New Hampshire Bishop Warns Clergy: ‘New Era Of Martyrdom’ Is Coming

CONCORD, N.H. — A bishop in the Episcopal Church is drawing national attention after telling clergy in his diocese that they should finalize their wills and prepare themselves for what he called a possible “new era of martyrdom.”

The remarks by Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire came during a vigil earlier this month honoring Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Hirschfeld suggested that clergy might need to risk their lives through nonviolent witness to protect society’s most vulnerable in turbulent times.

Hirschfeld referenced historical examples of Christian martyrs, including Episcopal seminarian Jonathan Daniels, who died protecting a civil rights activist in 1965, suggesting clergy could be entering “that same witness.” He urged them to make sure their affairs were in order because, he said, “now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”

Hirschfeld did not call for violence and later clarified that his message was about the real risks of nonviolent protest and justice work, not an instruction to seek danger.

When NHPR asked him to expand on his remarks — including what it would look like to “stand with our bodies between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable” — the faith leader responded:

It could look like any number of things. It could look like merely going to school and standing up against a bully and placing yourself between a bully and someone who’s being bullied. It could mean even speaking on behalf of children at a school, at a school board, which we understand is becoming increasingly volatile throughout the country. It could mean attending a rally, whether it’s a No Kings rally, or the day after the vigil on Saturday, I noticed there was a pro-life vigil up on the street here in Concord. Both populations saw themselves as witnessing hope and witnessing towards human dignity. I may not agree with everything that was said even at the vigil. I may not agree with everything that might be said on that rally on Saturday, but you place yourself with your body in front of people who may react violently and with rage, and it may mean that you stand in front of someone who’s in imminent danger.

This is the diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. We speak of someone named Jonathan Daniels all the time. He was one of ours. He was a young, 20-something man preparing for the priesthood. He went to Selma, Alabama, answering the call of Martin Luther King Jr. simply to stand in solidarity, to be with people who were disenfranchised, literally who couldn’t vote. He’s put into jail one day in August of 1965. [He] comes out of jail along with his companions, one of whom is a young teenage Black girl named Ruby Sales. And they’re confronted with a shotgun. He stands in front of the shotgun and takes the blast. He’s known as a martyr in the Episcopal Church. So what I said was not new.

Hirschfeld added he was troubled by what he described as a growing convergence between Christian faith and political and military power. He warned that when the church aligns too closely with the state, the core message of Jesus — rooted in compassion, humility and care for the vulnerable — can be distorted.

Asked why his comments have drawn so much attention, the bishop pointed to a broader climate of heightened sensitivity following recent violence — from the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah to international events such as the mass killing of protesters in Iran. He suggested that in times of widespread fear and uncertainty, many people are searching for meaning, sources of hope, and ways to be courageous in a fraught moment.

Footage of his remarks quickly went viral, fueling a broader debate about the role religious leaders play in an increasingly divisive political climate.

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