The Trump movement's most revealing and defining instances – not its most significant, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of several weeks, the American president started showing all observers his intentions for a lavish reception room twice the size than the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the East Wing portion to build it.
He has committed acts ten thousand times worse – the current estimate of casualties resulting from his reductions to USAID amounts to 600,000 and rising, and presently an analysis projected his fossil fuel policies would kill an additional 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have dared – genuinely, no other president would have imagined – independently wrecking significant portions of the executive mansion in order to erect a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous America's wealthiest, almost all of whom have business with public institutions.
We went from 'the humble will receive the Earth' to 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the president try to upend the traditional concept regarding democracy and exchange it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment among Americans who might not perceive it completely novel. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics a near majority – who were raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed throughout the years as rightwing evangelical churches converted the Savior we grew up with into exactly the opposite of our understanding of him. At its most basic, they converted a persona of affection into a figure of animosity who approves specifically the brutality that he criticized in scripture; this change developed more slowly, over decades instead of months, yet it remains disconcerting via comparable methods, a confusing personal impact for countless people.
A Toxic Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Christ that I grew up with, because theoretically Jesus is the center of any Christian faith, and because the fastest-growing cadre within America may possess limited understanding of him as they consider themselves atheists or agnostics or nones. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that contain precious wisdom of significant worth within Christian narrative.
It is decidedly not the account of a powerful ruler emerging; instead, a baby is born to displaced parents in a storage space, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to evade secret police. The baby grows up in modest conditions, an employed craftsman; his doctrine concerns compassion for fellow humans, especially for the disadvantaged – not simply tender feelings, but tangible care, expressed by feeding and protecting. The Savior's reaction to aggression is to turn the additional cheek – not as an act of compliant endurance, but as a method to educate the assailant; his method regarding offenses indicates that whenever someone steals your coat you should give the person your additional clothing also.
The evident and direct reality that Christ from scripture calls for a form of profound affection concentrated on the impoverished has consistently rendered Christian religion rather a controversial faith: engaging for the general public, but owing to its intrinsic extremism needing to be controlled. During the 1950s it was controlled through watering down – Protestantism was so prevalent that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Battle for the Finest Within Us
So I have been encouraged to witness the determined opposition to Trump emerge during the previous year. It has served as significant comfort to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and seems to have inspired electorate to turn out in large quantities during minor elections. 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 ... regarding how you welcomed the stranger? Did you welcome them and embrace them or not?
America is best defended, to put it differently, by reference to the best about American history, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended through connection to what makes it special and magnificent, specifically the model of the Savior. In all circumstances does it imply feigning the most negative about the nation and religious tradition never occurred; it means both meekness and belief, a combination that committed American Christians ought to accept.
