A Tennessee pastor is coming under fire for suggesting threats from the pulpit against tech billionaire Elon Musk over governmental waste clean-up strategies.
The Rev. Steve Caudle, a former American National Bank of Chattanooga loan officer, publicly threatened Musk in a Feb. 9 sermon, saying “there is the possibility of violence” in response to Musk’s desire to access the federal Treasury Department records that contain Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans.
Musk heads up the Department of Government Efficiency and its quest to reduce wasteful and fraudulent federal spending.
los viral YouTube clip of the sermon has prompted an outcry demanding Caudle step down from the pulpit, and Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp called for Caudle’s resignation from the Chattanooga Regional Planning Commission, saying it was “totally unacceptable” for Caudle to use the pulpit to justify violence against the Trump Administration and Musk.
“Hateful rhetoric has no place in Hamilton County, especially from a pastor,” Wamp tweeted.
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Several media outlets reported Caudle’s church, the Greater Second Missionary Baptist Church (GSMBC) in Chattanooga, has taken down its website. Caudle’s bio was listed on an archive site.
Greater Second Missionary Baptist Church’s website is currently “under construction.” When contacted by telephone, a message said the church’s mailbox was full.
en un YouTube clip of Caudle preaching to his church, which was also streamed on Feb. 9, Caudill says (at 53:00), “…and I will say to you, beloved, no one likes violence but sometimes violence is necessary when Elon Musk forces his way into the United States Treasury and threatens to steal your personal information and your Social Security check, there is a possibility of violence. Sometimes the devil will act so ugly that you have no other choice but to get violent and fight…”
Caudle continued by referring to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:12 (moment 1:11 in the YouTube video), saying, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Caudle went on to reference spiritual warfare and battles facing Christians.
Musk responded with a Pío about Caudle’s video: “This tells me that he is trying to hide MASSIVE fraud.”
In an interview with News Ch. 9, the ABC-TV affiliate in Chattanooga, Caudle backpedaled from his sermon, denying he called for violence against Musk. In his interview with News 9, Caudle said his words were “taken out of context,” adding he does not plan to apologize for his sermon.
Caudle told News 9 he never called for violence against Musk, saying Musk “takes things, they twist them, they only play portions of a particular sermon in order to push their propaganda.”
The Associated Press reported U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer blocked Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records.
Caudle has released a video (at moment 30) to “clarify and give some understanding” to his sermon.
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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21 Responses
Pastor Caudle’s exegesis of Matthew 11:12 is poor, at best. Jesus never advocated furthering the Kingdom of God by force and neither did the Apostles. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the advancement of the Kingdom by force and that is not a concept that exists within the purview of the Church. Forcing people to accept the Gospel through violence is at complete odds with the Gospel.
Musk’s response is just as curious and stupid. It also raises a huge red flag. I’ve tended to shrug off all the paranoia from the Left over DOGE as being nothing but sour grapes and fear as their tripe and pork programs they skim off of and use as slush funs get capped. But absolute power corrupts absolutely and a response by Musk to a small church Pastor in Chattanooga is an extreme non sequitur. How would that Pastor be exercising fraud in some huge way? I would say that Musk is going to become a huge problem in the months ahead.
One should ask if Musk and his DOGE minions will be going after NASA and taking a look at those SpaceX contracts as relentlessly as they are going after USAID and others. As for the audits of NASA by DOGE and Musk, can you say conflict of interest? I knew you could. But I guess the whatever skim, pork, and slush funds that comes from the $15 Billion in NASA contracts Space-X is Ok.
Really I thought in Mark 8 Christ repeatedly tried to change Christ saying g this is my path because Peter was a Jewish Nationalist. To the point that Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the Temple Guard trying to arrest Christ. In one of Christ’s rebuke he said Peter was working or being used by Satan. Christ was not trying to build a kingdom. On earth.
That says to me Christian’s Nationalism is a false Gospel that the white Evangelical church in the US has overwhelmingly sinfully adopted this with their Mulkah the Orange Jesus leading them to a Christian Saudi Arabia. Heil Trump our HITLER
I don’t believe that the pastor should have said those things.
This article does paint Musk’s intensions in an overly charitable way accepting his actions as a “quest to reduce wasteful and fraudulent federal spending” instead of a quest to dismantle, instead of reform, government institutions, that while imperfect, were created for the betterment of society. Musk has no concerns for the families he is harming by firing their breadwinners. He has no concern for the collateral damage he is causing to people and institutions who rely on government grants and services. He has no concern for the poor around the world who aren’t being served by USAID.
Musk should be punished by our government for his behavior. He should not be punished by vigilantes. He should be bared by the courts from his current behavior and held criminally liable when he does not obey their orders.
The government in it’s present form cannot be reformed. The rot is too deep. You can’t treat it with kemo, you have to cut the tumor out. Musk is not breaking any laws, nor is he doing anything illegal. He was appointed by this administration to cut out government waste and that is exactly what he is doing.
USAID did nothing to help the poor anywhere. It was a slush fund to support Liberal agendas outside the US. I don’t think programs to bolster tourism in Egypt or help Afghans grow poppies, or trying to institute DEI programs in Serbia is helping the poor. Libs always say they want to help the poor but they never actually do anything to help them except create more people that are dependent on the government.
