A Compassionless Culture

There was a once upon a time, that was not too long ago, when compassion was an expectation from leaders. Compassion in this case is the concern for the suffering and misfortunes of others. Jesus’s commandment to love is rooted in the act of being concerned about others in ways that reflect care and attention to welfare and well-being.

As authoritarianism sweeps the globe along with escalating war and genocidal actions by governments, the distress and suffering of the masses has been met with silence and, in some cases, the doubling down on callous behavior, human rights violations, and caustic narratives without remorse or apology.

The day following the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025, the President attended the 60th inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral which has hosted this event since 1933.

During her sermon, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde addressed the President directly and said: “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” After identifying vulnerable groups for whom she was concerned she added: “Have mercy, President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”

Bishop Budde’s remarks, which focused on unity, were not received well by the President. He demanded an apology from the Bishop and The Episcopal Church for her remarks. He called her sermon boring and uninspiring, lashing out via social media with his responses to Bishop Budde and the service. The Bishop’s remarks were a prophetic cry for mercy. The President’s inability to hear words beyond personal criticism was troubling then and is, perhaps, even more troubling 439 days beyond his inauguration.

There have been 255 Executive Orders signed as of Inauguration Day 2025. Those orders have addressed a range of issues from holidays to foreign policy, impacting immigration, birthright citizenship, the unhoused, mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion, and reproductive rights — to name a few. Each stroke of the pen and social media commentary leveled by the president carried consequences for millions in the United States and globally — including comments about people, governments, and legislation. The cry for compassion is being silenced with rhetoric that seeks to justify human rights violations and a compassionless culture that is cruel, violent, and dismissive of people’s dignity and humanity.

The 2025 federal budget raised concerns for those already struggling economically. Social safety nets were targeted. Programs focused on nutrition, poverty, hunger, housing, and education were targeted with little concern for how the marginalized would be assisted. Similar lack of compassion was evidenced in cuts to foreign aid which supported a range of services globally and to humanitarian aid. The calls for a compassionate budget were ignored. The cry for mercy continues beyond the appeal made on January 25, 2025, with $1.5 trillion proposed for military spending in the next budget.

Supreme Court actions and lack of action by the U.S. Congress continue to support the cruelty of an administration which has failed promises made to its constituents as it continues to support a war with Israel against Iran. The list of egregious actions continues daily — additional sanctions against Cuba, supporting genocide in Gaza, overthrowing and capturing the president of Venezuela, invading Iran, cutting funding for the poor, debasing the LGBTQIA community, detaining, deporting and defaming immigrants — all with an element of disdain. The cry for mercy should be louder: Have mercy upon those suffering in our world. 

The call for change is a cry for mercy in a world where compassion is lacking from the highest offices. The church and communities of faith should be at the forefront calling for mercy as Bishop Budde and others have done. Instead, the call for silence is supported by the church. Those who continue to claim that the church has no place in the public square. Well, the prophetic witness demands different when there are voices in the chair who claim the anointing of this president and support his actions as being sanctioned by God. Across faith traditions and spiritual practices, love and compassion are cited repeatedly as God-centered values. To miss these essential elements and claim faith as a part of one’s life is counter intuitive.

As Christians observed Holy Week, focusing on the events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the president’s “spiritual adviser” dared to compare the president with Jesus. There is no comparison to be made while the president nurtures a propensity towards authoritarianism. Attempts at deification are heresy and an abomination to the ministry of Jesus and the church. That a pastor would make these comments at this time in the life of the church identifies the social and religious cluelessness accompanying this compassionless culture.

The president then chose Easter as the day to issue a profanity-laden statement threatening war crimes against the people of Iran. His violent threat to blow up civilian infrastructure and promise that Iranians will be “living in Hell” is in direct opposition to the Easter proclamation that Jesus lives. The power of the resurrection is a triumph of God’s love over evil that is still present in the world working against the compassionate way of Jesus.

Have mercy upon us, O God!      

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