Don't Trust the Cameras

 About 10 years ago, Donald Trump decided to run for president. I was among those who didn’t take him seriously. So much that he said was antithetical to the life and teachings of Jesus that I assumed others would see this, and he wouldn’t stand a chance. Of course, I was completely wrong about him and the voters in my country.

Back when he first ran, I remember the time he was going to speak at one of our ELCA universities, Lenoir Rhyne in Hickory, North Carolina. I was among those who were outraged by this, but he had a right to speak there if he chose. College campuses are all about the free exchange of ideas, after all.

Many Lutherans, including our synod Bishop and about 100 clergy, decided to show up on campus that day, not to protest, but to witness to our faith. As people waited in line to enter the auditorium, they could hear us singing hymns and see us holding up signs with scripture verses. We wanted to show them Jesus because surely they would see that DJT was not of Jesus. We sang until we were hoarse.

As we gathered outside the auditorium and the line of those waiting to go inside snaked all around the campus, other groups were gathering as well. They had come to protest. It looked a lot like there was going to be a violent confrontation. I watched it all unfold on the green space before me. The T.V. camera people were watching, too, as they moved in on the two groups who were moving closer to one another, almost face-to-face, screaming. A real life rumble was about to happen! This was going to make for some great T.V.

Then something unexpected happened. A long line of people in clergy collars joined hands and lined up smack dab between the two groups and started singing, “Jesus loves you this I know…” Immediately the groups dispersed. And here’s the thing. So did the cameras. They had been zooming in for the big smack down and there wasn’t one. So, they all put their cameras down and walked away, disappointed. To me, they missed the biggest story of the day!

I remember that event whenever I watch T.V. these days. We are seeing what the T.V. crews decide to show us. And they decide to show us, not the good, but the bad and the ugly.

I’m getting ready to head out for a No Kings Protest today. I pray that they will all be peaceful and millions of people who resist the actions of the current administration will be safe.

If you’re not a part of one of the protests, I urge you not to believe everything you see on T.V. or on the internet. If you want to know what’s happening, talk to someone who was there.

Now that Bishop Budde has your attention...

Along with many others, I cheered as Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde spoke truth to the most powerful man in the world at the national prayer service after he was inaugurated. She exemplified the love of Jesus, not only in her words, but also in the way she spoke them. As a preacher myself, I have been gratified by the attention she has received from the media. But a part of me also is feeling unsettled because I suspect many of those who are cheering her on have an incomplete picture of the movement she represents. Here’s what I want you to know… 

Bishop Budde is not an anomaly. There are many Christians like her. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen all Christians attacked on social media and tried to assert that not all Christians are horrible human beings only to have my words met with animosity. A whole lot of people in our world want to have absolutely nothing to do with organized religion in general, and Christians in particular. I can’t really blame them. Christians don’t exactly have a great track record. Just consider the crusades, inquisition, witch trials, slavery, fascism, clergy sexual abuse and other atrocities that are a part of the Church’s history. But the Christian Church has also given us hospitals, universities, schools, great art & music, abolition, Civil Rights, prison reform, safer lives for children and immigrants, and so many other things that have made our world better. There have always been faithful people who have devoted their lives to following the life and teachings of Jesus, often despite the actions of the Christian imposters around them. Christian Nationalists and MAGA-Christians are not followers of Jesus. I know they are the ones you see in the media these days, but their ways are not the way of Jesus. For all those who assume that’s what it means to be a Christian and want nothing to do with us, please know that there are people in the world around you who are faithfully seeking to follow the Jesus way. (No, not perfect people, but people who are doing their best to live and love like Jesus.) Perhaps Bishop Budde opened your eyes to that reality. Know that she actually represents millions of Christians. She is not an anomaly. 

Did you know that on inauguration day there were anti-Trump protests all around the world? You would never have known this from American media. But Google it and you’ll see the pictures. It really happened. Many of the people involved in those protests were clergy and people of faith. I know this because I have friends who were protesting. Bishop Budde wasn’t the only person of faith who spoke out against injustice and made a plea for mercy and compassion. She was simply the only one who was given the opportunity to speak publicly to the newly inaugurated President’s face for 14 entire minutes. 

Please know that Christian leaders from a variety of denominations are doing their best to preach faithful sermons based on Biblical principles like justice, peace and love. Just as the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, Bishop Budde and so many others enter the pulpit fearfully week after week. Not knowing how their words will be received, but sensing a responsibility to show people Jesus, they are compelled by their calling and the Spirit to speak the truth. Just as Jesus did, they advocate for the poor and marginalized people in our world, including the homeless, LGBTQ folks, people of color and undocumented immigrants. 

Some of them preach in communities that receive their message with enthusiasm. Others struggle to open minds that are less than receptive. Many have reminded people of Jesus’ words to “be merciful as God is merciful”, and their congregations have been so offended by the gospel that it has cost them their ministry. This is a precarious place to be for those worried about providing for their children or retirement plans. There may be no group more maligned and more necessary in our nation than those who faithfully preach the gospel of Jesus in our churches in 2025. Unnoticed by the world, they are all heroes to me. (I’m giving myself permission to say this because, as a retired pastor, I find myself listening from the pews these days.)

I want you to know all this because Bishop Budde’s sermon caught your attention, and she represents so much more than her 15 (okay, 14) minutes of fame.