The Trump movement's most telling and distinctive moments – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor most senseless, but potentially its most enlightening – came earlier this autumn. During the period of several weeks, the American president started showing the public his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions of the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the eastern section to erect it.
He has committed acts 10,000 times as bad – the present calculation of casualties resulting from his reductions to foreign assistance is 600,000 and rising, and this week a study predicted his energy policies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No former leader would have dared – really, no previous leader would have imagined – unilaterally destroying large sections of the White House to build a royal-themed celebration hall, with the active collaboration of some of the richest Americans, the majority of whom maintain dealings with federal agencies.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the planet' into 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the chief executive attempt to overturn the old idea about democracy and exchange it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment of Americans who should not find it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – in older age cohorts close to half – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have observed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches turned the Jesus we grew up with into the total contrary of our perception of his character. Essentially, they converted a persona of compassion into an icon of hate who blesses exactly the harshness that he denounced in the Gospel; this change developed more gradually, through multiple decades rather than months, yet it remains disconcerting through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for numerous individuals.
A Damaging Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Jesus from my upbringing, because theoretically Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and given that the quickly increasing segment within America may possess limited understanding about him because they identify as skeptics or agnostics or spiritual independents. I raise no objection with these various perspectives, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of great price in biblical accounts.
It is unquestionably not the narrative of a mighty king arising; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in a garage, who must quickly flee to another nation to evade secret police. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, a laboring woodworker; his teaching focuses on affection for others, specifically for the disadvantaged – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, expressed by feeding and protecting. The Savior's reaction to violence is to offer the other cheek – not as a demonstration of passive acceptance, but as a way to teach the assailant; his crime policy states that when a person pilfers your outer garment you ought to provide him your sweater also.
The obvious and straightforward truth that Christ from scripture requests a type of profound affection centered on the poor has perpetually caused Christianity rather a controversial faith: engaging for the populace, but due to its natural unconventionality needing to be contained. In the fifties it was controlled through watering down – The Protestant faith was so dominant that it practically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Best of Us
Therefore I have felt heartened to witness the persistent defiance to Trump arise during the previous year. It has provided significant comfort to help build the campaign that has taken to the streets in rally after rally, and seems to have inspired citizens to turn out in large quantities in interim political contests. We will need to continue it, and in the same spirit, featuring US banners during all protests and appeals to the best parts within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... about how you treated the immigrant? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or refuse?
America is best defended, to put it differently, by reference to the finest about American history, just as Christianity is most protected through connection to what makes it special and beautiful, which is the example of Christ. In neither case does it mean pretending the most damaging about the nation and Christian faith never occurred; it signifies both humility and belief, a combination that committed US believers should be comfortable with.
