Unbiblical Exhortation At National Prayer Service Goes Viral

You can't judge a church by its architecture. On their first full day in office, President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and their families attended "A Service of Prayer for the Nation" at the magnificent National Cathedral in northwest Washington, D.C. 

There, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a 15-minute homily on the topic of unity. Yet so controversial was this speech that the final minutes have gone viral, accumulating millions of views in less than 24 hours.

Perhaps you would like to read it for yourself. Budde's conclusion is transcribed below:

That's a powerful guilt trip if ever there was one. Budde invoked "the name of our God" to criticize the newly inaugurated president over his policies, which she believed were unmerciful. As even The New York Times recognized, "The direct appeal to President Trump on the first full day of his term was a remarkable moment at a National Cathedral event that traditionally has not been political."

In an interview, Budde defended her comments by saying she made them because "of the fear that I have seen and experienced among our people -- people that I know and love, both within the immigrant community and within the LGBTQ community, and how terrified so many are." (Indeed, led astray about what LGBT policies Trump will and can implement as president, it seems that a large number of people who identify as LGBT are quite literally scared to the point of death. The Trevor Project, a transgender activist group, reported a 700% increase in messages to its suicide hotline after Trump's November election victory.)

There have been many justified rebuttals to Budde's oration already, although most have been political in nature. Here at The Washington Stand, we strive to filter all news through the word of God. This means that, in a situation like this, the most important question we can ask is: What does the Bible have to say about it?

We begin by considering whether Budde's political conclusions are consistent with the teaching of the Bible -- that is, whether they are consistent with Christianity itself.

In Matthew 19, Jesus responded to a question about divorce by citing Genesis 1:26, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?" (Matthew 19:4). For Jesus, this ancient statement about the created order was still relevant -- even directly applicable -- to the sexual ethics of his own time and place.

Those who are Jesus's disciples must follow his teaching. If we take the exact same scripture cited by Jesus and apply it to our own controversies about sexual and gender norms -- just as Jesus did -- then it's hard to avoid the conclusion that there are only two genders, male and female, and that to deny this is untruthful. At least, this is the conclusion we will draw if we base our arguments on the Scriptures, as Christians have done ever since Jesus provided the example.

Furthermore, Christians who follow Jesus's example must speak this truth even to those who may not want to hear it. As Budde prayed, we "honor the dignity of every human being" by communicating this truth. Thus, Paul urged Christians, "speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:11). There are more or less loving ways to speak the truth, but it is unloving to hide the truth from someone who needs to hear it.

There are likely instances where people who identify as transgender have been told the truth in ways that are unloving, or even, as Budde suggested, make them "fear for their lives." This is wrong, and those who have sinned with their words should seek forgiveness in repentance. But these instances do not mean that there are no acceptable ways to communicate the truth. Abuse of the truth does not negate it.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order that provided a biological definition of "male" and "female" for federal agencies. The order neither personally attacked nor threatened anyone. It simply told the truth, ending confusion and bringing order in cases where the concept of biological sex really does matter.

One further point requires clarification. Budde appealed to God's merciful and loving character in asking President Trump to show mercy towards people who identify as LGBT and towards (illegal) immigrants. She is correct that God is merciful and loving, and that God calls his followers to imitate these attributes of his character.

However, love and mercy are not the only attributes of God. God is also righteous, holy, and just, and he executes vengeance and wrath against evildoers. As a result, God has different instructions for individuals than for government with respect to imitating his character.

We see this clearly in Paul's detailed and careful letter to the Romans. Paul exhorts the Roman Christians individually and collectively, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord' [Deuteronomy 32:25]" (Romans 12:19). Yet, in the very next paragraph, Paul writes, "The one who is in authority ... is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:3-4). In practically the same breath, Paul instructs individuals not to avenge themselves because of God's wrath, then he calls government the agent of God's wrath in vengeance.

This is not to say that mercy and love should play absolutely no role in the administration of government. But it does mean that governments should prioritize justice. Indeed, meting out justice against evildoers is often the best way for a government to show love, because in this way they act as an advocate and protector for victims. By enforcing justice, the government also deters crime, protecting more people who would otherwise suffer harm.

At the very least, applying justice and mercy is complex and involves countless variables, and in most areas, Scripture does not prescribe what is the correct government policy. The role God gave to pastors is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry" so that they will mature in sanctification and oppose crafty deceptions by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:11-16). 

If a preacher ventures beyond what Scripture teaches, his lectures contain nothing more than his own opinions. Pastors have neither divine authority nor, in most cases, the relevant expertise to tell policymakers how to run the country. This is why Scripture urges pastors not to lecture public leaders -- except in cases of clear immorality (e.g. Matthew 14:4) -- but to pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

In his punchy, practical epistle, the apostle James warned that those "who teach will be judged with greater strictness" (James 3:1). This is a sobering reminder for preachers to watch their words, for fear that they will drift into spouting their own opinions, and perhaps even espouse positions contrary to the word of God. Good preaching is a delicate art that requires both a rigid adherence to Scripture and relevant applications for their own hearers. Exhorting rulers to remember mercy has its place, but not by suggesting they affirm anti-biblical worldviews, vacate the law, and leave crimes unpunished.

President Trump did not receive Budde's moralizing favorably. In his now-familiar combative style, Trump excoriated the service in a Wednesday post, complaining that "She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way." Although not everything he said was helpful or kind, Trump rightly faulted Budde for failing "to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people"; such violent criminals are the first Trump wants to deport.

Indeed, this was the job Americans elected Trump to do. In a recent Axios/Ipsos poll, 66% of Americans supported Trump's plan to deport immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally (which itself is a federal crime). A similar supermajority of Americans (65%) also believes there are only two genders, according to a PPRI poll from June 2023. Based in part on these issues, a near-majority of American voters elected Trump as president.

Budde is entitled to both hold a different opinion and seek to persuade those who disagree with her. But she should recognize that she is contradicting the majority of American voters and is also not backed by the authority of God's word. "The cause of America's decline was not what was sitting in the pew but what was standing behind the pulpit," lamented Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. "What we heard today was not a prophetic voice from the church, but rather pathetic."

Although the National Cathedral is the most impressive church in D.C. if judged by its stone casing, it is not known for regularly preaching the gospel. Yet there are numerous gospel-preaching churches in the area. Perhaps, if Trump would prefer to hear less progressive moralizing, he could attend one these churches instead.

Originally published at The Washington Stand