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Bishop Mariann Budde on preaching the gospel in a political world
Published 1 hour ago
How do we navigate politics in our congregations, our prayers, and our lives of faith? Fr. James Martin, S.J., discusses these questions with Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC. Bishop Budde became the first-ever woman to hold her position after being consecrated as the ninth bishop of Washington in November 2011. In addition to being a bishop, she is a mother, grandmother, and author of books including, “Gathering Up the Fragments: Preaching as Spiritual Practice” and “How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith”.
Together, Bishop Budde and Fr. Martin discuss:
-Preaching in a politically fraught time
-Recognizing the humanity in everyone in a polarized country
-Experiencing God in your daily life
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome Bishop Mariann Budde
3:51 What defines Episcopalian spirituality?
7:25 Matthew Shepard’s internment at the National Cathedral
11:44 How do you preach about politics?
22:33 Challenging a culture of contempt
28:50 Bishop Budde’s call to ordained ministry
33:35 What is liberation theology?
41:00 Spiritual practices that keep Bishop Budde grounded
47:49: Experiencing God in your day-to-day life
52:29 Audience question: How do we ensure our transgender child knows they are loved by God and by us?
Links from the show:
Bishop Budde showed faithful moral courage. Catholics should follow her lead:
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/01/24/bishop-budde-sermon-trump-249785/
How We Learn to Be Brave:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705987/how-we-learn-to-be-brave-by-mariann-edgar-budde/
Gathering Up the Fragments: Preaching as Spiritual Practice: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7355200-gathering-up-the-fragments
Read Maggi and Fr. Jim’s article reflecting on the themes of this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/10/09/james-martin-spiritual-life-bishop-budde-politics-preaching/
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