutch their pearls about. He never, ever confronts actual sin. He whinges about “the poor” and Republicans and Capitalism but when it comes to social ills like abortion, he isn’t going to confront those because those issues don’t concern him at all. He doesn’t care about those issues. He just toes the same party line as the Democrats. He just attempts to cover it up in some pretty Red Letter Christian wrapping paper. That he got at the Dollar Tree along with his Maoist outfit.
I will add though, I really do not understand why those people, him included, were arrested. I’d be curious as to exactly what law they were breaking simply praying there.
Phillip Yancey once wrote “Christians love to argue about whose sins are more acceptable.” Rush Limbaugh taught millions of Americans that greed is not a sin, despite clear illustrations such as the rich man and Lazarus. That those with an abundance have a moral obligation to those in need permeates all of scripture, not just those pesky red letters. This principle predates communism by thousands of years, and God’s prophets do link neglecting the poor with God’s judgement. See Ezekiel’s take on the sin of Sodom, a city outside of God’s covenant with Israel.
A lot of problems with that post. Rush Limbaugh wasn’t a Christian teacher so that has no bearing at all in this post. The sin of Sodom was gross immorality. That is clearly stated in both the Old and New Testament. All people like Claiborne ever talk about is “love” and the “poor.” They never explain exactly what we are supposed to do about that, on the ground, in the real world. Because they don’t have any answers. They don’t even have the Gospel whether the letters are red or black. All the letters count, no matter what color they are. And therein lies the problem. Claiborne is a rank hypocrite. He has net worth of around 2 million dollars but dresses like a dirt-poor monk as a disguise. He mouses around the edges of things but he never talks about sin and repentance and he is a Universalist. He believes everyone is already saved so no repentance is required. That places him squarely outside the realm of actual Christianity. I guess false teachers are perfectly OK for you as long as they say the things you wish to hear and stick to the agenda you agree with.
So awful Eddie . This is heresy. You obviously don’t know much at all about Shane Claiborne and you should know the truth about someone before you write ,declaring lies about one of God’s faithful. He 100% talks about sin and repentance. Shame on you. So many untrue statements in your words. Please get the truth before you spread lies, falsehoods and slander people. It’s very unchristian.
Jody, how do you know these people didn’t pray when Biden was in office? The article says nothing about that. Do you know them personally?
Who is responsible for abortion in America? If you say our president then you must blame ALL presidents including ALL republicans from Reagan to Bush who did nothing to end abortion on their watch.
“Abominable things” (not abdominal- that would relate to our tummies) have been going on long before Biden took office. Abominations also include bowing down to mammon and worshiping lucre. What was the Easter celebration this year at the White House if not a commercial grab for money? Did that really honor our Lord? It seems the grifting Trump engages in is spoken strongly against by Jesus in the red letters of every Bible I’ve ever read.
Well at least this was event peaceful unlike the Trumpers who stormed the Capitol on Jan 6 of 2021.
I’m guessing if these were folks praying for Trump and for his vision for America they would have been left alone.
How come this isn’t “insurrection” or “theocratic fascism”?
Because there was no violence, no one called for take over, or even called for the lynching of a Vice President. I could go on, but you get the point.
Also kinda funny how so many people think money just falls out of the sky instead of out of the pockets of hard-working Americans.
So encouraging to see people of faith participating in non violent protest. May God grant us all the courage to stand firm against oppression.
Didn’t Trump sign some kind of religious freedom bill or Act? Does it mean only if you dont protest?
We are almost 37 trillion dollars in debt, as the United States of America.
Four decades ago, the amount was 907 billion dollars.
Praying.
May citizens who believe in Yahshua truly care about one another by giving to those in need, out of our own abundance. When we do so, this is truly “church.” John the baptizer knew: “If you have 2 coats and brother needs 1, give him 1.”
“By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.”
Love always tells the truth of the matter at hand.
President Trump is the president of a nation and not the “church.”
This is so very, very serious.
If you are concerned about the national debt, you should consider voting for democrats, because they add less each term than republicans do. https://www.investopedia.com/democrats-vs-republicans-who-had-more-national-debt-8738104
Trump’s last budget and current budget are significant outliers in how much more they add to the national debt.
Not exactly. The article refers to Democrats vs. Republicans in the White House.
The least growth of the national debt occurs when at least one house of Congress is controlled by one party and the White House is controlled by another (as what happened from 1995 to 2001) and from 2011 to 2016).
A preachers job is to preach the gospel and teach to their congregations, what the Bible says.
Where? Where does the Bible say that “a preacher’s job is to preach the gospel and teach to their congregations”. chapter and verse please? (also, please note anywhere you have found the office or title of “preacher” in the Bible)
I live in a very small town in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is not a rich state and we don’t make a-lot of money on our pay checks but we take care of our own. The church’s here work together to feed the poor and help the elderly. We have a lot of mentally ill people that live in this town because we used to have an institution that took care of them that the government shut down years ago.
If you just do what you can it helps.
Why do people think they’re going to cut social security, and Medicare?
I will say if this generation does start working and paying in it will go broke.
The time , money for plane fair, food, hotel room to protest sure would feed a lot of people.
We are church. We’re called to care for others. ( not Roman)
Ezekiel 16:48
As surely as I live, declares the sovereign, Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughter never did what you and your daughters have .
