A woman from Kentucky carrying out a social experiment was turned down by dozens of churches of various denominations and sizes in the Bible Belt in donating formula to her hungry baby.
Over the past few weeks, a Kentucky woman’s controversial “social experiment” went viral on TikTok as she “tested” local religious centers to see how they would respond to a mother in need of baby formula.
What she found ― and the larger reaction to it online ― is ultimately telling about what Americans really think about the state of charitable giving from faith groups. However, it also highlights the complex reality of doing good and providing for communities as a donor-funded safety net to the federal government.
It all started when Nikalie Monroe set out to test the reliability of local religious centers (churches, mosques, temples, etc.) to see how the groups would assist a mom with a hungry baby. Monroe dials up an organization on speaker phone, playing a track of a crying baby in the background. When someone answers, she tells them she hasn’t been able to feed her baby and asks them if they’d be willing to give her a can of formula.
“For those of you who actually go to church and donate your hard-earned money, do you actually know what your money goes to?” Monroe asked in a Tiktok explaining the thought behind the experiment. “Because I know some of you can’t really afford much and you give what you can and that takes money out of your own mouth.”
She acknowledged that, yes, she was being untruthful in the test and was playing the character of a mom with a crying infant to see the real-time reaction from each church.
While in no way is this a reliable methodology for a fully fleshed-out study or audit of these services, the experiment was enlightening for many commenters who were genuinely curious if their church would “pass” the test if they got the call. Numerous commenters asked Monroe to test their own congregations. Some shared stories of experiences with their own local congregations and the work they do (as well as the financial disclosures they’re offered).
Others expressed doubt that churches steeped in MAGA Christianity would rise to this particular occasion: “Listen. They do not care. The people going to church are the ‘GET A BETTER JOB’ people. They don’t want their church to help their community,” one comment from TikTok user krassalis said.