DON'T SOME LUTHERAN SYNODS SEAT BISHOPS?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have a Conference of Bishops, although the home parish for those bishops does not rate the designation of a Cathedral Church.  Each bishop serves a region further disaggregated into synods; archdiocese and diocese being the terminology used in other denominations.  (There are cathedral churches in Germany holding Lutheran services.)

The National Cathedral in Washington is operated by the Episcopal Church, perhaps because as the cathedral took shape, there was a convenient overlap between having Episcopalians in the Eastern Establishment and a familiar Episcopal liturgy for regular worship or for State Occasions.

More recently, though, the Episcopal Church have gone all-in on liberation theology and the Social Gospel, and that prompted Rabbi Michael Barclay, a Pajamas Media contributor, to ask "Do We Want a 'National Cathedral' That Prays to the God of Leftism?"

On one level, the rabbi's complaint is a different sort of affirmative action complaint.

Theologically, the event was not reflective of this nation in any way, shape, or form.  Over 20 percent of Americans identify as Catholics, and yet there was no Catholic leader offering prayers.  Only 37% of American Jews identify as part of the Reform denomination, but the only Jewish voices were a rabbi and cantor who are both part of that theological stream of Judaism.  These two women supposedly represent the Jewish faith, and yet for the vast majority of Jewish history, women were not even allowed to be rabbis or cantors, nor are they today in most congregations around the world or in observant Jewish communities in America.  The Reform movement of Judaism officially includes political values that are not consonant with much of traditional Jewish theology, and are more aligned with liberalism.  The liturgy and choreography of this Interfaith service was controlled unilaterally and entirely by the Episcopalian Church, specifically through Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Budde, despite the American religious reality that at roughly 3 million practitioners, Episcopalians comprise 1.2% of Americans … significantly less than American Catholics, and even less than American Jews, American Mormons, or even American Buddhists.  And no one from the popular evangelical Christian movements practiced by churches like Calvary (over a quarter of Americans) brought their passion to the pulpit on that day.  From a religious standpoint, this service was not at all reflective of the diverse beliefs or practices of this nation's citizens.

Not because the pastors failed to respect the proper forms, rather, because they brought their tight priors into the service.

The entire day, led by and culminated with the words of Bishop Budde, was about an entirely different religion that has infiltrated America and been adopted by the Democratic Party: the religion of progressive leftism.

Across the board, the clergy who led prayers are identifiable not by their traditional theology, but by their left-wing political stances both off and on the pulpit. Budde is a progressive who uses her pulpit to push her left-wing politics on every stance from abortion to gender issues to immigration, as demonstrated by her truly offensive homily. Budde made sure that she was surrounded with clergy of that same ilk, if not of the same brazen offensiveness that Budde demonstrated in her sermon.

A theologically progressive prayer service dedicated to leftist values; led and designed by left-wing Episcopalians; with a focus on personally attacking the new president of the United States, who was elected in a landslide. Is this really what Americans seek from their religious leaders? Is this what the National Cathedral Interfaith Prayer Service is supposed to be, and might it just be better to stop honoring the religion of leftism, and let national prayer services become about prayer and God rather than progressive values?

In the rabbi's recitation of the history of a National Cathedral, though, there's the possibility for establishing a cathedral sans cathedra.

God and religion have been integral in the formation and sustenance of the United States.  In 1792, Pierre l’Enfant’s “Plan of the Federal City” specified a site for “a great church for national purposes”… but he specifically defined it as “non-sectarian and non-denominational.” Despite common belief, the National Cathedral was not intended to be, nor has it ever been or is it now, a national house of prayer. It actually has the same status in the District of Columbia as American University and the Catholic University of America, a building housing a religious organization. It is a beautiful building, but given how it has fallen theologically, it should no longer be used for any “national” interfaith event.

In Isaiah 56:7, we find a prophecy about the future Temple that will be built in the Messianic times of peace. “My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” This was undoubtedly l’Enfant’s intent in creating a non sectarian and non-denominational great church for national purposes. To create a sacred space that is utilized in a non-denominational way for prayers for this nation is a beautiful concept, but this is not what the Episcopalian National Cathedral is. The sermon of Bishop Budde, as well as the entire program, demonstrated that the secular God of the far left has superseded the God of the Bible in that building.

The Establishment Clause of the Constitution is clear that this nation shall neither establish a national religion, nor prohibit the practice of religion by any citizen. But the experience on January 21 actually did endorse the religion of leftism.  It attacked our new president, and all people of faith who interpret their religion to be in direct contradiction to what this leftist Bishop preached.

So why not rotate the liturgical duties among the various denominations?  Yes, the Episcopalians and the Catholics do cathedral services pretty well, and yet that National Shrine (otherwise known as the "tattooed tit") on the Catholic University campus do their Midnight Mass a little differently than the Pope does in Rome or the Cardinal Archbishop does in Chicago.  Perhaps, as the old Coastal Establishment is being dis-established, so too might now be the time to dis-establish the default setting of the National Cathedral as Episcopalian.  To do so, however, does not guarantee that the Social Gospel will be de-emphasized in services.