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MAGA Targeting Lutherans?

MAGA Targeting Lutherans?

Last updated on: February 14, 2025 at 6:37 pm by Gene Veith

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MAGA Targeting Lutherans? 2025-02-14T18:37:14-05:00 Gene Veith

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Lutherans are in the news, which is not usually a good thing, requiring explanations about the different kinds of Lutherans, untangling of misconceptions, defense against the critics, but also investigations into possible wrongdoing.

The previous Republican president, George W. Bush, made it possible for agencies of the federal government to contract with and give grants to faith-based organizations, including religious charities, to carry out some of the agencies’ programs, especially those involving relief (as with hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other disasters) and social services (as with adoption, rehabilitation, and care for the poor).

Catholics have many organizations devoted to such good works, and so do Lutherans with our tradition of “mercy work.” Evangelicals and mainline Protestants do as well. Some of them, though by no means all, accept federal money.

The Trump administration, with the help of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been taking a chain saw to government agencies in their zeal to save taxpayer money, especially when those agencies have been using that money to fund leftist projects. Now religious ministries that take taxpayer money are being scrutinized. (See Michelle Boorstein’s story in the Washington Post: Attacks on Catholics, Lutherans suggest new Trump approach on religion.)

It started with Vice President J. D. Vance, a devout Catholic himself, criticizing Catholic charities for helping illegal immigrants. And now, President Trump’s former national security advisor General Mike Flynn has come down hard on the Lutherans. Here is what he posted on X:

Now it’s the “Lutheran” faith (this use of “religion” as a money laundering operation must end): Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations receive massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, and the numbers speak for themselves. These funds, total BILLIONS of American taxpayer dollars. Here are just a few of the recent grants awarded (pre @RobertKennedyJr) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICE INC: $367,612,906 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES OF THE SOUTH, INC: $134,190,472.95 LUTHERAN SERVICES FLORIDA, INC.: $82,937,819.95

There are MANY more organizations cashing in on our hard-earned money. These entities are receiving huge sums, which raise serious questions about how taxpayer funds are being spent and who’s benefiting. It’s time to hold these organizations accountable. American taxpayers deserve transparency. Enough is enough! And there is much more where these screen shots below came from.

Gen. Flynn included a screen shot of spreadsheets showing truly staggering amounts of taxpayer money–hundreds of millions of dollars–going to Lutheran charities.

Musk re-tweeted Flynn’s post, with the comment, “The @DOGE team is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”

It isn’t clear exactly what these specific grants are for. (Do any of you know?) Most of the funding went to ELCA organizations. Some of these, including the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), used to be joint ventures with the LCMS, which eventually cut the ties due to the ELCA’s theological liberalism. But others, such as Lutheran Family Services, are Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) of the LCMS. At least one, Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Services, is affiliated with the Wisconsin Synod, another confessional church body.

Here is the statement from Lutheran Family Services about the controversy:

We at Lutheran Family Services in Nebraska (LFS) work daily to serve all of God’s people and to preserve America’s greatness.

It is our therapists, social workers, counselors and other professionals who are helping people recover and manage their addictions, mental health, and trauma. We work alongside law enforcement during crises, we help children who have been sexually abused, and we provide safe spaces and support for struggling veterans. We do all of this on a sliding scale, meaning if someone doesn’t have insurance or can’t pay for it, we can still help them. That’s possible, in part, because of the federal funding and the trust that we’ve earned over our 133 years of service to our communities and state.

To allegations that we are somehow “money laundering,” please know that we are highly audited, accredited, and endorsed by the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator. Our financial reports are available on our website. We were founded by Lutheran pastors, but we are not an evangelical organization. We are not a church. We do not proselytize. We simply serve. We are here because we know if we weren’t, there might not be anyone to lend a hand. And then where would we be?

We have provided refugee services for 50 years, since the fall of Saigon. Those with refugee status are highly vetted people who came to the US at the invitation of our government. Most wait years, even decades before getting the “golden ticket” of being able to come to America to rebuild their lives. They have been driven from their homes by the likes of the Taliban or Isis and have nowhere to return to. Many helped our armed forces during conflicts and face certain death if they go back to their home countries. All persons with refugee status are here legally. They are not trying to sneak in. They have followed our rules and laws from day one, and as part of their resettlement, are required to pay back the cost of their plane ticket once they are working. And we help them, as good neighbors do.

Our services, along with those of other non-profits in our communities, provide a safety net that allows society to operate with calmness and consistency. We know this is something that Americans value.

So, we strongly encourage Gen. Flynn and Mr. Musk to visit us to learn more. Come talk with our clients — parents who’ve adopted children, young people who have a home after aging out of foster care, those in recovery, and our veterans. Learn about who we serve, and how we transform federal grant funding into children, families, and lives saved. Reach out at [email protected].

LCMS President Matthew Harrison also addresses the issue in a letter to the church. The whole thing is worth reading, but here are some excerpts:

The LCMS loves all people. We believe “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). We are sinners loved by Christ. And Christ bids us, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 19:19). When our congregations, pastors and people come into contact with individuals who are not legally in the U.S., particularly when such individuals find themselves in our churches, we welcome them. We tell them about Jesus’ forgiveness. We also always urge and often assist them in doing the right thing, that is, becoming legal residents. The LCMS is officially pro-immigrant. Our church was founded by German immigrants.

President Harrison explains that the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is not part of the LCMS. He surveys the synod’s earlier co-operation with the ELCA with such ventures and the reasons for the breakup. President Harrison noted that some of the RSOs listed apparently have kept some ties with the ELCA, which he will be investigating. He concludes with this:

I’m sure that General Flynn meant well with his muckraking, but he misses the mark in two ways. First, though I do not agree philosophically with every operational aspect of LIRS, if there is something legally amiss, the blame falls squarely upon the federal government. LIRS — and even our own LCMS RSOs — simply does what the government asks and pays for them to do.

During his first term, President Trump and the First Lady visited one of the LCMS RSOs currently under scrutiny. The president wanted to ensure that the institution would be a place to deliver outstanding care to unaccompanied minors. That agency has been quietly doing this work since that visit. They take the work with profound seriousness and love. They did not and do not deserve the broad brush of disdain brought upon them.

Second, οur immigration laws are a mess. I can safely say our LCMS people are all for removing criminal bad actors from this country. Caesar “beareth not the sword in vain” says St. Paul (Rom. 13:4). There are indeed millions who have broken federal immigration law. That is wrong. It is also true that millions have been enticed and encouraged to enter illegally into this country by contradictory American voices at all levels: federal, state and local. I cannot but be sympathetic to their plight. At the same time, a well-regulated border, sound immigration policy, and welcoming space for persecuted refugees are all fundamental parts of a God-pleasing answer to the question: Who will contribute to this marvelous and blessed American experiment?

It would help to learn what exactly these grants are for. And to learn what Gen. Flynn means by “money laundering.”

And the grief these agencies and others are going through due to this bad publicity may serve as a cautionary tale, showing that when the church takes government money, political entanglements are inevitable.

President Trump has vowed to promote religion, establishing a White House Faith Office and signing an Executive Order titled Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias. He may need to remind DOGE that Christianity involves good works.

Illustration: Lutheran Family Services via Facebook

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