Date: January 28, 2026
It was January 21, 2025 – just over a year ago – when the Bishop of Washington, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Budde, delivered her now-memorable sermon. Her words were carefully chosen. It was not offensive; it was not even “calling someone out” (especially since the administration had not yet begun its work). Rather, it gently reminded the President that Scripture places a clear injunction on those in power to show mercy.
She said the following: “The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat-packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They … may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. … Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. … May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people.”
These words are simply true. We need to hear them now just as much as we did then. And it will be a joy to welcome Bishop Budde back to campus on Tuesday, February 3, for the Mollogen Forum.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary