Trumpism's most revealing and characteristic moments – not its most significant, nor most harsh, nor most threatening, nor most foolish, but potentially its most enlightening – emerged earlier this harvest season. In the course of several weeks, the nation's leader began displaying all observers his intentions for a gilded ballroom double the dimensions of the White House and then began independently demolishing the East Wing portion to build it.
He has performed deeds 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of fatalities due to his slashing to USAID stands at 600,000 and increasing, and recently a study predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No previous president would have attempted – genuinely, no former commander would have imagined – unilaterally destroying major areas of the executive mansion to construct a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the enthusiastic participation of some of the richest Americans, the majority of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We went from 'the humble will receive the world' toward 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the leader attempt to overturn the established notion about democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, there is one large group within America who wouldn't consider it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics a near majority – who were educated as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have observed across decades as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we were raised with into the complete reverse of our perception of his character. Essentially, they turned a figure of love into an icon of hate who approves precisely the cruelties that he condemned in biblical teachings; this change developed at a slower pace, across decades rather than months, but it is nonetheless disturbing via comparable methods, a bewildering emotional blow for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold
Therefore allow me to outline the Savior that I grew up with, since in theory Jesus is the center of any Christian faith, and since the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness about him as they consider themselves skeptics or agnostics or religiously unaffiliated. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with alternative spiritual paths; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of great price in the Christian story.
It is emphatically not the account of an authoritative monarch appearing; instead, an infant arrives to displaced parents in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to another nation to evade covert authorities. The baby grows up in simple surroundings, a laboring woodworker; his message focuses on affection for fellow humans, especially for the impoverished – and not a sentimental love, but tangible care, shown by providing food and sheltering. The Savior's reaction to hostility is to offer the opposite cheek – not as a demonstration of submissive tolerance, but as a method to instruct the attacker; his crime policy indicates that whenever an individual takes your jacket you must offer them your pullover too.
The evident and direct reality that Christ from scripture requests a kind of extreme compassion focused on the impoverished has consistently rendered Christian religion rather a controversial faith: attractive to the general public, but because of its intrinsic extremism demanding to be contained. In the fifties it was contained by dilution – Protestantism was so prevalent that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Finest of Us
So I have been heartened to see the persistent defiance against Trump arise over the last twelve months. It has provided significant comfort to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged citizens to turn out in numbers during minor elections. We must have to persist with it, and through comparable resolve, displaying national flags during all protests and calls to the finest aspects within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... how did you receive the stranger? Did you accept these individuals and welcome him or refuse?
The country is optimally secured, essentially, through connection to the highest in US heritage, exactly as the Christian faith is optimally secured through connection to that which renders it distinctive and magnificent, specifically the model of Jesus. In neither case does it mean pretending the most negative about the nation and Christian faith did not happen; it represents both humility and conviction, a combination that genuine American Christians ought to accept.
