Bishop Budde has been praised for being boldly outspoken at Trump’s first prayer service, but women in positions of power don’t always warrant celebration

Recently, at a prayer service at Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Bishop Budde commanded headlines when she took the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump to task on his capacity to have mercy for  “gay, lesbian and transgender children,” as well as illegal immigrants.

Knowing a little bit myself about the precarious positions of the Episcopal church in America (like it’s unbiblical teachings on same sex marriage) I wasn’t surprised to see the controversy. What did alert my attention was the number of Christians in my social media feed who championed Bishop Budde by mere fact of her being a boldly outspoken woman in leadership.

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Flooding to mind came the frenzy a few years back, of the #metoo movement. “Believe all women,” was the mantra passionately ordered by social and main stream media, never mind if the testimony of female accusers lacked credibility. As Christians, we consistently need to scrutinize the leanings of the cultural zeitgeist against the truth of scripture. Would the Bible have us believe Potiphar’s wife over Joseph or trust Delilah’s honey tinged sentiments?

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As interest in bishop Budde and her statements grew, I came across an interesting passage of scripture I’d never noticed.

As interest in bishop Budde and her statements grew, I came across an interesting passage of scripture I’d never noticed. I listen to the Bible on my morning walks and almost stopped in my tracks when I heard narrated, “Queen Athaliah rules in Judah.” How could the story of this powerful queen have escaped me as a Bible loving Christian? Surely so lofty a title in the foremost biblical nation should be lauded down the annals of women’s history? Yet when I think of biblical queens, the ones who come to mind; Esther, Bathsheba, Jezebel, Vashti, and the Queen of Sheba are mostly queen consorts.

So why, given that she was a queen who reigned individually over Judah for six years, (2 Chronicles 22:12), is Queen Athaliah not more widely remembered? We need only look at some verses describing her for insight.

So why, given that she was a queen who reigned individually over Judah for six years, (2 Chronicles 22:12), is Queen Athaliah not more widely remembered? We need only look at some verses describing her for insight. “But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters” (2 Chronicles 21:6).“Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong” (2 Chronicles 22:3). “When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of Judah’s royal family” (2 Chronicles 22:10). Is the reason history would rather erase this wretched woman from existence becoming clearer?

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Following the habitually destructive footsteps of her mother, Jezebel, Athaliah, who was offered in marriage to King Jehoram of Judah perhaps to promote the unity of Israel, was responsible for the slaughter of family members, including her own grandchildren. In fact, the only reason her murderous tirade failed to wipe out King David’s entire lineage (unaliving the prophesied family line of Jesus), was due to the heroic action of the wife of a priest, the boy’s aunt, Jehoshabeath, who rescued her infant nephew and hid him in a bedroom with his nurse, safe from annihilation.

Let’s not draw conclusions where there aren’t any, but it bears consideration; Athaliah’s arrival on the scene of biblical history could have promoted unity, and bishop Budde’s place at the US President’s first prayer service was also a missed opportunity to bridge a divide. Watching a separate video clip of Budde expressing her belief that “a woman can adhere to the spectrum of life” and still support abortion, confirms there is nothing new under the sun. Women in positions of power don’t always warrant celebration.