Trumpism's most telling and distinctive moments – not its most crucial, nor cruelest, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of a few weeks, the American president started showing all observers his intentions for a gilded ballroom twice the size compared to the White House and then began solo dismantling the East Wing to erect it.
He has done things ten thousand times worse – the current estimate of fatalities from his cuts to international aid is 600,000 and growing, and recently a study predicted his petroleum strategies would kill an additional 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No other president would have dared – really, no other president would have imagined – unilaterally destroying major areas of the White House to construct a royal-themed celebration hall, with the active collaboration of numerous America's wealthiest, the majority of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the planet' toward 'the humble will perish from cholera'
As bewildering as it is to watch the leader seek to颠覆 the traditional concept about democracy and exchange it with its polar opposite, there is one large group within America who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts almost a majority – who were raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed over the years as politically conservative religious groups turned the Jesus we learned about into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. Essentially, they turned a figure of compassion into a figure of hate who endorses specifically the brutality that he criticized in scripture; this has happened more slowly, over decades rather than months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a confusing personal impact for many of us.
A Toxic Christianity Establishes Itself
So let me first describe the Jesus from my upbringing, as conceptually Jesus is the center of Christian religion, and given that the quickly increasing segment among Americans might have little sense of him since they are atheists or doubters or spiritual independents. I raise no objection with these different approaches, nor with any other faith; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of great price in the Christian story.
It is unquestionably not the story of a powerful ruler appearing; rather, a baby is born to parents without shelter in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to avoid covert authorities. The baby grows up in modest conditions, an employed craftsman; his teaching focuses on affection for others, especially for the poor – not simply tender feelings, but tangible care, shown by providing food and housing. Christ's response to hostility is to turn the other cheek – not as a gesture of compliant endurance, but as a method to educate the assailant; his crime policy is that if a person pilfers your jacket you should give him your sweater too.
The evident and straightforward truth that the Savior in biblical accounts requests a kind of extreme compassion centered on the needy has consistently rendered Christian religion something of a scandalous religion: engaging for the general public, but because of its intrinsic extremism demanding to be contained. During the 1950s it was contained by dilution – The Protestant faith was so widespread that it practically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Highest of Us
So I have been inspired to see the persistent defiance regarding Trump emerge in this past year. It has served as significant comfort to assist in constructing the movement that has taken to the streets via continuous gatherings, and seems to have inspired electorate to participate in large quantities in interim political contests. We will need to persist with it, and with identical determination, with American flags during all protests and appeals to the finest aspects within national heritage.
We're going to be asked ... about how you treated the stranger? Did you welcome them and embrace them or refuse?
The country is optimally secured, to put it differently, through connection to the best within national tradition, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended by reference to elements that cause it to be unique and magnificent, which is the example of Jesus. In all circumstances does it suggest pretending the worst regarding America and Christian faith never occurred; it means both meekness and belief, a combination that committed American Christians should be comfortable with.
