Trumpism's most illuminating and defining moments – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. In the course of a few weeks, the American president started showing all observers his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions than the White House and subsequently started independently demolishing the East Wing portion to construct it.
He has committed acts ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of casualties resulting from his reductions to USAID stands at 600,000 and growing, and recently research predicted his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities another 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No other president would have risked – genuinely, no other president would have conceived – unilaterally destroying major areas of the executive mansion to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the direct cooperation of multiple America's wealthiest, nearly all of which maintain dealings with public institutions.
We moved from 'the humble will receive the planet' into 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the old idea about democracy and substitute it with its polar opposite, there is one large group of Americans who might not perceive it totally unfamiliar. That is those of us – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were brought up as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have watched over the years while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we grew up with into the total contrary of our understanding of him. Fundamentally, they turned a figure of affection into an icon of hostility who blesses precisely the cruelties that he criticized in the Gospel; this transformation occurred more slowly, through multiple decades instead of months, but it is nonetheless disturbing in the same ways, a bewildering emotional blow for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Establishes Itself
So let me first describe the Savior from my upbringing, since in theory the Savior is the core within Christian belief, and given that the fastest-growing cadre among Americans might have little sense regarding him as they consider themselves atheists or doubters or nones. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that there are pearls of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is decidedly definitely not the account of a mighty king emerging; instead, a child comes into the world to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to evade undercover officers. The infant develops in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his message focuses on affection for others, specifically for the poor – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and sheltering. Christ's response to aggression is to offer the other cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a method to instruct the attacker; his crime policy states that when someone steals your coat you should give him your sweater as well.
The evident and straightforward truth that Christ from scripture advocates for a kind of extreme compassion focused on the needy has perpetually caused the Christian faith rather a scandalous religion: appealing to the populace, but due to its intrinsic extremism demanding to be controlled. During the 1950s it was restrained by dilution – The Protestant faith was so prevalent that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Finest of Us
So I have been heartened to see the determined opposition regarding Trump develop over the last twelve months. It has been great solace to participate in developing the campaign that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged voters to show up in significant amounts in the off-year elections. We will need to persist with it, and in the same spirit, featuring US banners throughout each rally and calls to the best parts of American history.
We shall be interrogated ... how did you receive the stranger? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?
The country is optimally secured, essentially, by reference to the highest in US heritage, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended by relationship to elements that cause it to be distinctive and wonderful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In all circumstances does it imply feigning the most negative about the nation and Christian faith never occurred; it means both humility and faith, a combination that genuine American Christians should be comfortable with.
