Trumpism's most revealing and defining moments – not its most important, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most senseless, but perhaps its most illuminating – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the US president commenced revealing all observers his designs for a lavish reception room twice the size than the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the East Wing to erect it.
He has committed acts countless times more severe – the existing assessment of deaths resulting from his reductions to USAID amounts to 600,000 and growing, and recently research predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill an additional 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No other president would have dared – truly, no other president would have contemplated – independently wrecking major areas of the presidential residence to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the active collaboration of multiple the richest Americans, almost all of whom conduct transactions with federal agencies.
We moved from 'the gentle will obtain the world' toward 'the humble will perish to cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the chief executive try to upend the old idea of democracy and exchange it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. That encompasses people such as ourselves – in older age cohorts close to half – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have watched throughout the years as rightwing evangelical churches converted the Savior we grew up with into the complete reverse of our perception of his character. At its most basic, they transformed an image of affection into a symbol of animosity who blesses exactly the harshness that he denounced in the Gospel; this change developed more gradually, through multiple decades as opposed to months, however it is still unsettling through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for countless people.
A Toxic Christianity Establishes Itself
So let me first describe the Jesus that I grew up with, as conceptually the Savior is the core of Christian religion, and given that the rapidly expanding group within America could have minimal awareness regarding him since they are atheists or agnostics or nones. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with any other faith; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is decidedly definitely not the narrative of an authoritative monarch arising; rather, a baby is born to parents without shelter in a storage space, who are forced to hastily depart to another nation to escape undercover officers. The infant develops in simple surroundings, an employed craftsman; his doctrine concerns compassion for fellow humans, particularly for the disadvantaged – not merely emotional affection, but tangible care, expressed by feeding and protecting. Christ's response to aggression is to present the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a means to instruct the attacker; his approach to wrongdoing is that if someone steals your jacket you should give them your pullover too.
The apparent and straightforward reality that Christ from scripture requests a form of profound affection focused on the impoverished is what has always made Christianity something of a controversial faith: appealing to the general public, but owing to its natural unconventionality demanding to be contained. In the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so widespread that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Battle for the Highest of Us
So I have been inspired to witness the steadfast resistance to Trump develop during the previous year. It has been significant comfort to help build the campaign that has demonstrated publicly through repeated demonstrations, and appears to have motivated voters to turn out in large quantities in interim political contests. We shall require to continue it, and through comparable resolve, displaying national flags at every demonstration and appeals to the highest qualities in US history.
We shall be interrogated ... regarding how you welcomed the foreigner? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or reject?
The country is optimally secured, in other words, by reference to the best within national tradition, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended by reference to elements that cause it to be distinctive and magnificent, which is the example of the Savior. In neither case does it imply feigning the worst about the nation and religious tradition was nonexistent; it represents both modesty and belief, a mixture that genuine American Christians should be comfortable with.
