Unless you’ve been living under a huge cliché, you’ve heard the raging controversy over Bishop Mariann Budde’s message at the National Cathedral prayer service held in conjunction with the recent inauguration of President Donald Trump. If you missed it, here’s a link to the transcript of the homily; the controversial part is the last four paragraphs.
To summarize: At the end of her message, Budde directly addressed President Trump and exhorted him to show mercy to immigrants and to people in the LGBTQ community. Visibly irritated by this, Trump later demanded an apology. Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia called for Budde — a U.S. citizen born in New Jersey — to be deported. (Deportation of a citizen is called exile — action Judeo-Christian folks usually associate as being carried out by invading Babylonians.)
Brad Bull
Sadly, we aren’t surprised by these reactions. This would only be surprising to someone who time-traveled in a DeLorean from 1955 to 2025 and discovered Biff-Tannen-by-another-name had been elected president.
However, many folks — especially those not familiar with early-American Baptist history — might be surprised that in a Baptist News Global article, Editor Mark Wingfield expressed that the controversy indicates separation of church and state requires eliminating this traditional interfaith inaugural service. After reading Wingfield’s piece, I later shook my head at an almost pigs-flying moment during this CNN video (from 1:09 to 1:31). CNN’s MAGA mouthpiece Scott Jennings, with typical-for-him vitriol, lambasted the bishop’s message. Then, with a tone laden with hope, he said of the prayer service: “I don’t know if this event will happen ever again.”
Wait. Mark Wingfield and Scott Jennings agree on something?
Well, time travelers, don’t worry about pig droppings falling on your DeLorean, because Wingfield’s and Jennings’ reasons for wanting to eliminate the service are so different that they are two different positions.
It’s like two people saying, “I don’t like professional basketball.” But the first person says they only like college basketball, and the second person says they think professional basketball players talk politics too much. The words “I don’t like the NBA” identify two very different positions. In addition, Jennings’ assertion the service might be eliminated helps make Wingfield’s point. Let me explain.
Among other things, Wingfield’s article asserts that no matter how many non-Christian folks are invited to participate in the service, the fact it’s always held at the National Cathedral casts the government as preferring Christianity. So, he objects to the service based on separation of church and state. By contrast, Jennings objects to it because, rather than muttering milquetoast platitudes, the preacher said something Jennings interpreted as opposing his particular political agenda.
Let’s time travel
So, let’s take our DeLorean back in time to the palace of King David. Jennings is bemoaning the prophet Nathan for calling out the king with a parable that leads the king to convict himself in front of his whole royal entourage. “What a humiliating lecture,” Jennings whines. Speeding away in our DeLorean, we knock over an olive tree on our way to 30 A.D. Now Jennings has a meltdown over Jesus calling community leaders hypocrites, white-washed walls and vipers. Jennings harangues, “The so-called rabbi didn’t have to be so harsh! He could have just stuck with asking them to be merciful.”
“Tennessee’s current special legislative session is considering a bill to provide vouchers of $7,075 to 20,000 students for use at private schools.”
Back here in 2025, the reaction to Budde’s message has erupted amid ongoing debate over efforts to provide state funding for private schools. As of this writing, Tennessee’s current special legislative session is considering a bill to provide vouchers of $7,075 to 20,000 students for use at private schools.
Proponents of vouchers assert taxpayers deserve the choice for what they see as better education. This question is complicated if the private schools are sectarian and public tax dollars will be used for religious instruction, a violation of separation of church and state.
Many who see the United States as a Christian nation see no problem with the government funding religious education. They have forgotten the history of the United States and other countries, like Ireland, torn by sectarian violence driven by wars within Christianity — often enflamed by sectarian education. Ironically, those most inclined to say they want less government regulation are those pawing for vouchers — which will bring government regulation.
A warning
Jennings’ allusion to ending the inaugural prayer service and Collins’ threat to deport the bishop offer a strong warning of the danger of vouchers.
When I was in seminary, my ethics professor, the late Paul Simmons, was the first person I heard suggest that if religious folks want private education for their children, they should pay for it through church funding. I butted heads with Simmons multiple times, leaving him red-in-the-face angry on one of those occasions. So, despite lauding him at his retirement party, I am not his patsy. However, his description of the dangers of Christian organizations accepting government money rattled and altered my thinking. I remember him saying something like this: If a president wants to go to his or her chosen place of worship to have a religious convocation, that’s fine, but public services must be for everyone.
That’s why I felt it was inappropriate for “Amazing Grace” — a distinctly Christian hymn — to be performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration — ostensibly to promote unity. In a social media debate on this, some Biden supporters took umbrage with me. One went so far as to say that “Amazing Grace” has been so often used in secular settings that it’s no longer really a Christian hymn. See the problem here, Christians?
“I felt it was inappropriate for ‘Amazing Grace’ to be performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.”
Now, please imagine a committee planning a religious service for President Ima Prochoice. The priest submits a draft of his homily, but the committee says, “Father Blunt, we admire your passion about abortion, but we fear that asking for mercy for the unborn might anger the president and others, and funding for our school might be cut.”
Yes, pick your issue — any issue with religious overlap. Religious organizations need to be prophetic, but being on the government dole inevitably squelches that prophetic voice.
So, religious folks in Tennessee and other legislative bodies contemplating vouchers and public-funded sectarian charter schools: Be warned. To allay fears of draining budgets, the Tennessee bill is promising funding for public schools will not be lowered (for the time being). That sounds great (for the time being). However, this feeble promise doesn’t solve the historically proved threat to civic life when public funds are used to promote religious education. But what should most concern you if you sincerely desire to proclaim religious values is that, in the long run, it will silence, not enhance, your message. Scott Jennings and Rep. Collins heard a message they didn’t like and want to shut it down and/or deport the messenger.
You as a parent wanting to send your child to a private school might think it’s good for your wallet. There is a bigger issue. Listen to Jennings and Collins and be afraid. Be very afraid. And contact your representative to oppose measures that will inevitably squelch your own community’s prophetic voice.
Brad Bull has served as a hospital chaplain, pastor, university professor, and family therapist. At age 17, he stood and cheered when his public high school’s football team marched onto the field in the shape of a cross. He’s grateful to the teachers who helped him learn not to mistake good feelings and socio-political might for Christ-like salt and light. (But, ghost of Dr. Simmons: You absolutely did say there would not be an essay question on the final exam.)
Related articles:
At prayer service, Episcopal bishop calls on Trump to show mercy
Now the US House wants to censor a preacher? | Opinion by Rodney Kennedy
Trump at the National Cathedral: We’ve already fought this war | Opinion by Mark Wingfield