How Ike Saved Europe a Second Time at Thanksgiving, 1945

The war in Europe was over and the Allied commander, General Dwight D. (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 from Nazi Germany, 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, from my perspective as a Christian, 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, Who we Christians confess to be 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 American life 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 which, as a pastor, 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 on issues which are, only incidentally, political. 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 both right and wise.

[Also see here.]

[This has been cross-posted in only slightly different form on my personal blog.]