Few matters ignite more controversy than America and it’s Christian roots. The issue is once again in the forefront anew this electoral season where the faith of President #45 is questioned.
A few days ago, Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington expresses sharp disapproval of President #45 pictured standing in front of the church its windows boarded up with plywood, holding up a Bible. For bishop Mariann and other Christian clergy activists, the picture poses a more complicated challenge for clergy – advocates:
Is the manipulation of religious symbols for the sake of President #45 own enhanced power?
Let’s consider 2 Samuel 5-6 – Theologian, Walter Brueggeman writes, “David and his ideologies are engaged in a daring move. They are introducing into Israel a radical and bold innovation in the form of a dynasty and royal city.” With the dynasty comes bureaucracy, a harem, and a mercenary army, all of which are necessary props for royal power. These innovations are sure to alienate the old conservatives, important to the control of political opinion in Israel.
“In a remarkable move, David appeals to Israel’s most precious ancient symbol, the ark. The ark stands for the center of the old ideology of “holy war. The significance of the ark in Israel was that it referred to the presence of Yahweh, the power of Yahweh, and the covenantal implications of Yahweh’s sovereignty. The ark embodies the unifying factor among the tribes and clans of Israel. David’s strategy is to appeal to the central symbol of the old order to legitimate a new order that departs from all that is traditional, which is a very interesting move.”
2 Samuel 5-6 explores how ambitions, miscalculating, and bloody deeps can shape a king, a nation, and their relationship to Yahweh. In researching text 2, Samuel 5-6, there is some ambiguity concerning the real motive of David for bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem. David is a man of action with an extraordinary personality; he is portrayed as a man of many parts, with all those parts subjected to close scrutiny of others. We will see that David, who was content as a shepherd boy, is now grasping for power.
According to Brueggemann, “David and his ideologies are engaged in a daring move. They are introducing into Israel a radical and bold innovation in the form of a dynasty and royal city. With the dynasty comes bureaucracy, a harem, and a mercenary army, all of which are necessary props for royal power. These innovations are sure to alienate the old conservatives, important to the control of political opinion in Israel.”
The disapproval of utilizing a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes should not only be a deep concern of Mariann Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington and clergy advocates, but it should be a concern for us all.
Here’s why? “This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country, and his actions did nothing to help heal us,” Curry writes.
Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington and clergy advocates express President #45 pictured standing in front of the church its windows boarded up with plywood, holding up a Bible is of grave concern because it appears the motive for taking the photo in front of the church while holding the bible can be viewed as a lack of genuine recognition and honoring of the true power of Yahweh and manipulation of religious symbols for the sake of his enhanced power.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely!
No one would deny economic and political security for a nation. Yet economic and political wealth are still dangerous commodities, and recent decades have given us a demonstration of political and church leaders who have fallen victim to these seductive dangers. Our true trust and security should be in the Lord and we should be aware of the dangers that come with the necessary exercise of power.