The Trump phenomenon's most illuminating and characteristic occasions – not its most crucial, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – emerged earlier this harvest season. In the course of several weeks, the US president commenced revealing the public his designs for an ornate dance hall double the dimensions than the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the East Wing to erect it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of fatalities from his cuts to foreign assistance is 600,000 and growing, and presently research projected his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities 1.3 million more. However nothing as distinctive. No former leader would have dared – genuinely, no previous leader would have imagined – solo demolishing large sections of the presidential residence in order to erect a Versailles-style party room, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous the richest Americans, the majority of whom have business with federal agencies.
We moved from 'the humble will receive the planet' to 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As confusing as it is to watch the leader try to upend the old idea about democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there is one large group among Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were educated as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed across decades as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we learned about into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. Essentially, they transformed an image of affection into an icon of hate who blesses precisely the cruelties that he condemned in the Gospel; this transformation occurred more slowly, over decades rather than months, but it is nonetheless disturbing in the same ways, a disorienting gut punch for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Gains Ground
Therefore allow me to outline the Jesus from my childhood, since in theory Christ is the focus within Christian belief, and because the fastest-growing cadre among Americans might have little sense of him because they identify as non-believers or doubters or spiritual independents. I take no issue with these various perspectives, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of significant worth within Christian narrative.
It is decidedly not the story of a powerful ruler emerging; instead, a baby is born to displaced parents in a garage, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to escape covert authorities. The infant develops in simple surroundings, an employed craftsman; his doctrine is about love for other people, particularly for the impoverished – and not a sentimental love, but tangible care, shown by providing food and housing. The Savior's reaction to aggression is to turn the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a means to teach the attacker; his approach to wrongdoing states that when a person pilfers your outer garment you ought to provide the person your additional clothing also.
The apparent and direct truth that the Savior from scripture advocates for a form of radical love concentrated on the poor has consistently rendered Christian religion something of a scandalous religion: attractive to the populace, but owing to its inherent radicalness needing to be contained. In the 1950s it was restrained via weakening – Protestant Christianity was so widespread that it practically baptized the status quo.
A Struggle for the Highest Within Us
Therefore I have felt inspired to see the persistent defiance against Trump arise in this past year. It has served as great solace to participate in developing the campaign that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged citizens to participate in numbers in interim political contests. We will need to persist with it, and in the same spirit, featuring US banners at every demonstration and requests to the best parts in US history.
We're going to be asked ... regarding how you welcomed the foreigner? Did you accept these individuals and embrace them or refuse?
The country is optimally secured, essentially, by reference to the best within national tradition, just as Christianity is optimally secured by relationship to that which renders it special and magnificent, particularly the pattern of Christ. In both situations does it imply acting as if the most damaging about the nation and Christian faith never occurred; it means both meekness and belief, a blend that serious American Christians should embrace.
