Letter: In praise of the Rev. Budde

I had planned to rebuke our once-and-again bully of a president for his ludicrous executive order that would change the name of Alaska’s — and our continent’s — highest mountain from its millennia-old Native name, Denali, to the irrelevant Mount McKinley. Though far from the worst of Donald Trump’s orders, it was a prime example of what Alaska’s politicians like to call “federal overreach,” and a particularly ignorant and offensive one that ignores the overwhelming desire of Alaskans and is particularly demeaning to, and dismissive of, our state’s Indigenous peoples.

I will instead sing the praises of the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, who has become my newest hero.

In the earliest days of the new Trump presidency, Budde has demonstrated grace, courage and a willingness to speak truth to power, while open-heartedly addressing the president in a public forum and then calmly accepting his boorish attacks afterward.

For those who somehow missed this remarkable exchange, Rev. Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, presented a sermon during the presidential inauguration prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Apparently her sermon wasn’t vetted by Trump’s minions, because toward the end of her sermon, Rev. Budde spoke directly to the president, sitting nearby. In part she said, “Let me make one final plea. Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday (inauguration day), 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.”

She then went on to name some of the people who have good reason to be fearful, among them members of the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented immigrants.

Among her final words were these: “May God give us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, to walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people in this nation and the world.”

Afterward, when Trump called Rev. Budde a “Radical left, hard line Trump hater,” she again showed tremendous grace and indicated she’ll continue praying for him. Also to her credit, she refused to apologize for her words, as some in Trump’s camp have demanded.

I can’t imagine a more Christian, or Christ-like, example.

— Bill Sherwonit, Anchorage

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