How 5 Evangelical Leaders Reacted to U.S. Action in Venezuela

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The United States military action in Venezuela drew applause from many evangelical leaders, who said it marked a long-awaited stand against oppression and corruption.

U.S. military forces over the weekend carried out a swift operation in Venezuela that included targeted strikes on key locations and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were flown to the United States to face charges related to drug-related offenses and narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Here is how five evangelical leaders in the U.S. responded:

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

“Thank you President Donald J. Trump for what you’ve done for the people of Venezuela,” Graham wrote on social media. “The President is strategically working to protect our nation and better the lives of people around the world. He said in an interview this morning that illegal drugs flowing into the United States by ship is now reduced by 97% – that’s incredible, and we thank God! He said that our country was previously losing 300,000 lives a year to illicit drugs. President Trump is trying to fix this tragedy and keep America from becoming like these countries that have been ruined by socialism, communism, corruption, crime, and drugs. Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse have worked for many years with churches in Venezuela – over 4,500 of them. Please pray for these congregations and ministers of the Gospel as they share the hope of Jesus Christ.”

Thank you President @realDonaldTrump for what you’ve done for the people of Venezuela. The President is strategically working to protect our nation and better the lives of people around the world. He said in an interview this morning that illegal drugs flowing into the United…

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) January 3, 2026

L. Gilberto Corredera, Prestonwood en Español, Texas

“As a pastor who walks closely with a congregation largely made up of Venezuelans and Hispanics, I speak about Venezuela not from a distance, but from relationship. I have seen the tears, heard the stories, and walked with many who carry deep sorrow and quiet strength in their hearts.

“For the Venezuelan people, this moment is deeply personal. It reflects loss, separation, and the pain of leaving behind a beloved homeland, while also holding a cautious but real hope that justice and restoration may finally come.

“Christians are not called to anger, revenge, or triumphalism, but to prayer, humility, and the faithful defense of truth and freedom. Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Therefore, we lift our prayers for the government of the United States, that its leaders would act with wisdom, justice, and reverence for God, and for the people of Venezuela, that God would heal deep wounds and bring lasting restoration.

“We pray specifically for Venezuela: for a just, legitimate, and peaceful transition of leadership; that there would be no further escalation or the need for additional military action; that the Venezuelan people may live free, safe, and independent, with genuine opportunities to flourish; that what was stolen or unjustly taken may be restored; and that human justice would align with the justice of God.

“We express sincere gratitude to the President and to the men and women of the United States military who serve with courage and sacrifice, and we pray for their protection and discernment. We also pray for the President and his cabinet, that God would guide them and grant them wisdom to make decisions that uphold freedom and peace in this hemisphere.

“To my beloved Venezuelan community: your pain is seen, your faith has not been in vain, and your hope has not been forgotten.

“May God heal and bless Venezuela.

“May God bless the United States of America.”

(Editor’s note: Prestonwood includes close to 1,000 Venezuelans in its congregation.)

Prestonwood includes nearly 1000 Venezuelans in our congregation, Prestonwood Español. Here is an important statement we are releasing from our pastor Gilberto Corredera
As a pastor who walks closely with a congregation largely made up of Venezuelans and Hispanics, I speak about…

— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) January 4, 2026

Samuel Rodriguez, president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

“Today, we congratulate the people of Venezuela on a historic and hope-filled moment, a moment that affirms a timeless truth: the human spirit was created to be free,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“The inevitable collapse of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes occurs because oppression always contradicts the design of God. Dictatorships may silence voices for a season, but they can never extinguish the God-given longing for liberty, dignity, and opportunity. The people of Venezuela have not merely survived, they have persevered, and now they stand poised not to fail, but to thrive.

“We recognize this moment as more than political change; it is a moral reset. Democracy, religious liberty, and human rights are not privileges granted by governments; they are endowments from God. Any system that attempts to confiscate what God has given will ultimately collapse under the weight of its own injustice.

“We also commend the leadership of the Donald Trump administration for standing firmly for freedom in the Western Hemisphere and for providing moral clarity and leadership alongside nations in Latin America that are weary of ideologies that imprison the soul, suppress faith, and erode human dignity. This moment signals that the era of authoritarian socialism and coercive control is giving way to a renewed commitment to freedom, opportunity, and accountability.

