The US bishop who shot to global fame after preaching at the royal wedding wedding talks about his concern that Christian leaders are ‘buying into political agendas’

Religious leaders who fail to follow biblical commands to protect the poor and vulnerable in society cannot claim to be Christian, according to Michael Curry, the US bishop who shot to global fame after preaching at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan in May.

In an interview with the Guardian, Curry said he was concerned that some “representatives of Christianity were buying into political agendas that very often do not reflect the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth” and that the “moderate religious voice was not being heard in the public square”.

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American white evangelical Christians have become closely associated with Donald Trump after more than eight out of 10 voted for him in the 2016 presidential election. Evangelical leaders, such as Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr, have been vociferous champions of Trump and his policies.

Curry, the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal church – part of the global Anglican church – is a leading advocate of social justice for the poor and marginalised. He has spoken up for the rights of immigrants and in favour of same-sex marriage.

The extraordinary response to his royal wedding sermon gave him a platform on which to promote “the heart and soul of the Christian message”, he said. He is visiting the UK later this month to promote a new book, The Power of Love, which includes the text of his sermon.

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Curry was a key author of the Reclaiming Jesus manifesto, launched the same weekend as the wedding, that warned of “a dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership at the highest levels of our government and in our churches”. It added: “We believe the soul of the nation and integrity of faith are now at stake.”

A few days later, the bishop led a group of Christian leaders in a candlelit vigil at the White House which included prayers for Trump and other members of the administration. “Was that political? I don’t know. We were being religious people,” he said.

Any Christian leader taking a stand in the public sphere must ask themselves if the position they advocated reflects the teachings of Jesus, he added. “If it doesn’t, they need to re-evaluate it.”

I’m concerned when I don’t hear other religious leaders standing up for immigrants in our country being treated with justice and decency Bishop Michael Curry

He said: “I’m concerned when I don’t hear other religious leaders standing up for immigrants in our country being treated with justice and decency. I’m concerned when I don’t hear Christian leaders advocating vociferously for the re-unification of parents and children at our borders.

“I’m concerned when I don’t hear religious leaders advocating for children to be number one on the social agenda of this country. I’m concerned when I hear silence from religious leaders after the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis marched through the streets of Charlottesville. I’m not hearing Jesus of Nazareth when I hear that silence.

“We as Christian leaders must speak up and bear witness to the values that we hold based on the teachings of Jesus. And when we fail to do so, we’ve failed to represent the Christian faith in the public sphere.”

The public was beginning to hold negative perceptions of Christianity, he said. Those that did not follow the example of the good samaritan, or biblical commands to feed the poor and clothe the naked “cannot claim to be Christian”, he added.

Expressing deep concern about “the cultural, political, spiritual and religious climate of this country”, he appealed for conservative evangelical leaders to “talk as brothers and sisters” with Christians who hold progressive views.

“We as a country have to cross our dividing lines and find a way forward together. Democracy requires a certain level of civility in order for it to work, and it has definitely broken down, no question about that.

“If we truly love our country, we can’t let it go on in this way in terms of the breakdown of civility and the breakdown of our relationships.”

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But he insisted he was optimistic about the future. “I’m an African American, a descendent of African slaves brought here against their will. I’ve seen this country at some of its worst, and I’ve seen it at some of its best. I know this country has the capacity to rebuild and move forward, and I believe it will.

“Democracy is going to hold, but it won’t hold on autopilot. It will hold because people of good will and human decency come together and say we’re not going to destroy this country, we’re going to build it better. I know we can move forward again.

“We’re having a cultural struggle, no question about that. But, let us be clear, the foundations of this democracy are stronger than any differences that we may have at this time. As a nation, we shall overcome.”