If anyone wonders why so many mainline Christian denominations have been declining precipitously over the years, all they need to do is consider Tuesday’s National Prayer Service presided over by the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde — the Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C.
In many ways, it’s a microcosm of a larger, widespread issue of pastors who abandon the Bible and substitute out God’s truth for an emotionally manufactured theology.
A longtime critic of the 47th president, Bishop Budde looked directly at President Trump as she began her remarks.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” she said. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
In reality, there is no such thing as LGBT children. There are those who might very well be confused, those who claim a certain attraction, but it’s inaccurate and reckless to make such sweeping designations when referring to young people. They’re far too immature and emotionally underdeveloped to make such decisions and declarations.
Any sexually confused person who fears for their life has bought, hook, line, and sinker, the propaganda of the radical activists. Perpetuating that lie that they have reason to be fearful is heartless, careless, and manipulative. It only adds to the pain and grief these children are already navigating. It’s tantamount to psychological abuse.
Reverend Budde then turned her attention to illegal immigration.
“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities — these children fear that their parents will be taken away,” she said. “And that you help those that are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands find compassion and welcome here.”
She then added:
“Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we will all want strangers in this land.”
The bishop is correct that Christians are to welcome immigrants (Deut. 10:19) and be hospitable to strangers (Romans 12:13). But there is big difference to treating people with compassion and respect and flinging wide open the borders and declining to pursue and prosecute those who break the law.
It’s similarly irresponsible to conflate illegal immigration with the issue of refugees from war-torn and abusive situations. But once more, playing and prying on the emotion of the issue ignores the far-reaching consequences of allowing the violent to remain in America.
But Bishop Budde also owes the immigrant community an apology.
“And the people, 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,” she stated.
Why is the bishop assuming immigrants are only in those professions? If you go back far enough, nearly every American has an inspiring immigrant story. Every class and level of American industry, science, sports, entertainment, and education is full of those who arrived with nothing and achieved almost anything and everything their heart desired.
Returning from the National Cathedral on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters, “I didn’t think it was a good service. They can do much better.”
Writing on Truth Social on Wednesday, Mr. Trump was a bit more pointed. Speaking of Bishop Budde, he said:
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone …”
The Episcopal Church, which has ties to the Church of England, has been in a steady decline since the 1960s. It was in 2003 when they ordained their first openly homosexual pastor.
Claiming a membership of 2.4 million in 1950, that dropped to 2 million in 2010, and now sits at approximately1.5 million today. But membership numbers are deceptive, especially as many churches don’t bother to clean or cull their lists. A third of Episcopal churches have 25 or fewer people attending Sunday services. Episcopalians are not alone. Mainline Christian denominations have been in a freefall for decades as they move away from orthodox teachings of Scripture.
The National Cathedral spectacle is dominating headlines today, but most Christians who embrace the authority and teachings of the Bible, as opposed to a radical social agenda based on feelings and popular impulses, have long ago grown weary of self-righteous and smug lectures – and especially from the pulpit.
Image from Getty.
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