The Trump phenomenon's most illuminating and defining moments – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – emerged earlier this harvest season. In the course of multiple weeks, the nation's leader commenced revealing the public his designs for a lavish reception room twice the size of the White House and then commenced unilaterally ripping down the East Wing to construct it.
He has committed acts countless times more severe – the current estimate of deaths due to his slashing to international aid stands at 600,000 and increasing, and presently research forecast his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have attempted – really, no previous leader would have imagined – independently wrecking significant portions of the executive mansion to build a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of some of the nation's most affluent, the majority of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We moved from 'the humble will receive the planet' toward 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As disorienting as it is to witness the chief executive try to upend the established notion about democracy and exchange it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment of Americans who should not find it totally unfamiliar. This includes individuals like us – in older age cohorts close to half – who were educated within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have watched across decades while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we grew up with into exactly the opposite of our perception of his character. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of love into an icon of hostility who approves precisely the cruelties that he denounced in biblical teachings; this has happened more gradually, over decades rather than months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a confusing personal impact for countless people.
A Damaging Christianity Establishes Itself
Therefore allow me to outline the Christ that I grew up with, as conceptually Jesus is the center of any Christian faith, and given that the quickly increasing segment within America might have little sense of him because they identify as atheists or uncertain individuals or spiritual independents. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with alternative spiritual paths; but I do think that there are pearls of great price in biblical accounts.
It is emphatically definitely not the story of a mighty king appearing; rather, a baby is born to parents without shelter in a storage space, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to avoid secret police. The baby grows up in modest conditions, a working carpenter; his doctrine concerns compassion for other people, particularly for the poor – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and sheltering. Christ's response to violence is to offer the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a way to instruct the attacker; his method regarding offenses is that if a person pilfers your jacket you should give the person your additional clothing also.
The apparent and straightforward truth that the Jesus of the gospels calls for a form of extreme compassion concentrated on the impoverished is what has always made the Christian faith rather a scandalous religion: appealing to the general public, but owing to its intrinsic extremism requiring to be restrained. In the fifties it was contained through watering down – Protestantism was so prevalent that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Conflict for the Best of Us
Hence I have become encouraged to witness the determined opposition to Trump emerge during the previous year. It has been significant comfort to participate in developing the movement that has protested openly in rally after rally, and seems to have inspired electorate to show up in numbers in the off-year elections. We will need to continue it, and with identical determination, with American flags throughout each rally and appeals to the best parts of American history.
We're going to be asked ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you receive him and welcome him or reject?
The country is optimally secured, in other words, by relationship to the finest within national tradition, similar to Christianity is best defended through connection to that which renders it distinctive and wonderful, specifically the model of Christ. In all circumstances does it mean acting as if the worst about the nation and Christian faith never occurred; it represents both meekness and faith, a combination that genuine American Christians should embrace.
