Bishop's Plea: A Voice for Progressive Christians

This: millions of Christians around the globe heard the same Bible passage last Sunday. The story, from the Gospel of Luke, is where Jesus talks about helping the poor. At the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, this message seemed extra relevant, even though they'd picked the passage years ago. “It’s like Jesus 101, ” said Michelle Williams, a parishioner there. Just the week before, another Episcopalian, Bishop Mariann E. Budde, gave a sermon that echoed that passage. She spoke at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, right after President Trump’s inauguration. She asked him, directly, “Have mercy. ” President Trump wasn’t happy. He called Bishop Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” on social media. But many progressive Christians and their leaders saw it differently. They thought her words weren’t just about politics. They were about faith, spoken in a big public spot.