Trumpism's most revealing and defining moments – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – occurred earlier this fall. During the period of several weeks, the nation's leader started showing everyone his plans for an ornate dance hall twice the size of the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the East Wing to erect it.
He has performed deeds countless times more severe – the current estimate of deaths due to his slashing to USAID stands at 600,000 and growing, and this week research predicted his petroleum strategies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have dared – truly, no other president would have imagined – solo demolishing significant portions of the executive mansion to build a royal-themed celebration hall, with the active collaboration of some of the richest Americans, almost all of whom have business with the government.
We transitioned from 'the gentle will obtain the planet' toward 'the humble will perish from cholera'
As confusing as it is to watch the president try to upend the established notion regarding democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there is one large group of Americans who might not perceive it entirely new. That encompasses people such as ourselves – among senior generations close to half – who were raised within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have witnessed throughout the years as rightwing evangelical churches turned the Jesus we learned about into the total contrary of who we understood him to be. Fundamentally, they converted a persona of love into a figure of hate who approves exactly the harshness that he criticized in the Gospel; this has happened at a slower pace, over decades as opposed to months, however it is still disconcerting in the same ways, a bewildering emotional blow for many of us.
A Toxic Christianity Takes Hold
So let me first describe the Savior from my upbringing, since in theory Jesus is the center within Christian belief, and given that the rapidly expanding group among Americans may possess limited understanding of him because they identify as skeptics or agnostics or spiritual independents. I take no issue with these different approaches, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of significant worth in the Christian story.
It is decidedly absolutely not the account of an authoritative monarch appearing; instead, a baby is born to parents without shelter in a storage space, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to evade secret police. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his teaching concerns compassion for fellow humans, particularly for the impoverished – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, expressed by feeding and sheltering. Christ's response to violence is to turn the additional cheek – not as a gesture of passive acceptance, but as a means to teach the assailant; his method regarding offenses states that when someone steals your outer garment you should give him your sweater too.
The evident and direct reality that the Savior from scripture calls for a form of radical love concentrated on the poor has perpetually caused Christianity somewhat of a provocative belief system: engaging for the general public, but because of its inherent radicalness demanding to be restrained. During the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – Protestantism was so dominant that it essentially baptized the status quo.
A Conflict for the Finest Among Us
So I have been inspired to witness the persistent defiance to Trump emerge in this past year. It has served as substantial consolation to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets via continuous gatherings, and likely has encouraged electorate to show up in large quantities in interim political contests. We must have to continue it, and in the same spirit, with American flags throughout each rally and appeals to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We're going to be asked ... about how you treated the stranger? Did you receive him and welcome him or refuse?
America is best defended, essentially, by reference to the finest in US heritage, just as Christianity is best defended through connection to elements that cause it to be unique and wonderful, which is the example of the Savior. In both situations does it suggest pretending the most negative about the nation and Christianity never occurred; it represents both humility and belief, a blend that committed US believers should be comfortable with.
