What does the gospel say about this situation, and how should Christians view what happened?

Certainly no Christian should be ungracious or unkind. When one reads the transcript, however, one is hard-pressed to find instances of that. It seems that Rev. Budde spoke in measured, if somewhat impassioned tones. Regardless of any theological differences one has with Ms. Budde, we can agree on at least these things:

• She is a woman of faith who takes her convictions seriously.

• She is the spiritual leader of a church—whether one agrees or not with the stances that church takes on particular issues.

• The service was held in her church and she is the ruling spiritual authority there.

Given these facts, we must agree that, at least under American law, she had the right to speak her mind. She certainly didn’t utter any threats or profanities. We must also agree that, as the spiritual leader of the church in which sat the President of the United States, she would have been remiss if she had not spoken her convictions.

Beyond those things, however, there is one other thing that we must agree, based on Scripture: Pleading for mercy on behalf of others is always appropriate, regardless of who those people may be. It seems that much of the criticism surrounding her statements has focused on the fact that she included undocumented immigrants and those in the LGBTQ+ community. She said that people in these groups were “scared,” and pleaded for mercy for them.

Again, pleading for mercy on behalf of others is squarely within the gospel. We are told this in Micah:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. . . . Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. (Micah 6:8, 7:18, NIV, emphasis mine)

We are to love mercy. That, like “act” and “walk”, is an action word. We cannot simply express platitudes that mercy is good. The Lord requires us to extend mercy. Why? Because He is merciful and gracious (Exodus 34:6). And what did Jesus teach in the Sermon on the Mount? “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Those who give mercy will be shown mercy, Jesus says.

This is where our theology must meet our reality. Our God is a merciful and gracious God, full of compassion. We as His image-bearers are to represent Him to the world, and that means (in part) extending mercy to the broken and vulnerable. To say otherwise is to directly speak against what the “father of mercies” has commanded (2 Corinthians 1:3).