The Trump phenomenon's most illuminating and distinctive moments – not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most dangerous, nor most foolish, but potentially its most enlightening – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the nation's leader began displaying all observers his designs for an ornate dance hall twice the size of the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the East Wing portion to construct it.
He has performed deeds ten thousand times worse – the present calculation of deaths from his cuts to USAID stands at 600,000 and increasing, and recently research forecast his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities an additional 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have risked – really, no previous leader would have conceived – independently wrecking major areas of the executive mansion to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the active collaboration of some of America's wealthiest, almost all of whom maintain dealings with public institutions.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the planet' to 'the humble will perish to cholera'
As confusing as it is to watch the chief executive try to upend the old idea regarding democracy and exchange it with its polar opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That encompasses people such as ourselves – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were raised as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have witnessed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we learned about into the total contrary of our understanding of him. At its most basic, they turned a figure of affection into a symbol of animosity who approves precisely the cruelties that he condemned in scripture; this has happened at a slower pace, through multiple decades rather than months, but it is nonetheless unsettling in the same ways, a disorienting gut punch for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Gains Ground
Hence I shall explain the Jesus from my upbringing, because theoretically the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and given that the rapidly expanding group within America could have minimal awareness of him as they consider themselves atheists or uncertain individuals or religiously unaffiliated. I have no problem with these various perspectives, nor with different religions; however I believe that contain precious wisdom of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is unquestionably absolutely not the account of a mighty king arising; conversely, a baby is born to displaced parents in a garage, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to avoid undercover officers. The baby grows up in simple surroundings, a laboring woodworker; his teaching concerns compassion for others, especially for the impoverished – not merely emotional affection, but practical compassion, expressed by feeding and housing. Christ's response to violence is to present the other cheek – not as an act of submissive tolerance, but as a way to teach the attacker; his method regarding offenses indicates that whenever a person pilfers your jacket you must offer the person your additional clothing as well.
The obvious and direct reality that the Savior from scripture calls for a form of extreme compassion centered on the poor has perpetually caused Christian religion rather a controversial faith: attractive to the masses, but owing to its intrinsic extremism needing to be restrained. In the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so prevalent that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Best Among Us
Hence I have become encouraged to observe the steadfast resistance regarding Trump emerge over the last twelve months. It has served as substantial consolation to help build the movement that has protested openly through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged citizens to participate in significant amounts during minor elections. We will need to continue it, and in the same spirit, with American flags during all protests and requests to the best parts of American history.
We're going to be asked ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you welcome them and receive them or not?
The nation is most protected, to put it differently, through connection to the best within national tradition, just as Christianity is best defended through connection to that which renders it unique and beautiful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In neither case does it suggest acting as if the most damaging regarding America and Christian faith did not happen; it means both meekness and conviction, a combination that genuine American Christians should embrace.
