Fans of the Washington Redskins are smarting from a come-from-behind 26-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings this past weekend, but the opposing ethnically-named team wasn’t the only Minnesota-originating opposition piling on the football franchise.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who lived in Minnesota for 18 years prior to her election as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, weighed in before the game with an October 31 press release announcing her support for a change of Washington’s team name.
Budde, who professes support for both teams, relayed how she could “feel my anger rising”:
“If I were in Minneapolis this weekend, I would be joining the pre-game protests of Native Americans and their allies who are rightfully appalled by the name of my new hometown team.
“Just as one cannot live in Washington, D. C. without appreciating how every city block has a history tied to the struggle for freedom and justice for African Americans, one can’t live in Minnesota without realizing that every acre has a story connected to the Native American tribes whose forebears once lived on that land.
“How could the name of Washington’s team not be offensive to those who know that there was once a $200 reward for every ‘redskin’ killed in U. S. territories? Can you imagine our nation tolerating a sports team with the name, once normative in public discourse, which we now never speak because we have finally acknowledged the offense it causes to African Americans?
“I therefore add my voice to the growing chorus of people calling upon Dan Snyder, owner of my hometown football team, to change its name.”
Some African Americans take issue with Budde’s characterization of the team name as a racial slur: the Redskins enjoy strong support from the Washington area’s black community. Similarly, the NFL franchise has highlighted Native American support for the team name, which some assert is a source of pride.
While Budde weighed in on football, Episcopalians in the Detroit-based Diocese of Michigan argued over another of her favorite causes: firearms restrictions.
Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press wrote earlier this week on Michigan Episcopalians passing a controversial resolution at their October 24-25 diocesan convention calling for stiff gun control measures. The resolution drew sharp criticism from conservative members who say it violates the right to bear arms.
Among a series of resolutions on social justice “faith-rooted organizing,” “justice and peace advocacy” and poverty alleviation, Resolution #7 “Solutions to Gun Violence” calls for requiring and enforcing “universal background checks” on all gun sales; a ban on all future sales of “military-style” semi-automatic weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines and high-impact ammunition and making gun trafficking a Federal crime.
The resolution sparked a fierce debate at the convention, with each side referring to the other as “extremists”. According to the Free Press, a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Detroit attempted to amend the gun resolution by striking the word “universal” before “background checks” and replacing the call for “a clear ban” of all military-style semiautomatic weapons with “a substantive discussion.”
Dennis Lennox, a member of St. John’s, said he was called a “radical with an extreme NRA agenda,” during the debate and his amendments were rejected.
Warikoo notes the gun debate comes at a time of continued membership declines in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. From 2000 to 2013, average Sunday attendance in its roughly 90 congregations has decreased 35 percent, from 10,400 to 6,791. Over the same time period, the number of baptized members has declined 37 percent, from 29,769 to 18,816.
“Passing an inherently political resolution … does absolutely nothing to proclaim the glory of God and bring new people to the pews of churches,” Lennox said. “I wish churches … would focus on being a house of prayer for all people, instead of becoming extensions of political movements and parties.”
Comment by Greg on November 8, 2014 at 8:10 am
“Oklahoma” means “red people” in Choctaw. A name they gave themselves. Is that offensive?
It’s interesting that Bishop Budde is demanding that a for-profit, private organization change its name because of how that name has been re-defined through the prism of contemporary Marxist ideology, yet she refuses to give the land back that the Indians were pushed off to make room for white settlers. It’s now all incredibly valuable real estate which her denomination claims as tax-exempt church property.
So the Washington Red People, er, I mean, Redskins, have to change their name because it’s offensive, but the Episcopal Diocese of Washington doesn’t have to give the land back which they stole from the Indians? Hmm! Sounds like a “social justice” issue to me.
Comment by MarcoPolo on November 8, 2014 at 9:04 am
I don’t mean to burst your bubble, Greg, but the NFL is a Non-Profit based organization, and receives a tax-free status!
Sensitivities aside, the pimps that make up the Team owners club surely aren’t interested in making things politically correct, if it means losing money.
Comment by Greg on November 8, 2014 at 10:01 am
Marco – I know that the NFL is a non-profit organization, but I’m not sure the individual teams are. The teams are not owned by the NFL, but rather oligarchies looking to make $$$
Comment by yolo on November 11, 2014 at 5:38 am
You’re just described every university in America, which includes a bunch of “private” institutions.