“As people of faith, we celebrate a future where Venezuelan families can worship freely, work honestly, build securely, and dream boldly, without fear, without censorship, and without tyranny.

“Scripture reminds us: ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ 2 Corinthians 3:17.

“May Venezuela step into a season marked by justice, prosperity, reconciliation, and hope. And may this moment inspire all nations of the Americas to choose liberty over control, faith over fear, and opportunity over oppression.

“Freedom is not merely a political aspiration, it is a divine design.”

“Today, we congratulate the people of Venezuela on a historic and hope-filled moment, a moment that affirms a timeless truth: the human spirit was created to be free.

The inevitable collapse of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes occurs because oppression always contradicts… pic.twitter.com/S63evhUQNI

— Samuel Rodriguez (@nhclc) January 4, 2026

Daniel R. Suhr, president, Center for American Rights

“Was it awesome? Waking up on a snowy Saturday morning to find that U.S. Special Forces had executed a precision operation to grab Venezuela’s el presidente Nicolas Maduro from his bed and haul him to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges? Over breakfast at the Suhr house, the resounding consensus was heck yeah! The fact that the Chinese envoy was with Maduro the night before seemed like the cherry on top,” Suhr wrote in a column for World Opinions.

“Was it legal? Was it just? These are questions that require greater reflection and more nuance, but they eventually lead to an affirmative answer.

“As citizens in a rules-based republic, we believe in the rule of law and the constitutional design that gives Congress the power to declare war and the president the power to command the armed forces and to ensure the laws are faithfully executed. Thus, we understand, even applaud, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah asking promptly on X: ‘I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.’

“And we equally appreciate his timely update after a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who informed Lee that ‘Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant. This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.’

“In pursuing this strategy, the Trump Administration stands on solid legal ground: George H.W. Bush did the same to Panamanian strong man Manuel Noriega in 1990. There too the president deployed U.S. armed forces in a limited effort to nab a drug lord to bring him back to face charges, even if that drug lord was also the leader of a foreign nation. Noriega went to trial, was found guilty, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld his conviction despite his reliance on his supposed status as leader of Panama.”

Albert Mohler, president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kentucky

“The hard part is what comes next,” Mohler wrote in a column for World Opinions. “Removing Maduro was absolutely necessary and fully justified. While the rest of the world demanded year after year that Maduro resign, Trump effectively resigned him. Democrats in Congress and globalists at the United Nations will cry foul, but to no avail. Congress could act, but it won’t. The Constitution puts awesome responsibility in the hands of the president of the United States, and President Trump used that authority. In a world of dangerous split-second developments and endless congressional square-dancing, military action is sometimes necessary. It is always questioned, and should be, but the last time Congress officially declared war was in 1941. This is not what the founders intended, but they never knew of a ballistic missile or a host of other developments.

“Trump has long condemned interventionists like both Presidents Bush and said that he would not lead America into endless global entanglements. After hitting targets within Iran, Syria, Iraq, and now Nigeria, it seems clear that while President Trump wants to avoid long military entanglements, he isn’t reluctant to order strategic military strikes. The big question is whether the two can remain divided and if the strikes will accomplish their purposes.

“On the international scene, even some who like the fact that Maduro is out will decry the United States for acting unilaterally, and some will cite international law. The United Nations will huff and puff and blow its own horn, but to no effect. There is a live debate over the existence and content of something called “international law,” but the United States will never sacrifice its own security to satisfy the General Assembly of the United Nations. If the United Nations were effective, U.S. action would not have been necessary. The world is a mess, and the U.N. is incompetent to meet the challenge – and always will be.

“Realists know that actions like this military strike and the removal of Nicolas Maduro are never fully satisfying, even as they are necessary. What matters now is what comes next. I was among the first American journalists to land in Panama in 1990 after the United States took similar action to remove and prosecute Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, and I was one of the first to interview the new president, Guillermo Endara. I know the score. The arrival in Venezuela of yet another Chavez or Maduro resolves nothing. But, if nothing else, Maduro’s fellow strongmen around the world are surely asking the question: ‘Who’s next?’”

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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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