Trumpism's most telling and defining moments – not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most senseless, 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 a gilded ballroom double the dimensions than the White House and then began solo dismantling the East Wing to erect it.
He has committed acts ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of deaths resulting from his reductions to foreign assistance stands at 600,000 and growing, and recently a study projected his petroleum strategies would cause deaths 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have attempted – genuinely, no former commander would have contemplated – unilaterally destroying large sections of the White House to build a royal-themed celebration hall, with the active collaboration of some of America's wealthiest, almost all of whom conduct transactions with federal agencies.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the world' into 'the humble will perish from cholera'
As disorienting as it is to watch the leader try to upend the traditional concept regarding democracy and exchange it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment within America who should not find it entirely new. That is those of us – within elder demographics close to half – who were raised within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have observed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches turned the Jesus we grew up with into the total contrary of our perception of his character. Fundamentally, they turned a figure of compassion into a figure of hostility who approves specifically the brutality that he condemned in biblical teachings; this has happened at a slower pace, through multiple decades instead of months, but it is nonetheless disturbing in the same ways, a bewildering emotional blow for many of us.
A Harmful Christianity Establishes Itself
Hence I shall explain the Christ from my upbringing, because theoretically Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and given that the quickly increasing segment of Americans may possess limited understanding about him because they identify as skeptics or doubters or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these different approaches, nor with different religions; however I believe that contain precious wisdom of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is emphatically definitely not the narrative of an authoritative monarch arising; instead, a baby is born to parents without shelter in a garage, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to evade secret police. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, a laboring woodworker; his message focuses on affection for fellow humans, specifically for the impoverished – not simply tender feelings, but a concrete one, shown by providing food and protecting. The Savior's reaction to violence is to turn the additional cheek – not as an act of submissive tolerance, but as a method to educate the aggressor; his method regarding offenses indicates that whenever a person pilfers your coat you must offer the person your additional clothing also.
The evident and clear truth that the Jesus from scripture calls for a form of extreme compassion concentrated on the poor has consistently rendered Christianity somewhat of a scandalous religion: attractive to the general public, but due to its natural unconventionality needing to be contained. During the 1950s it was restrained via weakening – The Protestant faith was so widespread that it practically sanctified existing conditions.
A Conflict for the Best of Us
So I have been heartened to witness the steadfast resistance regarding Trump emerge over the last twelve months. It has been great solace to help build the movement that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and appears to have motivated citizens to participate in large quantities during minor elections. We will need to continue it, and with identical determination, displaying national flags throughout each rally and appeals to the best parts within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... about how you treated the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or reject?
America is best defended, essentially, by reference to the highest within national tradition, just as Christianity is best defended through connection to elements that cause it to be distinctive and magnificent, specifically the model of the Savior. In both situations does it imply acting as if the most damaging regarding America and Christian faith was nonexistent; it means both modesty and belief, a combination that genuine national faithful should be comfortable with.
