I'm With Bishop Budde
The news this week has been filled with stories and opinions about Bishop Mariann Budde’s direct address to the newly sworn in president, pleading for mercy for vulnerable populations who are fearful with so much uncertainty swirling around.
If you missed her comments here is a clip. Budde, who spoke during a prayer service at the Washington Cathedral, serves as bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She’s already received death threats, of course, and been plenty vilified. She may lose her position. And…she’s also been cheered and celebrated.
I wrote about the prophets back in July. What Bishop Budde put forth was prophetic witness, and as ever, those in power do not love being called out so starkly and publicly. On the other hand, those who desire goodness and mercy welcome the words as if they were a downpour of cool, clean rain in a parched, dry land.
I’m highlighting this moment because a theology ain’t worth nuthin’ if it doesn’t directly engage in and have something meaningful to say in current circumstances. And I’m highlighting it because I’m with Bishop Budde and what Jesus preached and taught, and his actions as recorded in the four gospels.
Based on reactions to her sermon, I’m thinking this is potentially a pivotal moment in our culture. The attention focused on the bishop’s direct address has galvanized our conversation around the topic of Christian faith, and I think that matters a great deal. I hope that momentum continues.
I’ve been clear before that I’m increasingly alarmed at what Christian Nationalism is metastasizing into, a kind of insatiable, power-hungry beast that’s lumbering farther and farther away from the person and the ministry and the identity of Jesus.
Just today, Sunday, I read a post on social media from a pastor stating, “Christianity is not, nor has it ever been, synonymous with social justice. Jesus Christ did not come to be a political activist or a champion of societal reform…” and I honestly don’t know how you square Mary’s Magnificat, the Beatitudes in both Luke and Matthew, and Jesus’s “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” alongside his prophetic call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, tend to the sick, visit the prisoner and not see a call to remake the culture into one that is more just and in line with the dream that God has held and continues to hold for Their creation from the very beginning.
Anyway, it seems important to say all this out loud. I want to be clear where I stand. Even in the midst of my wrestling with half-baked beliefs, I still cling to the Jesus to whom every single one of us matters and who did not withhold compassion from anyone in need of it.