The Trump phenomenon's most telling and defining moments – not its most important, nor cruelest, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the US president started showing the public his designs for a gilded ballroom double the dimensions compared to the White House and subsequently started solo dismantling the eastern section to erect it.
He has performed deeds 10,000 times as bad – the existing assessment of casualties due to his slashing to international aid is 600,000 and rising, and recently a study projected his petroleum strategies would cause deaths 1.3 million more. However nothing as distinctive. No former leader would have attempted – really, no previous leader would have contemplated – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the White House in order to erect a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of multiple the nation's most affluent, the majority of whom have business with the government.
We transitioned from 'the humble will receive the Earth' to 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the leader try to upend the traditional concept about democracy and substitute it with its direct contrary, there is one large group of Americans who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. This includes individuals like us – in older age cohorts a near majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have watched throughout the years as politically conservative religious groups transformed the Christ we were raised with into the total contrary of our perception of his character. Essentially, they converted a persona of affection into a figure of hostility who blesses exactly the harshness that he denounced in the Gospel; this transformation occurred more slowly, over decades instead of months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a bewildering emotional blow for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Takes Hold
Therefore allow me to outline the Christ from my upbringing, since in theory Christ is the focus of Christian religion, and given that the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness about him as they consider themselves skeptics or agnostics or nones. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with any other faith; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of significant worth within Christian narrative.
It is unquestionably definitely not the account of an authoritative monarch arising; rather, an infant arrives to parents without shelter in a garage, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to evade covert authorities. The baby grows up in simple surroundings, a laboring woodworker; his doctrine concerns compassion for fellow humans, particularly for the poor – not merely emotional affection, but a concrete one, demonstrated through nourishing and protecting. Jesus' answer to aggression is to present the other cheek – not as a demonstration of passive acceptance, but as a method to teach the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing indicates that whenever someone steals your coat you must offer him your sweater as well.
The evident and direct reality that the Savior in biblical accounts calls for a kind of radical love centered on the impoverished has consistently rendered Christian religion rather a scandalous religion: appealing to the masses, but because of its natural unconventionality requiring to be controlled. In the 1950s it was restrained via weakening – Protestantism was so widespread that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Highest of Us
Therefore I have felt inspired to observe the determined opposition to Trump emerge in this past year. It has served as great solace to participate in developing the initiative that has protested openly through repeated demonstrations, and seems to have inspired voters to turn out in significant amounts during minor elections. We must have to maintain it, and through comparable resolve, with American flags during all protests and requests to the finest aspects of American history.
We will be questioned ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you welcome them and receive them or refuse?
America is best defended, in other words, through connection to the finest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is best defended through connection to that which renders it special and magnificent, particularly the pattern of Christ. In both situations does it suggest acting as if the most damaging about the nation and Christianity was nonexistent; it signifies both modesty and belief, a combination that genuine national faithful should embrace.
