The Chaplain of the US House of Representatives, Presbyterian Margaret Kibben, will be leaving her position at the behest of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
What, you may ask, merited this change? After all, Kibben was originally named to the post by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and sustained in her role by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), so she’s had bipartisan support over the years. She’s also a retired Navy Rear Admiral whose last duty position was that of Chief of Naval Chaplains. She deployed to Afghanistan as an individual augmentee, and she holds not only theological credentials from Princeton Theological Seminary, but also an MA in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. At first glance, you’d think that Republicans would LOVE that combination, right?
Ah, but…she hurt their fee-fees last week, and must therefore be punished. As the Christian Post reported (emphasis added):
The chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives gathered with congressional Democratic leadership Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a moment of silence and a prayer that included a mention of “enemies within.”
Margaret Grun Kibben, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), stood in front of the press with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a hallway where protesters first entered the Capitol four years ago. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., also joined the group. […]
She also invoked God’s help “to deal with all that comes across the threshold: enemies within, enemies from without our own country,” without elaborating on who she was talking about.
Well, no self-respecting Trumpist is going to let THAT stand, am I right? Religion News Service tells us that Mike Johnson jumped right on it:
House Speaker Mike Johnson has launched an effort to select a new House chaplain, working with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on a framework to select a new person to fill the post just days after the current chaplain offered a Jan. 6 prayer asking God to help lawmakers defend against “enemies within.”
Punchbowl News first reported the potential change last week, citing unnamed sources and noting the current chaplain, the Rev. Margaret Kibben, is now listed as “acting chaplain.” Johnson’s office confirmed to Religion News Service on Sunday (Jan. 12) that the speaker is moving to find a new chaplain and that he is working with the minority leader to develop a process. The office did not provide a reason for why Johnson is seeking a new House chaplain.
Oh, I think we can make an educated guess about Johnson’s “reasons.”
Of course, the rumored replacement is…wait for it…a co-pastor of a roll-your-own nondenominational megachurch with no experience in chaplaincy:
Nor did Johnson’s office respond to requests to confirm another piece of Punchbowl’s reporting — namely, that Johnson, a conservative Southern Baptist, is allegedly considering Becky Tirabassi, a nondenominational Christian and co-pastor of Viewpoint Church in Newport Beach, Calif., as the new chaplain. Tirabassi pastors the church with her husband, Roger Tirabassi.
Read the rest of the RNS article linked above, and you’ll find that Tirabassi is, at the very least, both Religious Right and MAGA.
Even if one considers the position of House Chaplain an anachronism, Kibben deserves our thanks for taking a public stand grounded in her faith. Here’s hoping that she lands in a place of personal peace, whether her future brings another position of influence or simple retirement.