Comment by yolo on November 11, 2014 at 5:44 am
You’ve just described every university in America, which includes a bunch of “private” institutions
Comment by DD on November 8, 2014 at 10:12 am
Very impressive. In 13 years, attendance slipped 35 percent.
Great to know that taking a liberal stand on every social issue is definitely having an effect.
Comment by Dan on November 8, 2014 at 10:43 am
The Piskies are amateurs when it comes to gun control. The UMC has long called for an outright ban on handgun ownership by civilians, well law abiding civilians that is. Gotta love those meddling Methodists with their sharia social holiness. Let’s toast them with a glass of your favorite adult beverage! Oh wait, better make that light up your favorite THC infused smoke, since alcohol is banned.
Comment by Neil Bragg on November 8, 2014 at 5:15 pm
It’s funny to watch the left’s “diversity” in action. The Episcs are so proud of their “diversity” in having women bishops, gay bishops, etc, etc. – but on any political and social issue, where’s the diversity? I see lockstep conformity – mainly because the people who see pro sports team names as either a non-issue or a very low priority for the church have moved on elsewhere.
Memo to all you conformists on the left: if you personally get your drawers in a wad of the Washington REDSKINS, that’s your business, you have a right to your opinions, no matter how silly they are. But to put on your clerical collar and pretend that Almighty God puts his divine seal of approval on your personal crusades – sorry, but that is not in your job description. If you’re not making new Christians and nurturing the old ones, you’re a FLOP at your job, got it?
Comment by Guest on November 11, 2014 at 5:39 am
They have nothing better to do with their time. It isn’t as if eugenics is being practiced on America, or their are millions of abortions every year, children are facing the consequences of family disillusion including drug use.
Comment by Guest on November 11, 2014 at 5:41 am
They have nothing better to do with their time. It isn’t as if eugenics is being practiced in America, or there are millions of abortions every year, or children are bearing the brunt of family disillusion in America.
Comment by yolo on November 11, 2014 at 5:42 am
They have nothing better to do with their time. It isn’t as if eugenics is being practiced in America, or there are millions of abortions every year, or children are bearing the brunt of family disillusion.
Comment by Namyriah on November 9, 2014 at 8:20 am
Bless their compassionate little hearts, they devote so much time to talking about racism and repealing the 2nd Amendment that there’s just no time left to talk about silly little trifles like conversion and salvation.
Comment by Tom Morris on November 9, 2014 at 4:40 pm
These people do not represent Episcopalians. I am an Episcopalian and they do not represent me. They don’t represent most of the Episcopalians that I know. I say, wear your gun to church next Sunday (lawfully concealed, of course)!
Comment by yolo on November 11, 2014 at 5:36 am
Episcopalians take stand against football team name, Catholics take stand against dissolution of 5,000 years of family. Hm…which Christians are adult? Gosh, that is hard to figure out. Football team name that is shared with tribal schools versus “fundamental transformation” of 5,000 years of civil family.
Comment by yolo on November 11, 2014 at 5:43 am
Scratch Christians.
Comment by Namyriah on November 15, 2014 at 10:12 am
fwiw, some Christian colleges have gone the way of Political Correctness and dropped the “offensive” team name Crusaders.
Wheaton College dropped the Crusader mascot in 2000, now the
Thunder.
Eastern Nazarene, now the Lions
Point Loma Nazarene, now Sea Lions
BUT, still calling themselves Crusaders:
College of the Holy Cross (RC)
Valparaiso U (Lutheran)
Evangel U (Assemblies of God)
Northwest Nazarene U
Susquehanna U (Lutheran)
U of Dallas (RC)
Christendom (RC)
U of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Bapt)
North Greenville U (Bapt)
Northwest Nazarene U
Capital U (Luth)
William Carey U (Southern Baptist)
Comment by cochise1 on November 15, 2014 at 1:15 pm
As some have already commented one would think that the bishops would have more pressing issues to address. Of course tackling the hard items such as why the Episcopal Church is bleeding members by the bucketful requires real thought and hard work. Better to stick with a politically correct stance so they can preen and flatter themselves on their oh-so-correct views.
Comment by Bill3rd on June 7, 2020 at 2:08 pm
There is absolutely no need for a lot of the firearms mentioned above. If you need a 20 round mag to hunt deer or an assault rifle to shoot coyotes etc. You need to find another past time. Yes I have firearms but no pistol which is only to be used against people. My rifle holds 5 rounds but I only put in 4 because even then a deer is long gone by the third. The NRA should disband !!