Back when Pres. Obama was in office, a sitting senator said that Obama wasn’t a Christian (he is) because he belonged to a United Church of Christ congregation. We have been through this before; remember when Pope Benedict called Protestant denominations “Ecclesiastical Communities” instead of churches? And in the county I live in, the local Conference of Churches didn’t allow the Quakers or the Unitarian Universalists in the group because they weren’t trinitarian and didn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus. I guess we are all guilty of making these kinds of judgments, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene just went one step further – she wants a new chaplain for the House of Representatives. One has to wonder why.
The chaplain is retired Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben https://speakeremeritapelosi.house.gov/newsroom/123120. She was ordained in the Presbyterian Church and got her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton, which is considered a pretty good school by most. I will also say that I don’t think any public entity should have a chaplain of any kind; it goes against the Constitution – but that’s a different issue. Ms. Greene wants a “Good Christian” – her words – to replace the Pelosi appointed chaplain; one can surmise that Rev. Kibben is praying in ways that are too Jesus-ish for some members of the House. Like Evangelical preachers who are getting fired for reading the words of Jesus in church (too woke), this chaplain is probably just doing her job – speaking truth in love to the powerful.
It isn’t up to me or you or Ms. Greene to say who is or isn’t a follower of Jesus; that is up to Him. I will say that I can get hints about what people believe by the fruits that grow from their lives. The Apostle Paul wrote that we can either live by works of the flesh or fruits of the Spirit. How will people know whose you are and what you believe? By the way you treat other people and how you live your life, because words are easy; actions are much harder. Ms. Greene might want to take note of that.
Prayer – Holy God, we ask that You continue to move and encourage our spiritual growth so we can be more of what You want and need. Amen.
Today’s art is “Eight Faithful” by Matthew Dibble.