In a stunning moment during the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral, the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Washington, D.C, spoke directly to President Donald Trump asking him to show mercy on the many people who will be harmed by the executive orders that he signed on his first day in office.

She spoke on behalf of the undocumented community living and working in the U.S. She countered the false narrative about immigrants being criminals and stated that instead the vast majority are law abiding, taxpaying valued members of our community.

Budde spoke on behalf of members of the LGBTQ+ community who now live in fear. Trump’s executive order directing the federal government to recognize only “male” and “female” on all government-issued documents such as passports and policies such as federal prison assignments are at odds with the lived reality of the many non-binary and transgender people in our country.

The position is counter to the one held by the American Medical Association and backed up studies suggesting that gender is better understood as a spectrum.

Because the prayer service is part of a long U.S. presidential tradition taking place the morning after the inauguration, it is widely covered by members of the media. Hopefully, it will have a large impact on the nation’s thinking about the policy direction of our country.

Thankfully, Budde’s words have been supported by other Christian leaders such as William Willimon, a bishop in the United Methodist Church. Willimon, an author and a professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School, called Budde’s plea for mercy “particularly moving.”

The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and an ordained Baptist minister, commented on how deeply Budde appears to draw on her faith.

Hopefully her comments will inspire faithful people of all denominations to speak out, as Pope Francis did when he asked Trump to “reject hate discrimination and exclusion.”

For too long, Christian nationalists have dominated the conversation on what it means to be Christian.

The barrage of vitriol and hate speech that have been directed at Budde since her direct plea to Trump for mercy should be strongly condemned by all people of good conscience — most especially by the larger faith community.

The narrative espoused by the Christian right must be countered by one that is found in the old and new testaments, especially the Gospels that are clear about our obligation to help the poor and downtrodden, welcome the stranger in our midst, minister to the sick and feed the hungry.

Anyone can quote scripture to justify their own world view. But it is up to each one of us to examine our heart and conscience and decide for ourselves what is the correct path forward. Is it a path of love and mercy? Is it a path that has us love our neighbor as ourselves? Is it a path that recognizes the inherent dignity of all people as children of God?

There are other voices out there that promote a different vision of Christianity. One example is the Progressive Christian Alliance, a network of people who strive to follow the teachings of Jesus.

Among its members, it counts various Christian denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians and Mennonites. They come together around the principles of justice, respect and inclusion.

The movement of the United States of America into an increasingly oligarchical society with extreme disparities in wealth and disregard of civil liberties and democratic norms is coming to a tipping point. Our country was founded on ideals of equality, the inherent dignity of all people, and the rule of law.

In the words of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Now is the time to make our voices heard and resist the erosion of our civil and constitutional rights and speak out for respect for the dignity of all people, justice, equality and mercy.

Annie Song-Hill, of San Rafael, is a former member of the Miller Creek School District Board of Trustees and served as public member on the IJ editorial board.