The Trump movement's most telling and defining occasions – not its most important, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of a few weeks, the US president began displaying all observers his designs for a gilded ballroom double the dimensions than the White House and then began solo dismantling the East Wing to construct it.
He has done things countless times more severe – the present calculation of fatalities resulting from his reductions to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and growing, and presently research forecast his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities an additional 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No previous president would have attempted – genuinely, no other president would have contemplated – independently wrecking significant portions of the executive mansion to build a Versailles-style party room, with the enthusiastic participation of some of the richest Americans, almost all of whom have business with the government.
We transitioned from 'the gentle will obtain the planet' to 'the gentle will succumb of cholera'
As disorienting as it is to watch the leader attempt to overturn the traditional concept regarding democracy and replace it with its complete opposite, there remains a substantial portion within America who wouldn't consider it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – in older age cohorts almost a majority – who were educated as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have watched across decades as rightwing evangelical churches converted the Savior we learned about into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of affection into an icon of hostility who approves precisely the cruelties that he criticized in biblical teachings; this transformation occurred more gradually, through multiple decades rather than months, but it is nonetheless disconcerting in the same ways, a confusing personal impact for numerous individuals.
A Harmful Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Christ from my upbringing, since in theory the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and given that the fastest-growing cadre among Americans may possess limited understanding of him since they are atheists or uncertain individuals or religiously unaffiliated. I take no issue with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; but I do think that there are pearls of great price in the Christian story.
It is decidedly absolutely not the account of a mighty king appearing; rather, a baby is born to homeless parents in a garage, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to avoid secret police. The infant develops in humble circumstances, a working carpenter; his teaching focuses on affection for other people, especially for the impoverished – not simply tender feelings, but a concrete one, expressed by feeding and protecting. Jesus' answer to aggression is to offer the opposite cheek – not as an act of submissive tolerance, but as a means to instruct the assailant; his crime policy indicates that whenever a person pilfers your jacket you should give the person your additional clothing as well.
The apparent and straightforward truth that the Savior from scripture calls for a form of extreme compassion focused on the poor has consistently rendered Christian religion rather a controversial faith: attractive to the masses, but due to its inherent radicalness needing to be contained. During the 1950s it was controlled by dilution – Protestantism was so prevalent that it practically baptized the status quo.
A Battle for the Finest Among Us
Therefore I have felt heartened to observe the persistent defiance regarding Trump develop during the previous year. It has been great solace to participate in developing the campaign that has protested openly in rally after rally, and appears to have motivated voters to show up in significant amounts during minor elections. We must have to maintain it, and with identical determination, featuring US banners at every demonstration and calls to the finest aspects of American history.
We're going to be asked ... regarding how you welcomed the stranger? Did you accept these individuals and welcome him or not?
America is best defended, in other words, by relationship to the highest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is best defended by relationship to that which renders it unique and beautiful, specifically the model of Christ. In neither case does it suggest feigning the worst of both America and Christian faith was nonexistent; it represents both modesty and belief, a mixture that genuine national faithful should embrace.
