In the News

American religion scholar (and also my friend) Rebecca Barrett-Fox, has recently pointed out that both ICE and Turning Point USA have been using Isaiah 6:8 in their propaganda.

In the case of ICE, this verse is used in a recruitment video: “Here’s a Bible verse that I think about sometimes, many times. It goes: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us.’ I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’”

After the assasination of Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA is selling t-shirts with a sketch of Kirk raising his hand and the words “Here I am; send me.”

(I am choosing not to link to either of these products, but I expect they are easy enough to find with an internet search.)  

In the Word

The use of this verse in an ICE recruiting video is a textbook example of idolatry. This video equates the call of the government with the call of God, thus placing a worldly power in the place that only God should occupy. It is blasphemous to use the words of a biblical prophet in the service of idolatry, particularly when the prophets spend so much time directly preaching against idolatry. (For one example, see Isaiah 57:12-13.)

It is blasphemous to use these words of Isaiah in the service of violence at all, and especially violence against immigrants. The book of Isaiah, in line with other prophetic books, insists that foreigners are part of God’s people: “Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people.’(56:3). 

The use of Isaiah 6:8 on Charlie Kirk t-shirts follows the typical evangelical Christian pattern of appropriating this Jewish text to make it about “spreading the Gospel.” Clearly God was not sending Isaiah to preach about Jesus–who wouldn’t be born for about 800 years. 

In fact, God is sending Isaiah out to preach a lot of things that are directly opposed to the messages Kirk spread through his speaking and writing. Isaiah speaks God’s words about justice for the poor (3:14; 5:8) and turning swords to plowshares (2:4); words about the corruption of those in power (1:23, 5:23). (My example texts only go through Isaiah 5 because I don’t have time to go through the entire book, but that might be a fun project for you!)

In general, I think the “Here I am!” text is simply a catchy tag line that gets pulled out of context because it plays well in a video; it looks good on a t-shirt. But there is an underlying message here that, like the biblical prophets, these people responding to “the call” are suffering–and sometimes dying–for a righteous purpose. The use of Isaiah partly comes out of a martyr complex. But the thing is, true martyrs are persecuted and killed by the forces in power. ICE agents are enabling corrupt forces of power. Kirk was killed by an individual indoctrinated into violence–not by government authority. Flags are not flown at half mast for true prophets or martyrs. 

This does not mean that Kirk deserved to die. He did not. Jesus, who I try to follow, says to love my enemies; so even as I believe Kirk did a great deal of harm in this world, I do not rejoice in his death.

This does not mean that all ICE agents are intentionally going against the will of God and committing idolatry. The governmental propaganda machine is strong and is aided and abetted by a whole lot of religious teaching. 

If we believe the prophets, it seems that God calls to account those in power while having compassion for those caught within the unjust systems the powerful create. Any organization or individual targeting vulnerable groups of people–as ICE does, as Kirk did–is not faithfully living out a prophetic call from God.