Brave Bishop Budde Owes No Apology
Christian Nationalists hate when women remind them of Jesus
The inaugural prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral was led by Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington and the first woman to serve in that role. This was going to be a problem before she even opened her mouth.
Trump’s Christianity consists of calling on evangelical MAGAs when he needs something from them and courting and appointing Christian Nationalists. His Fake It Follies include using the Bible as a photo op, quoting Two Corinthians, and most recently, forgetting or refusing to put his hand on the Bible while swearing-in.
This isn’t to say Trump isn’t a man of belief. On the contrary.
Trump believes that women should be pretty. They should be sweet. They should say nice things to him and about him. Women should smile at the big men who lead them. He likes it when they call him Daddy. He believes women should never tell a man no.
His beliefs fit in well with the patriarchal men and puritanical masculinity so popular in the fundamentalist MAGA movement. That means Bishop Budde would’ve owed him an apology from the start simply for being who she is. A so-called. Illegitimate.
In Christian Patriarchy, women don’t lead. They aren’t bishops. They don’t publicly admonish men— and they don’t privately, either.
In Christian Patriarchy, women dress for men. They owe it to men to make up their faces, smile, and keep sweet. They never “take that tone.” This has little to do with volume and everything to do with pleasing him.
Trump had a tedious appearance to cross off his list, and the least this woman could do was make it quick and generic. Stay out of the way. In no way steal his limelight. Do not dare use her pulpit to speak for the people—his enemies. This is the patriarchy’s attitude when they’re forced to participate in some hair-brained liberal convention they have every intention of eradicating as soon as they can.
Trump wants loyalists—not “nasty” intelligent women with the courage to quote Jesus to his face.
Which is precisely what Rev. Budde did. Softly and tenderly, she asked for mercy on those who are afraid now.
“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”
The people on my social media—progressives, democrats, republicans, independents, and political agnostics—immediately praised her. Her presence was a balm: female, kind, soft, human. Suddenly, it felt like a collective, population-wide sigh. We needed it, didn’t we?
We needed that cool place on the pillow for our tear-stained cheeks. After seeing so many men with money and power kiss ass and betray American freedoms, it was a relief for the wisdom of Sophia to use the words of Jesus to speak so bravely and clearly.
“We” are most of America. We do not apologize for kindness and courage. More people voted against Trump or for no one at all than who chose him. On a day when Christian MAGAs are unmasking and leaning into hate, it’s important to remember they are not the majority of our country. (CW: the slides in the following Instagram carousel are hateful)
Rev. Mariann Budde has a book on bravery. It’s available in eBook, hardcover (currently sold out) and audio. I bought it in every format.
I hope this might have embarrassed some of the sane people in attendance or at least caused them to re-think their views. I also noticed the smirk on Eric trump’s wife’s face while the younger trump daughter fidgeted about. Thank you for the recommendation for Reverend Budde’s book. However, I will not buy anything from Amazon.
Buying her book right now