Crossroads -- Episcopalians own the cathedral of DC culture

Thus, journalists who cover Beltway life applauded Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

Once upon a time, the Episcopal Church was popularly known as the “Republican Party at prayer.”

That was a half century ago, or more, back in the days of old money, country club conservatives and a corporate class formed during World War I and II. That is not the Episcopal Church represented by Washington, D.C., Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, whose woke sermon aimed at President Donald Trump inspired waves of headlines that we discussed during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

Coverage of this event was totally predictable.

Just over 30 years ago, while preparing to speak at a massive, independent gathering of Episcopalians in St. Louis, I asked a veteran Episcopal priest about the “Republican Party at prayer” label and how he would describe the church’s evolving role in American life. Obviously, it’s the oldline church that has produced more U.S. presidents than any other. But there is more to this equation than that.

The key, he said, is that the Episcopal Church isn’t an ecclesiastical body defined by a specific set of doctrines — it is held together by what he called a “cultural aesthetic.” Riffing on the earlier label, he described the Episcopal Church as “National Public Radio at prayer.”

Thus, this denomination has a unique relationship to the Washington, D.C., beltway and many other zip codes with a similar emphasis on politics and power. The Episcopal Church owns and controls Washington National Cathedral, the liturgical maypole for pageantry in American civil religion — even though the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America is now a rapidly shrinking flock (click here for the denomination’s own summary of current trends).

What did Bishop Budde say to Trump, as he prepared to return to the Oval Office? Here is the key quotation:

“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”

To which, the leaders of America’s top newsrooms said: “Amen.”

Anyone seeking, in the first wave of coverage, a report offering more than a token bite of criticism of the Episcopal bishop’s remarks would need to turn (#DUH) to Fox News, and this headline, “'Desperate': Pastors, conservatives unleash on Episcopal bishop for 'weaponizing' the pulpit against Trump.”

Meanwhile, it’s safe to say that the majority of voters in the most recent presidential election — consider this stunning New York Times/Ipsos survey — would take a more nuanced approach to most of the issues raised at the end of her sermon.

However, try to imagine the press coverage of a service of this kind on January 20, 2021, in a traditional Roman Catholic sanctuary (one of the world’s largest is in D.C.), in which a pro-Catechism Catholic dared, in any kind of remarks (let alone the sermon), to lecture President Joe Biden on the details of his church’s teachings on abortion, euthanasia, marriage or gender.

It would be safe to say that most newsrooms would have produced reports — as they should have — in which these remarks were critiqued by Christians and members of other faiths who disagreed with them, as well as those who supported them.

Imagine if a 2025 inaugural prayer service had been held in one of the D.C. Beltway’s massive evangelical or charismatic megachurches and …

No, that would be impossible. That simply wouldn’t be appropriate in D.C., culture. That’s the wrong brand of faith. For starters, the sanctuary, the rituals and the “vestments” wouldn’t look good on television.

In fact, note this interesting passage in the Associated Press report on Bishop Budde and the reactions to her broadside at Trump: “Trump demands an apology from bishop who asked him to ‘have mercy’ on LGBTQ+ people and migrants.”

The Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both major political parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.

More than a dozen religious leaders spoke during the interfaith service, including those from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

Notably absent from the invited clergy with speaking roles were conservative evangelicals, who are among Trump’s strongest supporters.

In other words, the diversity seen in this service reflected the theology of the D.C. cathedral. The service offered “good” religion, without opening the pulpit to anyone who might have mentioned “bad” religion, and conservative Christianity in particular.

That was reflected in the voices featured, or omitted, from almost all of the mainstream-press coverage of the event.

For example, journalists could have considered seeking comments from leaders of groups such as Episcopalians for Life — now known as Anglicans for Life. There is some doctrinal diversity remaining in today’s Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It would have been appropriate for journalists to have noted that, featuring a few diverse voices inside that tradition.

In conclusion, let me offer this quotation from an essay that I wrote in 1994 with this title: “Why Journalists Love the Episcopal Church.”

I believe the Episcopal Church draws more than its share of media attention because its leaders wear religious garb, work in conveniently located buildings, speak fluent politics and promote a mystical brand of moral liberalism. Episcopalians look like Roman Catholics and act like liberal politicians.

Clearly, this is a flock that will continue to merit the attention of America's media elite. The Episcopal Church's buildings will photograph well, even if the only people in them are behind the altars.

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