The Trump movement's most telling and characteristic occasions – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the American president commenced revealing all observers his plans for a lavish reception room double the dimensions of the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the East Wing portion to erect it.
He has committed acts countless times more severe – the present calculation of fatalities from his cuts to USAID stands at 600,000 and increasing, and recently a study forecast his petroleum strategies would kill an additional 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No previous president would have risked – really, no other president would have imagined – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the presidential residence in order to erect a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of some of the richest Americans, the majority of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the planet' into 'the meek shall die from cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the president try to upend the established notion of democracy and substitute it with its polar opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. That encompasses people such as ourselves – within elder demographics a near majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have witnessed across decades as politically conservative religious groups transformed the Christ we learned about into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. Fundamentally, they converted a persona of compassion into a figure of animosity who blesses specifically the brutality that he condemned in biblical teachings; this transformation occurred more slowly, over decades instead of months, however it is still disconcerting through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for countless people.
A Toxic Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Savior from my childhood, because theoretically Christ is the focus within Christian belief, and given that the quickly increasing segment of Americans may possess limited understanding about him because they identify as skeptics or agnostics or religiously unaffiliated. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with alternative spiritual paths; however I believe that exist valuable insights of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is unquestionably absolutely not the account of a mighty king arising; instead, a child comes into the world to displaced parents in a storage space, who must quickly flee to a different country to escape undercover officers. The child matures in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his doctrine focuses on affection for fellow humans, especially for the impoverished – not merely emotional affection, but a concrete one, shown by providing food and housing. Christ's response to violence is to present the additional cheek – not as a demonstration of submissive tolerance, but as a means to educate the assailant; his method regarding offenses is that if a person pilfers your coat you ought to provide them your pullover too.
The apparent and clear reality that the Savior of the gospels advocates for a form of extreme compassion concentrated on the impoverished has consistently rendered Christianity rather a controversial faith: appealing to the general public, but because of its inherent radicalness needing to be controlled. In the fifties it was contained via weakening – Protestantism was so prevalent that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Battle for the Finest of Us
So I have been inspired to observe the steadfast resistance against Trump develop in this past year. It has been substantial consolation to participate in developing the initiative that has protested openly via continuous gatherings, and likely has encouraged electorate to show up in large quantities in interim political contests. We will need to continue it, and in the same spirit, displaying national flags throughout each rally and calls to the highest qualities in US history.
We will be questioned ... about how you treated the foreigner? Did you welcome them and welcome him or reject?
America is best defended, in other words, through connection to the finest within national tradition, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended through connection to what makes it special and beautiful, specifically the model of Jesus. In all circumstances does it mean feigning the worst about the nation and religious tradition did not happen; it signifies both humility and conviction, a mixture that committed national faithful ought to accept.
