Thank you, Bishop Budde

It’s Wednesday afternoon. January 22, 2025. Earlier today, I received a message from an acquaintance saying that I reminded them of Bishop Mariann Budde, “someone else,” they said, “who brought politics into their sermons.

“Some folks NEVER learn,” they said.

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Yesterday, at a nationally broadcast prayer service in Washington DC, before a congregation of political dignitaries, some of whom appearing as excited to be in church as your average middle-schooler, Bishop Budde calmly implored the new President to “show mercy” to those who are scared right now—specifically, to members of the immigrant and the LGBTQ communities. Some of Trump’s recent executive orders declare the administration’s intent to renew efforts to humiliate and ostracize these neighbors whom Jesus calls us to welcome and to love.

Respecting the office and authority of the President of the United States, and aware of the potential repercussions from a man whose campaign was predicated on greed, fear, and revenge, the Rev. Dr. Budde demonstrated to all of us what Jesus-following courage and grace look like.

Pleading for mercy on behalf of groups of people being targeted for deportation and/or discrimination hardly meets the standard of what the President has since called a “nasty tone.” Bishop Budde’s thoughtful and measured words were also utterly faithful to Jesus, who spoke and acted in the same way on behalf of similarly marginalized people in his own context two millennia ago.

Mr. President, I know you won’t read this blog post, but I have to say, Jesus started this, not Dr. Budde. You have now heard the Gospel. And while some folks may never learn, for the good of our nation, I genuinely pray that you do.

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It seems to me that any presentation of the Gospel that fails to motivate hearers to action consistent with the radical welcome and transforming love of Jesus is, all in all, less-than-faithful to Jesus. And if it doesn’t motivate us to faithful action, shouldn’t it, as it obviously did for the President (and the Vice President), at least disquiet or even offend us?

How we approach our interior life of faith shapes how we express that faith in our exterior existence. And that outward expression necessarily includes political action because the fruits of Jesus-inspired action include working for justice on behalf of those who do not have the voice or the means to speak or act for themselves. To separate the interior from the exterior—in preaching as well as daily living—leads to the comfortable but vacuous dualism called hypocrisy.

Almost inevitably, hypocrisy leads to irrelevance. And I consider that the Church’s fundamental struggle today.

Last June, I retired from my role as preacher and pastor. And the comment I referred to a few moments ago came from someone with whom I have not interacted in years. So, it seems that this person went out of their way to try to upset me. Now, I didn’t enjoy receiving that message. It arrived not only out of the blue, but in an impersonal format and clearly intended as a personal insult. I would also be lying if I denied the quick surge of adrenaline that made me consider responding with a sniping comment of my own. That, however, would only energize the person toward deeper resentment. It would also make me an affront to rather than a servant of the Gospel. (Some may wonder if the person might simply have wanted my attention. I suppose that’s possible, but past experience with them suggests otherwise.)

As I’ve processed all of this, I could not feel more affirmed and grateful than to have been put in the same category as Bishop Budde who, trusting that, as Jesus said, those with ears [will] hear, took the great risk of personally and publicly speaking Jesus-following truth to unrepentant servants of greed and violent power. Indeed, that message has become, to me, reminiscent of the time Sen. Mitch McConnell thought he was excoriating Rep. Elizabeth Warren and excluding her from speaking during a confirmation hearing by saying, repeatedly, “nevertheless, she persisted,” only to hear that phrase coming back at him as a rallying cry that energized feminists in their quest for justice and equality. 

The President has demanded an apology from Bishop Budde. She will not apologize for faithfully preaching the Gospel.

Neither will I.

Thank you, Bishop Budde.