Trumpism's most illuminating and defining moments – not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most dangerous, nor most senseless, but potentially its most enlightening – came earlier this autumn. In the course of several weeks, the US president began displaying the public his designs for a gilded ballroom twice the size compared to the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing portion to erect it.
He has done things ten thousand times worse – the current estimate of deaths due to his slashing to USAID amounts to 600,000 and growing, and this week a study projected his energy policies would result in fatalities 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have attempted – genuinely, no previous leader would have conceived – independently wrecking large sections of the executive mansion to construct a Versailles-style party room, with the active collaboration of multiple the nation's most affluent, the majority of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' toward 'the meek shall die to cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the president try to upend the old idea regarding democracy and replace it with its complete opposite, there is one large group of Americans who should not find it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts almost a majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have watched over the years while conservative evangelical congregations turned the Jesus we learned about into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of affection into an icon of hostility who approves exactly the harshness that he criticized in the Gospel; this transformation occurred at a slower pace, across decades rather than months, however it is still disconcerting in the same ways, a confusing personal impact for numerous individuals.
A Damaging Christianity Establishes Itself
So let me first describe the Jesus from my upbringing, because theoretically Christ is the focus of Christian religion, and because the fastest-growing cadre within America could have minimal awareness about him as they consider themselves skeptics or uncertain individuals or religiously unaffiliated. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with alternative spiritual paths; yet I maintain that there are pearls of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is unquestionably not the narrative of an authoritative monarch arising; instead, a child comes into the world to displaced parents in a garage, who need to rapidly escape to another nation to escape covert authorities. The child matures in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his doctrine is about love for fellow humans, especially for the impoverished – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and protecting. Christ's response to hostility is to turn the other cheek – not as an act of passive acceptance, but as a way to instruct the assailant; his approach to wrongdoing is that if a person pilfers your outer garment you ought to provide them your pullover as well.
The obvious and clear truth that the Jesus in biblical accounts advocates for a kind of profound affection centered on the needy is what has always made the Christian faith somewhat of a provocative belief system: engaging for the general public, but because of its natural unconventionality needing to be restrained. During the 1950s it was controlled through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so widespread that it basically baptized the status quo.
A Struggle for the Best Within Us
Therefore I have felt heartened to observe the determined opposition against Trump arise in this past year. It has served as substantial consolation to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets in rally after rally, and appears to have motivated electorate to turn out in numbers in interim political contests. We will need to maintain it, and with identical determination, displaying national flags throughout each rally and calls to the highest qualities of American history.
We're going to be asked ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?
America is best defended, essentially, by relationship to the highest about American history, similar to Christianity is optimally secured by relationship to elements that cause it to be special and wonderful, specifically the model of the Savior. In both situations does it imply feigning the worst regarding America and Christianity was nonexistent; it signifies both meekness and conviction, a mixture that committed US believers ought to accept.
