FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen, who has introduced a congressional resolution to condemn a bishop for her sermon urging President Trump to “have mercy.”
After Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde delivered an impassioned sermon in front of Trump at the National Prayer Service last week, Brecheen, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd District, quickly introduced a resolution to excoriate her.
What exactly in Budde’s sermon made Brecheen and like-minded Christian legislators angry and righteous? It was her calls for mercy for immigrants and members of the LGBTQ-plus community. Budde, the first woman to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, urged Trump to “have mercy” for “the people in our country who are scared right now.”
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,” Budde said. “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 who fear for their lives.” Regarding immigrants, Budde asserted that “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.”
“Have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away,” she added. “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 once strangers in this land.”
In justifying his resolution, Brecheen stated: “Today, I introduced a resolution to fully condemn the distorted message that was preached at President Trump during the National Prayer Service on Monday. I strongly urge my colleagues to act quickly on this resolution to show President Trump that the sermon given is not reflective of the faith community at large.”
The resolution intends to have the House of Representatives affirm that Budde’s sermon “was a display of political activism” and that the legislative body “[condemns] its distorted message.” The resolution claims that the National Prayer Service “is a longstanding tradition in which the United States publicly affirms dependence upon God and prays for the success of our President and Vice President.”
Brecheen’s resolution also argues that Budde “used her position inappropriately, promoting political bias instead of advocating the full counsel of biblical teaching.” The resolution currently has 22 co-sponsors.
“Brecheen’s criticisms are laughably ironic given the aggressive meddling with politics by conservative Christian individuals and groups, and the long history of controversy engendered by legislative chaplains at the state and federal level who have injected themselves into politics at taxpayer expense,” notes FFRF Action Fund President Annie Laurie Gaylor. Gaylor observes that the so-called National Cathedral is entirely private, despite its name, and that Budde’s opinions were not made in the name of the U.S. government.
In an op-ed for Fox News, Brecheen wrote: “As a believer, I attended the [National Prayer Service] for the purpose of praying for our nation, President Trump, the president’s family, and the success of his administration.”
“I purposely left the prayer service early after realizing how the pulpit was being used for left-wing activism and not for true worship unto God, to seek His will and wisdom,” continued Brecheen. “Mr. President, what accosted you at the prayer service was political — not biblical.” [Italics in original]
Brecheen contended in his op-ed that Budde’s calls for mercy are incompatible with the bible, which is also highly ironic and hardly flattering to the bible. He wrote, “The pulpit did not flame with righteousness during Budde’s sermon but instead promoted principles that inherently contradict biblical truth.” He declaimed, “It is time for every believer to take a stand, get in the exit row, and walk out of services where the full counsel of biblical truth is being distorted.”
For his part, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to complain about the sermon. “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” he ranted. Trump ended his post by claiming that Budde should apologize.
Budde responded, “I am not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.”
Brecheen is a member of the far-Right Freedom Caucus and participated in the cabal that ousted Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. From his resolution, it is clear that Brecheen only cares about religious liberty when it adheres to his radical, conservative Christian beliefs. While fiercely fighting for his Christian dogma to be established in the federal government, overriding the constitutional principle of state/church separation, Brecheen condemns another Christian’s call for mercy. Thankfully, his resolution has had little traction, but Brecheen has revealed his theocratic tendencies of the worst sort.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.