Trumpism's most telling and characteristic moments – not its most significant, nor most harsh, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of multiple weeks, the nation's leader commenced revealing all observers his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions than the White House and then began independently demolishing the eastern section to erect it.
He has done things countless times more severe – the present calculation of casualties from his cuts to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and growing, and presently a study projected his energy policies would kill 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have dared – really, no previous leader would have imagined – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the executive mansion to construct a royal-themed celebration hall, with the direct cooperation of some of the richest Americans, almost all of whom conduct transactions with the government.
We went from 'the humble will receive the world' toward 'the gentle will succumb to cholera'
As confusing as it is to watch the chief executive attempt to overturn the old idea about democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who should not find it entirely new. That is those of us – among senior generations almost a majority – who were educated as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have observed across decades as rightwing evangelical churches converted the Savior we learned about into the complete reverse of our understanding of him. At its most basic, they transformed an image of affection into a figure of hostility who approves exactly the harshness that he denounced in scripture; this transformation occurred more slowly, over decades rather than months, yet it remains disturbing via comparable methods, a disorienting gut punch for numerous individuals.
A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold
So let me first describe the Jesus from my upbringing, since in theory Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and since the fastest-growing cadre of Americans may possess limited understanding about him because they identify as skeptics or agnostics or nones. I take no issue with these different approaches, nor with different religions; however I believe that there are pearls of significant worth in the Christian story.
It is decidedly definitely not the story of a mighty king arising; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in a storage space, who are forced to hastily depart to a foreign land to evade covert authorities. The child matures in modest conditions, an employed craftsman; his teaching focuses on affection for others, specifically for the poor – not merely emotional affection, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and protecting. Christ's response to hostility is to turn the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of passive acceptance, but as a method to educate the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing states that when someone steals your outer garment you should give him your sweater as well.
The obvious and clear fact that Christ of the gospels calls for a form of profound affection centered on the needy has consistently rendered Christian religion somewhat of a provocative belief system: attractive to the populace, but owing to its natural unconventionality requiring to be restrained. During the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – The Protestant faith was so prevalent that it essentially baptized the status quo.
A Struggle for the Best Among Us
Therefore I have felt encouraged to witness the persistent defiance regarding Trump develop during the previous year. It has been significant comfort to help build the campaign that has demonstrated publicly via continuous gatherings, and likely has encouraged citizens to turn out in significant amounts in the off-year elections. We must have to persist with it, and through comparable resolve, with American flags at every demonstration and appeals to the best parts in US history.
We will be questioned ... regarding how you welcomed the immigrant? Did you welcome them and receive them or refuse?
The country is optimally secured, in other words, by reference to the highest about American history, similar to Christianity is most protected through connection to that which renders it unique and magnificent, which is the example of Jesus. In both situations does it mean acting as if the most negative about the nation and religious tradition was nonexistent; it signifies both modesty and belief, a mixture that serious US believers should be comfortable with.
