Tyrell Bramwell has many faults, but his hubris is possibly his worst. It’s a trait he shares with the idol of the religious right, Donald Trump. The former president, who was just found guilty by a jury of his peers for lying about raping a woman, once famously declared that he knew more about the military than his generals did. It would be a laughable statement, except at the time he had nuclear launch codes in his possesion.

Throughout the Jan. 6th hearings, it was pointed out over and over again, how Trump refused to believe anyone who told him it was a conspiracy theory that he won the election. He refused to listen to the experts with their reams of evidence that debunked the big lie, because in his heart he was convinced he was not a loser.

Similarly, Bramwell acts in a hateful manner because he knows he is right, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. Even ignoring evidence so simple it could convince a five year old, he has convinced himself that his interpretation of the Bible is correct, even though the oft translated book of myths and stolen fairytales written by men over 2000 years ago is so convoluted it has spawned three major religions, and thousands of variations of those three.

I’m sure at this point Bramwell is beyond convincing, just as there are still people in Ferndale flying Trump 2024 flags in their front yard. They’re beyond reach of any rational thought.

But to answer his question, the real evil in Ferndale right now is Bramwell himself. On a weekly basis, he does as much as he can to divide this once peaceful community. Certainly that is not the role of a community church pastor.

There has been some outcry against his evil from the other churches, most notably the other Lutheran church in Ferndale. But it is time for all of the churches in Ferndale to publicly condemn the hate that St. Mark’s is fostering in our small town. We don’t need people like Bramwell telling us how to live our lives, and who we should hate because they are somehow different from him.