06-02-2025
Detroit's Episcopal churches welcome new visitors after viral sermon
An Episcopal bishop's sermon at President Trump's inauguration struck a nerve with onlookers across the country interested in "the other Christians."
The big picture: From Detroit to Utah, Episcopal leaders are seeing a surge of interest in the wake of Bishop Mariann Budde's sermon last month, which implored Trump to "have mercy" for undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.
Zoom in: At St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ferndale, five visitors told the Rev. Clare Hickman that they recently attended after feeling inspired by Budde's sermon, Hickman told the Episcopal News Service last week.
"I think people really have a hunger, especially in times like these, to have a story that will help them, give them hope and give them purpose in life," Hickman said.
Catch up quick: Following Budde's now-viral sermon at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, Trump demanded an apology, posting, "She is not very good at her job!" on social media.
Other Republicans joined the attack, with one congressman calling for her deportation (she was born in New Jersey) and 21 others cosponsoring a resolution condemning the sermon.
Some faith leaders and conservative activists called on elected officials to revoke the National Cathedral's tax-exempt status, nullify the 1893 charter that allowed an Episcopal foundation to create it and turn the building over to a more conservative denomination.
State of play: There are 75 Episcopal churches with about 17,000 members in southeast Michigan.
Some have seen increased attendance since Budde's sermon, per the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.
Church of the Messiah in the Islandview neighborhood is one of seven Episcopal churches in the city. Hundreds attended its 17th annual Silence the Violence event in June, including Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and former police chief James White.
What they're saying: Budde's sermon was both an apolitical plea for compassion to an authority figure and a counter-narrative to the growing influence of Christian nationalism, Bishop Bonnie A. Perry of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan told Axios Detroit.
"We're the other Christians. We're the ones who are going to love you as you are, as God is creating you to be. We're not gonna judge you. We're gonna say, 'Welcome.'"
Axios Salt Lake City's Erin Alberty contributed to this story.
