The Trump phenomenon's most revealing and characteristic occasions โ not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but possibly its most revealing โ occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the nation's leader commenced revealing all observers his plans for a lavish reception room double the dimensions than the White House and subsequently started independently demolishing the East Wing portion to erect it.
He has performed deeds ten thousand times worse โ the current estimate of deaths resulting from his reductions to USAID is 600,000 and growing, and recently research forecast his fossil fuel policies would kill another 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No previous president would have risked โ genuinely, no other president would have contemplated โ solo demolishing large sections of the presidential residence to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the active collaboration of numerous the richest Americans, almost all of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We moved from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' to 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As bewildering as it is to observe the leader try to upend the traditional concept regarding democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there remains a substantial portion of Americans who should not find it completely novel. That is those of us โ among senior generations a near majority โ who were educated as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have witnessed throughout the years as politically conservative religious groups turned the Jesus we grew up with into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. Essentially, they turned a figure of love into a figure of hate who approves exactly the harshness that he denounced in biblical teachings; this has happened more gradually, through multiple decades rather than months, however it is still unsettling through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for many of us.
A Harmful Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Christ from my upbringing, as conceptually the Savior is the core within Christian belief, and given that the fastest-growing cadre of Americans could have minimal awareness of him since they are atheists or agnostics or religiously unaffiliated. I have no problem with these various perspectives, nor with alternative spiritual paths; however I believe that contain precious wisdom of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is decidedly definitely not the narrative of a powerful ruler arising; instead, an infant arrives to parents without shelter in an automotive shelter, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to escape undercover officers. The infant develops in modest conditions, a working carpenter; his doctrine is about love for fellow humans, specifically for the disadvantaged โ not simply tender feelings, but tangible care, shown by providing food and protecting. Christ's response to violence is to present the additional cheek โ not as a demonstration of submissive tolerance, but as a way to teach the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing states that when a person pilfers your jacket you must offer the person your additional clothing too.
The apparent and straightforward reality that Christ in biblical accounts advocates for a form of radical love centered on the poor has consistently rendered Christianity something of a scandalous religion: appealing to the general public, but because of its inherent radicalness needing to be contained. In the 1950s it was contained through watering down โ The Protestant faith was so widespread that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Finest Within Us
So I have been heartened to witness the persistent defiance regarding Trump develop during the previous year. It has been substantial consolation to participate in developing the initiative that has demonstrated publicly in rally after rally, and seems to have inspired voters to turn out in significant amounts during minor elections. We will need to continue it, and with identical determination, featuring US banners during all protests and requests to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We shall be interrogated ... about how you treated the stranger? Did you welcome them and embrace them or refuse?
The nation is most protected, in other words, by reference to the finest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is best defended by reference to that which renders it distinctive and wonderful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In both situations does it imply feigning the worst about the nation and Christianity did not happen; it signifies both modesty and conviction, a blend that committed American Christians should be comfortable with.
