The Trump phenomenon's most telling and distinctive occasions – not its most significant, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most senseless, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. In the course of a few weeks, the US president commenced revealing everyone his intentions for a lavish reception room twice the size of the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the East Wing portion to erect it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the present calculation of casualties from his cuts to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and rising, and recently an analysis predicted his energy policies would kill another 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No previous president would have attempted – genuinely, no other president would have imagined – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the White House to construct a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the active collaboration of multiple America's wealthiest, the majority of whom maintain dealings with public institutions.
We moved from 'the gentle will obtain the planet' to 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As disorienting as it is to observe the leader attempt to overturn the traditional concept about democracy and exchange it with its complete opposite, there remains a substantial portion within America who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. This includes individuals like us – among senior generations almost a majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have observed over the years while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we were raised with into the complete reverse of who we understood him to be. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of compassion into a symbol of hostility who approves precisely the cruelties that he criticized in biblical teachings; this change developed more slowly, across decades instead of months, however it is still disturbing in the same ways, a confusing personal impact for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Takes Hold
So let me first describe the Jesus from my upbringing, since in theory the Savior is the core within Christian belief, and because the quickly increasing segment within America might have little sense regarding him as they consider themselves non-believers or agnostics or spiritual independents. I take no issue with these various perspectives, nor with any other faith; but I do think that exist valuable insights of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is unquestionably not the story of a powerful ruler arising; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in a garage, who need to rapidly escape to a different country to evade secret police. The child matures in humble circumstances, a working carpenter; his doctrine concerns compassion for others, especially for the poor – not simply tender feelings, but tangible care, shown by providing food and protecting. Christ's response to violence is to turn the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of passive acceptance, but as a method to teach the attacker; his crime policy indicates that whenever someone steals your outer garment you ought to provide them your pullover as well.
The obvious and straightforward fact that the Jesus from scripture calls for a kind of profound affection concentrated on the impoverished is what has always made the Christian faith rather a provocative belief system: attractive to the general public, but due to its inherent radicalness requiring to be contained. During the 1950s it was contained through watering down – The Protestant faith was so dominant that it practically baptized the status quo.
A Conflict for the Highest of Us
So I have been inspired to observe the determined opposition to Trump emerge over the last twelve months. It has provided significant comfort to participate in developing the initiative that has protested openly via continuous gatherings, and appears to have motivated voters to show up in significant amounts in the off-year elections. We will need to maintain it, and with identical determination, featuring US banners at every demonstration and requests to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... regarding how you welcomed the stranger? Did you receive him and welcome him or refuse?
America is best defended, in other words, through connection to the best about American history, just as Christianity is best defended by reference to elements that cause it to be special and magnificent, which is the example of Jesus. In neither case does it imply acting as if the worst of both America and Christianity was nonexistent; it represents both modesty and faith, a combination that committed US believers ought to accept.
