Trumpism's most revealing and defining moments – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of a few weeks, the US president commenced revealing all observers his intentions for a lavish reception room twice the size compared to the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing to erect it.
He has done things ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of casualties due to his slashing to foreign assistance is 600,000 and rising, and this week an analysis predicted his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities another 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No former leader would have dared – truly, no former commander would have imagined – independently wrecking significant portions of the presidential residence in order to erect a Versailles-style party room, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous the nation's most affluent, the majority of whom have business with public institutions.
We moved from 'the gentle will obtain the Earth' to 'the meek shall die from cholera'
As disorienting as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the established notion about democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, 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 raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have watched over the years while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we grew up with into the total contrary of our perception of his character. Essentially, they transformed an image of compassion into a symbol of hostility who endorses precisely the cruelties that he denounced in the Gospel; this transformation occurred more slowly, across decades as opposed to months, but it is nonetheless disturbing in the same ways, a confusing personal impact for numerous individuals.
A Damaging Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Savior from my childhood, as conceptually the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and since the fastest-growing cadre within America could have minimal awareness of him as they consider themselves skeptics or doubters or nones. I raise no objection with these different approaches, nor with different religions; however I believe that there are pearls of substantial value in biblical accounts.
It is unquestionably not the story of a powerful ruler appearing; rather, a baby is born to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to escape covert authorities. The infant develops in modest conditions, a working carpenter; his teaching focuses on affection for others, particularly for the disadvantaged – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, expressed by feeding and housing. Jesus' answer to aggression is to present the opposite cheek – not as an act of compliant endurance, but as a way to instruct the attacker; his crime policy indicates that whenever a person pilfers your outer garment you must offer the person your additional clothing as well.
The obvious and clear truth that the Savior in biblical accounts calls for a form of extreme compassion centered on the needy has perpetually caused Christianity something of a controversial faith: engaging for the populace, but owing to its inherent radicalness demanding to be controlled. During the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – Protestantism was so dominant that it practically sanctified existing conditions.
A Conflict for the Best of Us
So I have been heartened to observe the steadfast resistance to Trump develop over the last twelve months. It has been great solace to participate in developing the initiative that has taken to the streets via continuous gatherings, and appears to have motivated voters to show up in numbers during minor elections. We shall require to continue it, and in the same spirit, with American flags at every demonstration and calls to the finest aspects in US history.
We shall be interrogated ... how did you receive the stranger? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or not?
The country is optimally secured, in other words, by relationship to the highest about American history, similar to Christianity is best defended by reference to what makes it special and magnificent, which is the example of Christ. In neither case does it suggest feigning the most damaging of both America and Christianity never occurred; it signifies both modesty and conviction, a combination that serious US believers ought to accept.
