Five woke religious activists, including prominent Christian leftist Shane Claiborne, were arrested at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda after they were warned multiple times to stop protesting the recently introduced budget bill, a piece of legislation that, if passed, would lead to significant energy reforms, including increased oil and gas drilling.
For context, the budget bill, which has yet to be passed as of May 6, 2025, has been a lightning rod for controversy since its announcement, with Democrats criticizing its emphasis on natural resource development. Claiborne and his fellow protesters, who were arrested on May 5, 2025, came to the Capitol Rotunda to pray that God would “work a miracle” to prevent the passing of the bill.
Furthermore, Claiborne, who is the co-director of the progressive organization Red Letter Christians, is well-known for his staunch opposition to more traditional conservative Christianity, and he joined with other progressive faith leaders to protest the bill just days after Rev. William Barber and two others were reportedly arrested at the Rotunda for the same reason on April 28, 2025.
According to coverage from Religion News Service, Claiborne was praying during the protest, with reporter Jack Jenkins quoting him as saying, “Reorder our moral compass. Stir the conscience of our nation. Let justice rise up on these very steps, let truth trouble the chambers of the Capitol. Let there be no peace where there is no justice. Let there be no comfort for those who legislate cruelty.”
Additionally, Claiborne reportedly prayed that the gathered protesters would “rise not with fear but with fire,” adding, “Because as long as the details are still being worked out in committee…” The group of activists responded in unison, “You can work a miracle.”
In a statement made to Religion News Service following the arrests, Capitol Police said that they arrested five people for “crowding, obstructing, and incommoding” after they were warned multiple times to stop. In response to his arrest, Claiborne replied, “We think that these are extreme times, and they warrant extreme measures.” He added, “So, we’re going to bear witness, non-violently.”
In addition, Rev. William Barber, a prominent leftist pastor and the founder of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, told the press, “It is a sad day in America when you can be arrested in the people’s house for merely praying because the congresspeople in a party in that house are choosing to prey — P-R-E-Y — on the most vulnerable of this nation, along with the president of the nation.”
According to press coverage of the incident, the others arrested in addition to Caliborne were Rev. Alvin Jackson, Rev. Hannah Broome, Ariel Gold, and Rev. Joel Simpson, all of whom are reportedly involved with faith-based activist groups and liberal churches.
Featured image credit: Shane Claiborne via Facebook