Trumpism's most illuminating and defining moments – not its most significant, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but possibly its most revealing – came earlier this autumn. Over the span of multiple weeks, the American president commenced revealing everyone his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions of the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the East Wing to construct it.
He has committed acts countless times more severe – the present calculation of fatalities resulting from his reductions to international aid stands at 600,000 and increasing, and this week a study projected his energy policies would result in fatalities 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No previous president would have attempted – truly, no previous leader would have conceived – independently wrecking significant portions of the executive mansion in order to erect a royal-themed celebration hall, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous America's wealthiest, the majority of whom maintain dealings with federal agencies.
We moved from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' toward 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As disorienting as it is to observe the chief executive try to upend the traditional concept about democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, there remains a substantial portion within America who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. That is those of us – among senior generations a near majority – who were raised as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have witnessed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we learned about into the complete reverse of our perception of his character. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of love into a symbol of hostility who approves exactly the harshness that he criticized in the Gospel; this has happened at a slower pace, across decades rather than months, yet it remains disturbing through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold
So let me first describe the Christ from my upbringing, because theoretically the Savior is the core of Christian religion, and given that the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness of him since they are atheists or agnostics or spiritual independents. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with different religions; however I believe that there are pearls of great price in biblical accounts.
It is emphatically not the story of a powerful ruler arising; conversely, a child comes into the world to parents without shelter in a storage space, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to avoid secret police. The baby grows up in simple surroundings, a working carpenter; his message concerns compassion for fellow humans, particularly for the poor – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and sheltering. Jesus' answer to violence is to offer the additional cheek – not as a demonstration of submissive tolerance, but as a means to educate the assailant; his approach to wrongdoing is that if someone steals your outer garment you ought to provide him your sweater also.
The apparent and straightforward fact that the Savior of the gospels advocates for a type of profound affection focused on the needy has perpetually caused Christianity somewhat of a provocative belief system: appealing to the masses, but due to its inherent radicalness demanding to be controlled. During the 1950s it was contained through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so prevalent that it basically blessed current circumstances.
A Battle for the Finest Within Us
So I have been heartened to observe the steadfast resistance regarding Trump develop in this past year. It has provided significant comfort to participate in developing the initiative that has taken to the streets in rally after rally, and seems to have inspired electorate to participate in numbers during minor elections. We must have to persist with it, and in the same spirit, with American flags at every demonstration and requests to the finest aspects within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... about how you treated the foreigner? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or not?
The country is optimally secured, essentially, by relationship to the highest in US heritage, just as Christianity is most protected through connection to what makes it distinctive and magnificent, particularly the pattern of Jesus. In both situations does it imply pretending the most damaging regarding America and Christian faith did not happen; it means both modesty and belief, a blend that committed US believers ought to accept.
