Thursday, November 27, 2008

How Ike Saved Europe a Second Time at Thanksgiving, 1945

The war against Nazi aggression in Europe was over and the Allied commander, General Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower, was extremely ill, at home on leave. Doctors had ordered him to rest. But, in the face of an enormous humanitarian crisis that threatened millions in Europe with starvation, the leader of Europe's liberation Hitler's tyranny, testified about the need of relief from a war-weary United States. Read the story here.

The account, written by William Lambers, ends this way:

We didn't forget about Europe after World War II, and today we cannot forget the hunger that afflicts over 900 million people throughout the globe. Whether it's in Afghanistan, Sudan, Nepal or Iraq, it is vital that hunger and poverty are defeated if we hope to have peace.
Amen to that! Last night, we had a Thanksgiving Eve Worship at the parish I'm honored to serve as pastor, Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio. The offering was designated for the hunger relief efforts of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

In the midst of the anxieties we're feeling in this country over the recession and our renewed awareness of terrorism, I hope that we'll remember two things, as individuals and as a nation:

First, that in serving and caring for the needs of our neighbors--locally and globally, we're also serving and worshiping God. Jesus says that whenever we care for the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, or imprisoned, we really serve Him, God incarnate.

Second, as a nation, through the agency of our government and our personal contributions to organizations like Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and Lutheran World Relief, it's wise to remember that it's in our national security and economic interests to contribute to the prosperity and security of destitute national populations. US public and private help to Europe after World War 2, as advocated by Eisenhower, helped establish a peaceful, prosperous, and free Europe. A stable, prosperous world ensures peace for our country, not to mention open markets for US goods and services.

One scandal of contemporary America is that we spend so little on foreign aid, less than one percent of our federal budget outlays most years. We spend less on this than the Netherlands.

Some might think that in saying these things, I'm becoming political, something I steadfastly refuse to do even when commenting on political events. But I've always said that when Biblical mandates are clear, then the Church and clergy should speak out. It's right to help our neighbor. The Bible is clear that those with wealth, whether nations or individuals, have it as a gift from God and it's not to be used selfishly.

On this, as on so many things, Ike was right and wise.

[Also see here.]

1 comment:

ElFouch said...

I agree wholeheartedly, although you may a bit harsh on yourselves - Americans give more per capita as individuals (as well as from your numerous and extraordinarily wealthy and generous charitable foundations) to combating poverty (at home or abroad) than in most European nations. And although US government overseas aid is well below the 0.7% of GDP that is held up as the ideal, the US gives more in total than any other nation because of the huge size of your GDP.

Nevertheless, when the US government can trump up over $1 trillion in a couple of months to bail out and pump prime an ailing economy, Europe can commit to €200 billion, and the UK can commit to ramp up £1 trillion in national debt over five years to pull our economic fat out of the recessionary fire, it does sadden me that we could not find the will in prosperous times to commit even a tenth of that huge sum (nearly $2.5 trillion) to help end global poverty.

Gives you pause for thought, eh?