Now this is the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were ignorant, overfed, and unconcerned. They did not help the poor needy they were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore, I did away with them as you have seen.
quick correction to Oklahoma “taking care of it’s own”- OK receives almost twice the amount of aid from the federal government than it puts in with federal taxes. So really, the rest of the country is taking care of OK, rather than some wishful bootstraping story presented here. https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-money-does-the-federal-government-provide-state-and-local-governments/state/oklahoma/
If you’re calling out people who aren’t contributing, maybe start with Oklahoma, and other states that are taking more from the federal budget than they contribute.
https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-contribute-the-most-and-least-to-federal-revenue/
So when Republicans cut 800 billion from Medicare, they can go back to their churches and sit in the pew and hear a message about helping the poor…..
In many states 50% of the children are under Medicare……
It’s not in the bill. Democrats have been saying that for years. It’s a lie. You can not show it in this bill or every other bill the democrats state this erroneous claim. This article doesn’t hide the author’s view. Hardly journalism!
Read the news… 800 Billion in Medicaid costs…. again they can sit in their Evangelical church pews and listen to sermons on Jesus helping the poor…
I love Shane and all he stands for shining the light of Jesus!! You who say he isn’t pro-life are 100% wrong. You obviously don’t know him. No, he is not a fan of Trump and called Biden out all the time. How could any Christian be a fan of DJT? He is horrifically harming people everyday and leading a cult of people to their demise. Just like the Jan 6 insurrection. Just like encouraging “Hang Mike Pence.” We are called to stand up for those less vulnerable, those in need. Otherwise you’ll likely hear “depart from me. I never knew you.” Otherwise, it’s just Pharisee behavior. Ever read those red letters? They speak!!! They call out the tyrannical, unethical behavior of this president and his corrupt, criminal cronies. Shane and the others here obey God rather than men Acts 5:29. His book “Irresistible Revolution” changed my life and helped to light a fire in me to always truly consider WWJD and in my time with the Lord, it’s never God, Guns & Trump. We pray for this president, that he would actually find Jesus instead of making a money of Christianity. And talk about the USA deficit…when Trump is done destroying our country and literally blowing up the debt by adding billions to his pocket while stealing from hard working Americans, we will be crushed by his addition to it. Just as the last time he was in office. He has no problem adding trillions to our deficit.
Are you implying that if your occupation is in a sector that carries out the orders of the government you cannot be a Christian? So in your logic, soldiers who followed orders to kill Houthis, ICE agents who round up illegal immigrants, government employees who follow orders to cut wastage, etc, cannot be Christian in your world?
Giving to the poor and loving your neighbour and spreading the gospel are Christian values, and we do not judge any person by their jobs (ie tax collectors/prostitutes) as God judges by the heart and not appearances.
Claiborne always struck me as a “neo=hippie”/ contrarian.
Can’t believe anybody supports him financially.
To quote the “poet” George Thorogood, “Get a haircut and get a real job!”
I used to wonder how people in the Bible could ignore and persecute prophets who were clearly speaking truth for God- calling God’s people to repent and to turn and follow God again.
Now I get it. They probably told Isaiah to “get a haircut and a real job!” too.
I’m not sure how your comments are helpful, especially the snarky Thorogood quote. Claiborne is doing his best to advocate for those on the underside of power by speaking truth to Empire using non-violent direct action…the same as MLK (and Gandhi…and Jesus). He is defending the same people Jesus defended by calling out the same people Jesus called out (those who use their socio-political/religious power to harm others). Mary the mother of Jesus said it best….”Cast down the mighty, send the rich away empty!”
Jason Kliewer,
How can you be on the “underside of power” when the entire establishment is pushing your agenda? Lol.
Brian, can you please elaborate on your “question”? Who are the people that are both: 1) being defended by Claiborne; and 2) have the entire establishment pushing their agenda?
Because if my comment was truly “Laugh-out-loud” incorrect, I would like to to know why you think that. Thank you.
Red letter Christians like Shane Claiborne do not listen to any of the black letters. Jesus said it in Red that man does not live by bread alone but EVERY word of God.. These people are Marxists /Social justice warriors. A true Christian knows what we are to be fishers of Men, not fish bowl cleaners.
The black letters give us the themes, imagery, and motifs that find their fulfillment in Christ (see book of Hebrews). Please don’t interpret your bible through political categories and let it speak for itself. “Why call me Lord and not do what I say?”-Jesus
Nina, I think Jesus would definitely be accused of being a “Marxist/Social justice warrior” by many Christians if we was here in person today. Do you?
Also, being a “fisher of men” does not mean we evangelize people and convert them…in it’s context Jesus is talking about standing up to the powers that were unjustly taking advantage of the poor (like the Romans were, by, among other things, nationalizing the fishing industry, over-taxing local poor fishermen, etc.). A fish doesn’t want to be caught and removed from where it is comfortable. The rich and powerful do not want to be removed from their positions. Yet we are called to non-violently work toward those aims to bring wholistic salvation to all–to bring sight to the blind, to set the prisoner free, etc.
Today’s politics is a Rorschach test. Everyone sees what they want. A little information is a bad thing. You can get whatever high you like, verifying to yourself that the Democrats are Satanic or that Republicans and certainly Trump is/are. So much garbage in this article and in these posts. Wake up, brothers and sisters! Wake up! You are being used. There are many forces that want believers in turmoil and dissent.
This is an excellent example of non-violent civil disobedience. Peacefull protestors taking a stand and being a principled nuisance in a public place and then accepting peacefully the consequences of doing so. This is how “Civil Disobedience” works.
Well done to all the ministers there taking a stand against cruelty and injustice.
Karl Paulsen,
It’s funny that your team doesn’t call it “civil disobedience” against cruelty and injustice when Christians take a stand against abortion factories.
“Your team”? Are we as Christians supposed to be on opposing teams against one another?
And yes, there is a difference between praying in the rotunda and harassing/ insulting doctors, blocking the paths of patients going in and out of clinics, etc.