Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) recently received a sculpture in honor of Episcopal Church Bishop Mariann Budde’s rebuke of President Donald Trump during last year's inaugural prayer service. The Alexandria-based Episcopal seminary held a dedication service last week for the sculpture, titled “Bow of Burning Gold,” created by artist Murray Dewart years earlier. Dewart’s father graduated from VTS in 1941.
The sculpture’s title comes from the poem “Jerusalem” by William Blake, which serves as the lyrics for an English patriotic song and includes a line that inspired the movie title “Chariots of Fire.” VTS spokeswoman Nicky Burridge told The Christian Post that Dewart reached out to the seminary shortly after Budde’s sermon to discuss dedicating the sculpture.
Burridge said the sculptor donated the piece “in honor of the moment” created by Budde's sermon at the National Cathedral's Service of Prayer for the Nation event last January. Budde garnered headlines for directly imploring Trump to show mercy to various groups, such as LGBT individuals and illegal immigrants, as he took office. The seminary responded that “we would be honored to receive it," Burridge said.
“The gift is in direct response to the Budde moment. The creation of the sculpture predates it by a decade,” she explained. “The gift is inspired by the moment.” Last week, VTS also announced the release of a series of essays honoring Budde’s remarks, titled Have Mercy: Following Jesus in Politically Perilous Times.
At the inaugural prayer service the day after Trump was sworn in for his second term, Budde addressed the president, who was seated in the front row. “In the Name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde stated. “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families. Some