The Trump phenomenon's most illuminating and characteristic moments – not its most important, nor cruelest, nor most threatening, nor stupidest, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. In the course of several weeks, the nation's leader started showing everyone his plans for an ornate dance hall twice the size of the White House and then commenced unilaterally ripping down the eastern section to erect it.
He has done things countless times more severe – the existing assessment of casualties due to his slashing to USAID amounts to 600,000 and rising, and presently a study predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have dared – genuinely, no previous leader would have imagined – independently wrecking major areas of the executive mansion to construct a royal-themed celebration hall, with the enthusiastic participation of some of the richest Americans, the majority of whom have business with the government.
We transitioned from 'the humble will receive the Earth' toward 'the gentle will succumb from cholera'
As disorienting as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the old idea about democracy and exchange it with its direct contrary, there is one large group among Americans who wouldn't consider it totally unfamiliar. That is those of us – in older age cohorts a near majority – who were raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed over the years as politically conservative religious groups converted the Savior we were raised with into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. Essentially, they turned a figure of compassion into a figure of hate who endorses exactly the harshness that he criticized in the Gospel; this has happened more slowly, through multiple decades as opposed to months, yet it remains disconcerting through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for many of us.
A Toxic Christianity Establishes Itself
Therefore allow me to outline the Savior from my upbringing, since in theory Christ is the focus of Christian religion, and because the fastest-growing cadre of Americans may possess limited understanding of him since they are atheists or agnostics or nones. I take no issue with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of significant worth within Christian narrative.
It is unquestionably definitely not the story of a powerful ruler emerging; rather, a baby is born to parents without shelter in a garage, who must quickly flee to another nation to evade secret police. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his message is about love for fellow humans, especially for the impoverished – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and sheltering. The Savior's reaction to hostility is to offer the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a method to teach the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing is that if an individual takes your outer garment you should give the person your additional clothing as well.
The obvious and clear truth that the Savior of the gospels advocates for a type of extreme compassion focused on the poor has perpetually caused the Christian faith somewhat of a scandalous religion: engaging for the populace, but due to its intrinsic extremism requiring to be restrained. In the fifties it was contained by dilution – The Protestant faith was so widespread that it practically blessed current circumstances.
A Battle for the Best Among Us
Hence I have become encouraged to observe the steadfast resistance against Trump arise in this past year. It has provided substantial consolation to help build the initiative that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged voters to participate in large quantities in the off-year elections. We will need to continue it, and through comparable resolve, with American flags at every demonstration and appeals to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you receive him and welcome him or reject?
America is best defended, essentially, through connection to the highest about American history, just as Christianity is most protected by relationship to that which renders it unique and magnificent, which is the example of the Savior. In all circumstances does it imply acting as if the most damaging of both America and Christian faith never occurred; it signifies both humility and conviction, a combination that serious US believers should embrace.
