Partisan Episcopal Bishop Lecturing Trump Shows Why Mainline Protestantism Is Dying

My heart sank listening to Washington Bishop Mariann Budde during a post-inauguration service at Washington National Cathedral, the beautifully sculpted, limestone, crown jewel church for Episcopalians like me in the D.C. area.

The majestic National Cathedral hosted similar inauguration prayer services 10 times before. This time, sadly, Budde gave the perfect illustration of why the Episcopal Church, and other Mainline Protestant denominations (including woke Lutherans and Presbyterians) are rapidly losing members nationwide. 

Too often, Episcopal churches are narrow-minded, progressive political rallies instead of expansive, inspiring communities of God’s unconditional, eternal love. I say this as a proud baptized and confirmed member of the Episcopal Church, the church of George Washington and many other Founding Fathers. 

Budde used her power at the pulpit to attack President Trump to his face for his policies on immigration and sexuality, lecturing Trump to “have mercy” on illegal immigrants and LGBTQ people, whom she falsely said are imperiled.  

Budde engaged in hyperbole and ignored how open border policies create a chaotic environment where women and children are ransomed, sex trafficked, and abused on our border. Budde also didn’t mention the U.S. victims of illegal immigrant violent crime. Where is her mercy for these victims, including the murdered Laken Riley? 

Where is Budde’s mercy for the nearly 82,000 Americans who died of opioid overdoses in 2022, including many from drugs pouring across our southern border with components originating from China?  

Female inmates in prison and women and girls in domestic violence shelters also deserve privacy, safety–and mercy. Until Trump’s executive order reversing destructive gender ideology goes into full effect, male prisoners cloaked in false gender ideology can transfer to women’s prisons, easily overpower and sexually assault female inmates. Men and boys claiming to identify as females can sexually assault schoolgirls and women in bathrooms and locker rooms. Does Budde feel compassion for them?

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted on Fox News Thursday that Trump named the most senior cabinet member in U.S. history who is openly gay, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The first Trump administration led a global effort to combat LGBTI criminalization and violence against gays and lesbians, an effort under another openly gay man, Richard Grenell. Trump’s former national acting director of national intelligence and former ambassador to Germany, Grenell will now serve as Trump’s special missions envoy.

I respect Budde’s position as bishop of my church. But she could have used the moment (as the Cathedral did for Trump’s first inauguration) to unify the country, to call us to a shared vision of Christ’s redeeming love, rather than hectoring and badgering President Trump. Her words had the opposite effect of her desired impact, with Trump demanding an apology and rejecting the partisan sermon outright.  

I am a rare Episcopalian adult convert, baptized in December 2017. I am going against the grain both as an adult convert and conservative. The Episcopal Church is dying because it’s embracing progressive political ideologies over canonical scripture. I experienced it when I lived in Manhattan and attended St. Bartholomew’s Church and in the broader Anglican diaspora locally here at Restoration Anglican in Arlington, Virginia. 

Religion scholar Ryan Burge reported, “Since 2012, the average yearly decline in Episcopal Church membership has been approximately 40,000. In 2020, it was about 55,000; the following year, it was 57,000; and between 2021 and 2022, it was 93,256—the largest single-year decline in the past 25 years.”

I can’t know her heart, but I assume Budde would like to reverse this trend. The churches in America seeing rapid growth are ones that stick to basic, eternal, biblical principles rather than trendy, Progressive, partisan division.

Memo to Budde and colleagues: Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Please leave the partisan rancor at home.

Carrie Sheffield is author of ”Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness.”

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