Former Chief of Navy Chaplains (RAdm) Margaret Kibben was appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be the House Chaplain in January. Last week, her opening “prayer” criticized the House members for failing to “unite” around the $1.9T COVID “relief” bill.

“Almighty God, as these lawmakers take their sides on this factional bill before them, we pray your mercy,” she said. “Forgive them, all of them. For when called upon to respond to a once-in-a-century pandemic that has rocked our country, upended its economy and widened the chasm of partisan opinion, they have missed the opportunity to step above the fray and unite to attend to this national crisis…

In failing to address the acrimony and divisions which have prevailed in this room, the servants you have called to lead this country have contributed to the spread of an even more insidious contagion of bitterness and spite.”

The liberally-minded Kibben, who declined to support her own chaplain’s support for religious liberty in the Navy, seemed to prefer movement over principle. Clearly, she didn’t intend to advocate prayerfully that Congress unite around voting the bill down, so she was presumably praying against Republicans who opposed the bill. Ironically, in so doing Chaplain Kibben criticized the very democratic process enshrined in the US Constitution she had sworn to uphold and defend.

One thing Kibben failed to consider: If, during a crisis, the entire crowd moves in one direction – in “unity” – that’s rarely an example wisdom. Instead, it reflects panic.