Thank goodness we have Representatives for our District we can contact and protest.
And the corrupt 501c3 churches & pastors are outing themselves. These are the days of revelation; God is revealing truth & what has been hidden/disguised for so long.
This is exactly what happens when media reports are always sensationalized and extreme. Both sides use the strongest rhetoric, in order to get people worked up into a frenzy. I would suggest that people turn off the news every once and a while. It is also very sad that a pastor could get so upset over such an issue and use the pulpit to scare those he is supposed to be shepherding.
Can you imagine a “preacher” of the gospe saying such a thing? It’s bad enough the things that are coming out of our pulpits these dayst hat have absolutely nothing to do with a gospel of Jesus Christ. Now we’re going to use it as a platform for an excuse to Inflict violence on those that we disagree with! I know nothing about Mr Caudle but if this is any indication of his character he certainly does not belong as the pastor of a church. I think we can all well imagine where his position takes him when He observes something that he disagrees with.
It’s interesting that White Christian Nationalists used that same scripture when they stormed the Capitol on 1/6, but when a Black Baptist Preacher does it, there’s an outcry from those same people.
Personally, I believe it’s wrong in both instances. But the hypocrisy is glaring.
It’s interesting that White Christian Nationalists used that same scripture to justify storming the Capitol on 1/6, but when a Black Baptist Preacher quotes it without even any action, those same folks have a problem.
Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about Rev. Caudle’s statement. My 82-yr old mother lives off her social security, plus I haven’t seen the sermon in question.
But for sure, the hypocrisy is glaring.
Melissa, I’m curious where you heard that White Christin Nationalists used that same verse when storming the Capitol? I’m not saying that it didn’t happen, only that I’ve never seen a story about that. Also, if it did happen, it is wrong; however, there is a difference between a random person saying a verse while committing a crime and a pastor behind a pulpit. This is not a racial issue at all, it is a character issue. As the pastor of a church, I understand how easy it is to say things in the heat of the moment, but pastor’s are called to refrain from such rhetoric.
You don’t actually know with any kind of certainly who entered the White House on Jan. 6th. They most certainly did not storm it. The White House has the strongest security in the world and we know no rag-tag group of hillbilles could have gotten into the White House unless they were ALLOWED in.
Why would you bring up that particular over-four-years-old event in a post about a Pastor advocating violence against anyone? The color of his skin is irrelavent to the words he spoke. To constast it as some kind of black-white dichotomy is irresponsible and disingenuous. All you did was rather clumsily deflect away from the actual subject.
Mr. Cremer,
Were you referring to the U.S. Capitol, when you wrote “White House”?
“who entered the White House on Jan. 6th”
“The White House has the strongest security”
“into the White House”
Or did something happen at the White House, that wasn’t widely reported?
Gracias,
EN
“Pastor” Caudle is not a pastor, he’s an activist, and a dangerous one! When will Christians wake up?
Elon Musk is just doing GOD’s work, weeding out corruption.
I think the title was misleading, big difference between “Pastor threatens violence,” and pastor saying that there could be violence. The title makes it seem like the pastor was doing the threatening, which he was not.
Caudill says (at 53:00), “…and I will say to you, beloved, no one likes violence, BUT SOMETIMES VIOLENCE IS NECESSARY WHEN ELON MUSK his way into the United States Treasury and threatens to steal your personal information and your Social Security check,”
He then tries to soften his rhetoric, and blames the devil:
“”there is a possibility of violence. Sometimes the devil will act so ugly that you have no other choice but to get violent and fight…””
“Rev. Steve Caudle, a former American National Bank of Chattanooga loan officer,….…and I will say to you, beloved, no one likes violence but sometimes violence is necessary when Elon Musk forces his way into the United States Treasury and threatens to steal your personal information and your Social Security check, there is a possibility of violence. Sometimes the devil will act so ugly that you have no other choice but to get violent and fight…” ”
Somebody appears worried about possible exposure for prior/current(?) business dealings, and then put a target on his back by saying ““there is the possibility of violence”, in response to Musk’s desire to access the federal Treasury Department records””
Of course, “Musk responded with a tweet about Caudle’s video: “This tells me that he is trying to hide MASSIVE fraud.”
“Sometimes the devil will act so ugly that you have no other choice but to get violent and fight…”
So it’s the ole “devil made him do it” excuse, which apparently allows this chrisitian to act as the devil would, and teach others to do the same.
Then the DARVO starts up: “Caudle told News 9 he never called for violence against Musk, saying Musk “takes things, they twist them, they only play portions of a particular sermon in order to push their propaganda.”
Violence against others is never the way of Christ. Christ’s way to injustice is loving self sacrifice while shining light on truth. Solving problems, even problems as monumental as Elon Musk, with violence shows a lack of belief in the way of Christ.
If this man is a pastor the woods are full of them. If my pastor said anything like what he said, i would get up and walk out. If this is a man of faith, thank the lord Jesus is watching a fake heathern