Tennesee Preacher Calls for Violence Against Musk

I've never enjoyed listening to someone preach politics from the pulpit. It's one of the reasons I'm glad I am no longer an Episcopalian. That said, churches continue to preach politics, but the degree to which a church can get away with it without facing accusations of blending church and state and eliciting calls for an end to tax-exempt status have heretofore been dependent on the politics in question. 

We heard ad nauseam of the dangers of Christian nationalism during the last election cycle. We all know how well that worked out for the Left. But projection is the chief export of progressivism, and I am sure no one among liberal ranks raised eyebrows about a sermon that a pastor preached this past Sunday. 

Dr. Steve Caudle of Greater Second Missionary Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., took to the pulpit to warn that violence could be necessary when responding to Elon Musk and the efforts of DOGE. The preacher commented:

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,” the reverend claimed. Sometimes the devil will act so ugly, that there is no other choice but to get violent and fight!

Misinformation and violent rhetoric about DOGE is spilling out into pulpits across the nation:

"No one likes violence, but sometimes violence is necessary. When Elon Musk forces his way into the U.S. Treasury and threatens to steal your personal information and your Social… pic.twitter.com/JJl0XWVRAd

— Woke Preacher Clips (@WokePreacherTV) February 10, 2025

For those who might find it a bit ironic that someone would preach violence from the pulpit, Caudle offered Mathew 11:12 to support his call to arms. The verse in question is "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it."  

This is certainly not the first time anyone has yanked scripture out of context to meet a need. I've seen it everywhere, from sermons and Bible studies to lectures and textbooks. But for a bit of background, that line comes from a discussion about John the Baptist. At the start of the chapter, Jesus is talking to John's followers about whether or not he is the one about whom John prophesied. That specific verse comes during a subsequent discussion with the crowd that remains after John's disciples depart regarding John. It has nothing to do with committing acts of violence. There is no exhortation to take to the streets and fight. 

In this day and age, it can be difficult to know whether the members of the Left are compromised or grossly misinformed. My guess is that in this case, it is the latter. We have a demographic that transcends racial boundaries and has been taught for the last ten years that Donald Trump is nothing short of the antichrist and that his supporters are demons. Those have become not just a talking point but, dare we say, a gospel to the Left. While Caudle's words are alarming, what is even more alarming is the number of people the political class has convinced to support the grift. These people are not just in favor of being ripped off; now, we have calls for violence to ensure that the theft continues. 

If Caudle could look beyond his prejudices, he might realize that Musk is not threatening anyone's private information or social security money, safety, or future. That would be the people and organizations DOGE is investigating. Once he understood that, he might want to skip ahead for next week's sermon to Luke 19:8 or, better still, Matthew 21:12-13.