Who Gets To Say? The Likes of Mariann Budde?

In his book "Christianity and Liberalism", the late Presbyterian biblical scholar J. Gresham Machen dealt with this issue about 100 years ago. The book was a response to the rise of liberal Protestant theology, specifically that part of it that had infested the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), to which he belonged at the time. Machen was prescient. He saw where liberalism was going, and he therefore wouldn't have been surprised at all to see where liberal Protestantism is today, as evidenced by "Bishop" Mariann Budde, whose woke grandstanding at the inaugural prayer service a few days ago has been in the news. Machen knew that the liberals were in the process of abandoning Christianity altogether, which is why he wrote this in his book:

"The originators of the Christian movement had an inalienable right to legislate for all generations that should choose to bear the name of 'Christian.'

The originators of the "Christian movement" were Jesus and his apostles, but Church history teaches us that their authority passed to the Early Church Fathers, who were compelled to settle certain essential christological/triadological issues and give initial shape to the Church's canon law. It is therefore the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church (not to be confused with Roman Catholicism, per se), which has that inalienable right.

That means we must pay no attention to the modern interlopers in liberal Protestantism, the New Age movement, Buddhists, gnostics et al. who claim to represent the "true" interpretation of Jesus and the Christian religion.

Think of it this way: when a bunch of guys get together and form a club and promulgate club rules, these guys define the club. To join the club, you must adhere to their rules. If you don't, it's only an indication that you were never "of" the club (I John 2:19). If you leave the club but then represent yourself as a member of the club, you are a lying imposter.

That's who modern liberal Protestants such as Budde are when they claim to represent the true Jesus and try to use his words as a cudgel against Christian orthodoxy. ("Judge not!" - roll eyes.) Christ and his apostles warned the Church early on against such people, and that is why we men and women of the Church, or anyone else for that matter, should pay them no mind.