Woke mercy: Biblical truth exposes critical flaw in bishop’s message to Trump

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde became the newest figure of the resistance when she told Donald Trump to have “mercy” and “compassion” on illegal immigrants and the LGBTQ community, which includes, according to her, “transgender children.”

Politics aside, Budde’s message raises an important question: Did Budde speak truthfully in a manner consistent with her vocation as a bishop in the church and as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Did the message reflect the complete biblical truth?

Upon close examination, the answer is clear: No.

There is no doubt that Budde appealed to important Christian values (i.e., “mercy” and “compassion”). Mercy and compassion are first principles of Christian ethics, and Christianity historically has been the most merciful and most compassionate to vulnerable and oppressed people. That Budde stood in front of the most powerful man on earth and demanded he demonstrate such ethics led to praise for having a “prophetic” voice because she spoke “truth to power.”

But what exactly does it mean to show mercy and have compassion?

The Bible says a lot about mercy and compassion. Perhaps most important is what God says about himself in relation to these attributes.

Exodus 34:6-7 says:

“And [God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God of compassion and grace, slow to anger, and abounding in covenant faithfulness and truth, maintaining covenant love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. However, he does not wholly acquit, regarding the iniquity of the fathers toward sons and sons of sons, to the third generation and the fourth.'”

God identifies compassion and mercy as attributes central to his character. But God connects his mercy, compassion, and covenant love to his justice, holiness, and truth.

Biblical mercy and biblical compassion do not ignore sin, injustice, or unrighteousness. Rather, to show mercy and to have compassion is to give someone a free, unearned gift having been moved by their need. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly demonstrates mercy and compassion, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and forgiving sins.

But the focus of his ministry was to declare the gospel, the good news about the kingdom of God. That announcement always includes a call to repentance.

Jesus says in Mark 1:15, “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

It is clear from scripture that “mercy” and “compassion” are values that transcend emotional empathy. They are not mere sentiments or abstract virtues. Mercy and compassion are relational and practical — and they’re always tethered to God’s truth. God demonstrates his mercy and compassion not only through meeting physical needs but also through providing for spiritual needs, ultimately extending to us the free gift of salvation and leading us into reconciliation with him.

In a biblical framework, justice, truth, mercy, and compassion are intertwined — never divorced (Micah 6:8).

This is the flaw with Budde’s message.

While Budde’s call to action is dressed up with Christian language and emphasizes grace, she redefines “mercy” and “compassion” in a way that reflects secular values like affirmation, unconditional acceptance, and emotional empathy. The result is a message devoid of the gospel and untethered from biblical truth.

God’s mercy is a free gift that extends grace and confronts sin, ultimately inviting us to faith and obedience.

Mercy and compassion without truth, repentance, and justice become sin-enabling affirmation.

As C.S. Lewis famously wrote, “Mercy, detached from justice, grows unmerciful.”

Budde wants mercy and compassion for the LGBTQ community. But does she, like God, want their repentance?

Mercy and compassion for the LGBTQ community requires the gospel, a call to repentance and an invitation to the freedom that is found only in Christ. Importantly, mercy and compassion for “transgender children” also includes protecting them from the lie of trans ideology and from those who enable them to mutilate their bodies.

God’s mercy is a free gift that extends grace and confronts sin, ultimately inviting us to faith and obedience.

Christians must care for the vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the sojourner. It’s what Christians have always done, and it’s what Christians will continue doing.

But true mercy not only alleviates physical needs; it provides spiritual provision, drawing people to God through Christ.

By focusing on alleged societal fears in a message that reeked of progressive politics, Budde neglected God’s whole truth and failed to communicate the transformative power of the gospel, which Christ demonstrates through his mercy and compassion on sinners.

Budde’s message comforts liberal ears, but it neglects Christ and God’s truth.