Politics in Church: Bishop vs. Admin.
Tuesday morning, Lady Bishop Mariann Budde from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington was picked to give a sermon at a Prayer Service in front of the Trump administration and his family. Instead of sharing a message based on scripture, she took the opportunity to call out the administration for not showing enough compassion towards LGBTQ+ members, illegal immigrants, and overall her personal ideology that contradicts everything that God’s teachings speaks about. Here's the full transcript of what she said:
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen” - Lady Bishop Mariann Budde
I've been using 1 John as a guide in my last blog post to get us ready for the new year. But after what went down at the service yesterday, I felt the need to share some of my thoughts. It reminds me of what Simon Peter talks about in 2 Peter chapter 2 when he brings up the issue of false prophets popping up.
When it comes to politics in the church, the big question is: "Should we talk about political issues?" Personally, I say yes. But we need to think about how deep we dive into politics. First off, let’s look at what the Bible says—like in Romans 13, where Paul talks about being respectful to the government, and then in 1 Peter 2:13-20, where Peter emphasizes honoring authority. If you're leading a denomination, it's important to set aside your own political opinions and not push your views onto your congregation, especially if they clash with what the scripture teaches and it’s also important that you set aside your personal political views when asked to give a sermon in front of the current presidential administration and their families. This is just an explicit example of the false teachers that I’ve been referring to in my blog series.
I pray that in this current world view of leaders who are given a platform like the Lady Bishop need to take a look at themselves and see where their priorities lie.