The Trump phenomenon's most illuminating and characteristic moments – not its most significant, nor most harsh, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – came earlier this autumn. Over the span of multiple weeks, the nation's leader commenced revealing everyone his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions of the White House and then began solo dismantling the East Wing to erect it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the present calculation of fatalities from his cuts to USAID stands at 600,000 and growing, and recently a study predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill another 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No other president would have risked – really, no other president would have contemplated – independently wrecking significant portions of the White House to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the enthusiastic participation of multiple the richest Americans, almost all of whom have business with federal agencies.
We went from 'the gentle will obtain the world' to 'the humble will perish from cholera'
As bewildering as it is to witness the president try to upend the established notion of democracy and substitute it with its polar opposite, there remains a substantial portion within America who should not find it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – in older age cohorts close to half – who were brought up as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed across decades as politically conservative religious groups transformed the Christ we grew up with into the total contrary of who we understood him to be. At its most basic, they converted a persona of affection into a figure of animosity who approves precisely the cruelties that he condemned in scripture; this change developed more gradually, across decades as opposed to months, but it is nonetheless disturbing through similar means, a bewildering emotional blow for numerous individuals.
A Toxic Christianity Establishes Itself
So let me first describe the Jesus from my childhood, because theoretically Jesus is the center of any Christian faith, and given that the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness of him as they consider themselves non-believers or doubters or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these different approaches, nor with alternative spiritual paths; however I believe that contain precious wisdom of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is emphatically not the narrative of a mighty king emerging; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to a different country to evade covert authorities. The infant develops in simple surroundings, a working carpenter; his teaching focuses on affection for fellow humans, specifically for the disadvantaged – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, shown by providing food and housing. Jesus' answer to hostility is to turn the other cheek – not as a demonstration of passive acceptance, but as a means to educate the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing states that when someone steals your jacket you must offer the person your additional clothing as well.
The evident and direct reality that the Savior of the gospels advocates for a type of extreme compassion concentrated on the poor has perpetually caused Christian religion something of a provocative belief system: engaging for the general public, but owing to its intrinsic extremism requiring to be contained. During the 1950s it was contained through watering down – Protestantism was so dominant that it essentially baptized the status quo.
A Struggle for the Highest Within Us
Therefore I have felt encouraged to witness the steadfast resistance regarding Trump develop in this past year. It has provided significant comfort to help build the movement that has protested openly in rally after rally, and likely has encouraged citizens to show up in numbers during minor elections. We must have to continue it, and through comparable resolve, with American flags during all protests and requests to the highest qualities in US history.
We're going to be asked ... about how you treated the stranger? Did you accept these individuals and welcome him or refuse?
The nation is most protected, in other words, through connection to the best in US heritage, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended by relationship to elements that cause it to be distinctive and beautiful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In all circumstances does it mean acting as if the most negative of both America and Christian faith was nonexistent; it signifies both humility and faith, a combination that genuine national faithful should be comfortable with.
